Dr. Elaine Richardson Awarded CLADEA Fellow
Dr. Elaine Richardson, Professor Emerita of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Director, Academic Success Center, was honored virtually at the National College Learning Center Association’s (NCLCA) annual conference as a Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA) Fellow. The vision of the CLADEA is to “provide leadership and a unified voice to advance the profession of postsecondary learning assistance and developmental education.” The naming of CLADEA Fellows is the organizations way of formally recognizing the excellence of the very best practitioners, policymakers, researchers, teachers and administrators within the postsecondary learning assistance, developmental education and tutoring. Selection as a Fellow represents the highest honor conferred upon professionals in this field.
Although there are approximately 100,000 educators within the field, to date only 67 individuals have received this impressive accolade since 2000. Dr. Elaine Richardson began her career at Clemson with a teaching and a research appointment in Animal and Veterinary Sciences, where she was appointed as coordinator for the freshman study strategies course which she expanded to a university-wide offering, eventually focusing on transfer students and students on academic probation. She also was recognized multiple times for her teaching and academic advising of undergraduate students.
At Clemson, Elaine was named the first director of the Academic Success Center, building a center that received numerous national awards. Dr. Richardson publishes and presents on learning assistance collaborations across campus; much of her earlier work was on topics like Universal Design and building programs to enhance academic performance and retention.
After serving as president of NCLCA, she led the development of NCLCA’s Centers of Excellence Certification program. Elaine continues to serve NCLCA as a certification reviewer and on the Past Presidents Council. In 2019, she received the NCLCA Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2020 was named a Clemson Emeritus College Fellow. Dr. Richardson’s award was presented by Dr. Debra Jackson, Emeritus College Director.
