At the 2019 IBEA Fall Conference, IBEA presented the Distinguished Service Award to Betty L. Schroeder. This award was presented posthumously to her family members.

Professor Emeritus Betty L. Schroeder, Ph.D., Management Department, Northern Illinois University (NIU), taught at NIU for 27 years before retiring in 2003. She was the 1984-85 president of IBEA.

While at NIU, she taught undergraduate and graduate courses and advised teacher certification students as well as 61 graduate students through their dissertations and theses. She earned multiple Excellence in Teaching awards. In addition, she earned the Distinguished Service Award from Professional Secretaries International and Chapter Award from Delta Pi Epsilon (DPE).

Schroeder co-authored 19 texts within the Certified Professional Secretary Examination Review Series and served as Series Editor. She also coauthored three texts in the Office Procedures series. Other publications she co-wrote include Computer Concepts and Software Applications prepared for the Illinois State Board of Education and over 50 articles. In addition, she earned over $100,000 in research grants. Schroeder was active in professional groups, including American Educational Research Association (Business Education Special Interest Group); American Management Association; Association for Business Communication; Association for Career and Technical Education; Association of Information Systems Professionals; Delta Kappa Gamma (professional society for women educators); DPE - life member; IBEA; Illinois Office Education Association; NBEA; International Association for Administrative Professionals; and National Association of Teacher Educators for Business Education.

Schroeder’s venture into education started in 1958 when she graduated with a bachelor’s in Business Education from Wisconsin State University (WSU) and taught in two high schools. In 1966, she earned a master’s in Business Education from WSU. Later, she earned a doctorate in Business and Distributive Education from Michigan State University. In 1976 she began teaching at NIU and continued her education through postgraduate coursework so she could stay up to date with changes in business education, especially advances in technology.

Schroeder passed away Tuesday, August 6, 2019, at her home in Sycamore, Illinois.