PULLMAN,
The award is presented annually by the Association for Faculty Women at WSU to honor a member of the association who has contributed to the advancement of women at WSU. Demonstrated leadership in higher education, the community or the candidate’s profession at the local, state, regional, national or international level is also taken into account when selecting a recipient.
Oaks, whose career at WSU spans 30 years, was instrumental in launching the Distance Degree Program at WSU in the early 1990s. This program, which grew rapidly under her direction, is recognized as one of the most innovative and respected distance degree programs in the nation. The program makes a high quality college education available to place bound working adults and other nontraditional students. Nearly 70 percent of its 1,800 graduates are women.
A nationally-recognized leader in distance education, Oaks was director of WSU’s Washington Higher Education Telecommunication System, director of Extended Academic Programs and has served as president of the University Continuing Education Association.
She also served as interim vice president for Extended University Affairs, was a founding member and president of the National Universities Degree Consortium, and continues to serve as a member of its Board of Directors. Oaks received the UCEA’s Gayle B. Childs Leadership Award in 2004.
