Dr. Mickey Slimp was named to the TxDLA Hall of Fame for 2013, and is an example of the consummate professional who is dedicated to the pursuit of quality in distance education. He has a statewide reputation for service and leadership far beyond that defined by his job description as Executive Director of the Northeast Texas Consortium of Colleges and Universities. Dr. Slimp is sought to collaborate and advise distance educators in all educational circles: K-12, Community College, and University. He demonstrates an ability to work with a wide range of people who include educational leaders, technologists, and support personnel.
He served as the founding director of the Virtual College of Texas. As the Chairman of its Curriculum Planning Task Force, he and his team originated and developed a ten-week online web instructor's certification course, "Putting Your Course on the Internet." The purpose of that training was to create a group of instructors throughout Texas who mastered the skills needed to design and conduct successful online classes. Over 1800 community college instructors were directly affected by this training. For the first time, those new to distance-learning received a standard for professional development for community and junior college instruction that was not matched anywhere else in the nation. This is a tribute to the quality of Dr. Slimp’s efforts to bring quality in distance education to the college community.
His work, directly and indirectly, affects hundreds of distance education professionals, many who will never know how he touches their lives as a silent partner in the Distance Education arena. Dr. Slimp developed his reputation for excellence based on his competency and attention to detail. He is a “star” among distance educators because of his commitment to these high standards.