Karen M. Roloff, director of internships for DePaul University’s College of Communication, recently received a national award for her distinguished work in the field of experiential education.

Roloff, of Northbrook, is the inaugural recipient of the Michael Steuerman Award for Distinguished Service from the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE), which is given to a NSEE member who has demonstrated truly exceptional dedication and leadership to the organization over a significant period of time. It recognizes an individual who exemplifies the values and mission of the society and who has made critical contributions to NSEE’s success.

“Two years ago, the NSEE board of directors named this award in memory of our dear colleague. It is a special award, granted at the discretion of the board and separate from the annual NSEE Awards Program,” Roloff said. “To be the inaugural recipient of the Michael Steuerman Distinguished Service Award is especially meaningful.”

Steuerman served on the NSEE board of directors and received the NSEE Pioneer of the Year Award in 2000. He served at times as dean, department chair, professor, athletic director and wrestling coach during his nearly 40-year career at Bronx Community College in New York. A community activist, he chaired the board of directors of Self-Help and Resource Exchange (SHARE), a food program serving 14,000 families in New York, and brought the concept of SHARE and student involvement to colleges nationwide.

Roloff administers all facets of the College of Communication’s internship program for graduate and undergraduate students, including workshops, recruiting, placements, monitoring and site visits as well as teaching internship courses. Located in the third-largest media market in the United States, the program provides students with nearly 900 internship opportunities at network radio and television outlets; public relations and advertising agencies; retail giants and nonprofit organizations; independent film companies; local and national political offices; entertainment venues; and sports franchises.

“Through Karen’s hard work and the college’s extensive network of placement sites, our students are provided with invaluable on-the-job experiences in the thriving Chicago media market,” said College of Communication Dean Jacqueline Taylor. “These internships complement the students’ classroom experience and provide them with real-world experience in a variety of communication-related fields.”

Roloff served as president of the NSEE board of directors from 2004 to 2007 and as a member of the board’s executive committee from 2002 to the present, demonstrating a keen vision and a true sense of stewardship as she guided the organization through a period of tremendous strategic and financial difficulty. She has brought her expert communication and scholarly skills to full use as she has developed new professional development programs for NSEE members and other experiential educators and built partnerships with colleges and universities dedicated to the philosophy and pedagogy of experiential learning. Roloff’s guidance and leadership have been instrumental in bringing NSEE to its position as the leading national academic organization in the field of experiential education, NSEE Executive Director Haley Brust said in a letter announcing the award.

NSEE is a nonprofit membership association of educators, businesses and community leaders. Founded in 1971, NSEE also serves as a national resource center for the development and improvement of experiential education programs nationwide. NSEE’s mission is to foster the effective use of experience as an integral part of education in order to empower learners and promote the common good.

Established in spring 2007, the College of Communication is DePaul’s ninth college, serving 965 undergraduate students and 131 graduate students in fall 2007. It originated in 1978 as a major area of study in the Department of English. In its first year, the college has added two new graduate programs and developed five distinct undergraduate majors. DePaul is now the second-largest provider of bachelor’s degrees in communication in Illinois and the fourth-largest provider of master’s degrees in communication in the state.

It offers graduate programs in journalism; media, culture and society; organizational and multicultural communication; and public relations and advertising. Undergraduate programs include communication studies; journalism; media and cinema studies; PR/advertising; and communication and media.

For more information about the College of Communication, please call 773/325-7174 or visit http://communication.depaul.edu/index.asp.