CLEVELAND -- Ball State University’s Jennifer Palilonis has been named the winner of the inaugural 2020 Mid-American Conference Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success. The first-of-its-kind award recognized one full-time faculty nominee from each MAC institution who has demonstrated a dedication to student success and one overall conference winner.
“Congratulations to Dr. Palilonis on winning the inaugural Mid-American Conference Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success,” said MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. “It’s clear that Dr. Palilonis has earned the respect of her peers and has consistently exhibited her passion to assist and mentor students to attain their potential.”
“Jenn Palilonis is well-deserving of this award in recognition of her exemplary contributions to the success of her students,” said Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns. “She passionately contributes her time and talent to helping our University expand its reach and impact by serving learners throughout their lifetime educational journey.”
Palilonis is the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Multimedia Journalism and a professor in the Department of Journalism. She also serves as the founding director of the Center for Emerging Media Design and Development (EMDD).
She is known for her creative and innovative endeavors. In 2017, Dr. Palilonis and her students deployed a global social media campaign to engage young people in the value of water. The work was recognized by the Vatican, and she and EMDD students were invited to lead a three-day workshop on water issues during the Vatican’s World Water Day. She and her students also have worked with the Professor Garfield Foundation, building a digital literacy curriculum for children K-5, and she leads the David Letterman Learning Experience, an ongoing interdisciplinary immersive learning project focused on intersections between technology, art, and storytelling. Garfield Creator Jim Davis and former late-night talk show host David Letterman are Ball State alumni. Other project collaborations have been with The Indiana State Museum, Circle of Blue, and USA Volleyball.
Dr. Palilonis’ fields of professional specialization are design thinking, human-computer interaction, cross-platform storytelling, visual journalism, information graphics reporting, art direction, redesign, visual rhetoric, e-learning, digital publishing, research-informed design and development, human-computer interaction and interaction design. She is the former education director for the Society for News Design and former head of the Visual Communications division of the Association for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication.
“I cannot think of a greater honor than being recognized for student success, as students are at the heart of everything we do,” said Palilonis. “I am incredibly proud of the students that I have had the great fortune to work with over the past 20 years at Ball State University. They make my job inspiring, energizing and joyful every day. I am equally proud to work for an institution that puts student learning first and to benefit from the countless colleagues with whom I regularly collaborate. I am so grateful to the MAC for recognizing me and the other institutional nominees, who are all outstanding educators. I know that they all love and admire their students as much as I do. And, above all, I am blessed to have a loving and supportive husband and children who encourage me every step of the way.”
