This year, Janine Lim, dean of the Global Campus at Andrews University, received the 2026 Hall of Fame Higher Education award from the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA).

USDLA awards are given out annually to acknowledge organizations and individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary achievements using online learning techniques, innovation, and video technologies. The Hall of Fame award requires participation in USDLA and significant contributions to global distance learning.

Throughout her career, Lim has been deeply engaged in developing and promoting distance education. In 2008, she won the USDLA Outstanding Leadership Award and soon after began to serve on the USDLA board.

“I loved doing it, because I learned so much from other institutions and what they’re doing. [USDLA] is a really interesting group because they have K–12, higher education, corporate, government, and health care distance education,” she said.

Before joining the Andrews community, Lim worked as an instructional technology consultant at the Berrien Regional Education Service Agency for 14 years, where she focused on online asynchronous instructional technology and distance education. During this time, she taught courses for the Adventist Virtual Learning Network and oversaw a video conferencing system with around 35 units across local public school districts. She was also able to coordinate video conference projects, such as open-heart surgeries from the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio, and an annual international reading event across multiple states and four countries. Lim shares that this work created a strong foundation for her time at Andrews.

Lim earned her BA in communication, MAT, and PhD in leadership from Andrews. In 2011, she began serving at Andrews as associate dean for online higher education. During this time, she was responsible for improving the quality and design of technological and online tools that aided the university. She was also responsible for faculty and course development, and she promoted collaboration across multiple Adventist institutions of higher learning. Lim began serving as interim dean of the Global Campus in March 2026, before becoming dean on July 1, 2026.

As dean of the Global Campus, Lim oversees the Adult Degree Completion Center, the School of Leadership, the Center for Continuing Education, the Center for Digital Learning and Instructional Technology, the Office of International Student Services and Griggs International Academy. She hopes to continue her work of “deep collaboration, where each person understands the intent and design of what others bring,” noting that “to fully integrate and learn from each other’s ideas creates really great interactions.”

Lim shares, “I feel that working at Andrews in distance education is something that God created and knit me together to do. He gave me the experience, and I am committed to Andrews because I know God wants me here. … For me, this award is a confirmation that God is leading, and He needs me to do something more besides what I’ve done so far.”

The original article was published on the Andrews University news site.