Congratulations and Farewell to Diane Rackowski
With joy and sadness, and a touch of panic, the Language Center announces that after over 25 years, Diane Rackowski has decided to retire! Her last day is January 15, 2021.
Diane’s affiliation with the Language Center began in 1986. While working for University Media Resources, she installed the original Sony language labs which used cassette tape recorders. She became an official member of the Center in 1995 with the title Electronic Technician, and eventually took on the role of Technical Coordinator. Her areas of responsibility changed over time, as educational technology changed, from managing hardware and infrastructure to multimedia and communication leadership, while always making sure that the cables were neatly organized. Just of few of her many achievements include: coordinating the conversion of the analog language labs to digital, collaborating with former LC staffer Steve Scherping on moving all the departmental technology from Folwell to Jones, serving as Project Manager for the LPE development team which converted the old Authorware software to a web based program, recording and editing numerous listening exams and other audio projects, serving on the original BOSSA design team and creating the BOSSA BOSS scheduling system, and directing the many reconfigurations of Jones learning spaces.
Most recently, she collaborated with Anna Hubbard to create the remote proctoring system used by the Language Testing program, which ensures that students can still complete the second language and achieve certification in this new fully remote world.
Instructors and staff have reached out to Diane over the years with a variety of questions and ideas, and she has provided support that falls within and far beyond the scope of her expected duties. You may be asking yourself “but who will help me now?” We realize that no one person can do everything that Diane has managed to do. Beginning January 16, 2021, please email the main account at elsie@umn.edu for any question or idea you would have previously routed to Diane.
You are invited to a farewell celebration on Monday, January 11, 2020 at 2:00 pm. Like most celebrations, it will be online. We hope to also offer an in-person farewell in the spring or summer, perhaps to be combined with a reopening of Jones. For now, please join us on January 11 to wish Diane farewell and thank you for her many years of innovative and collaborative technical support. Please RSVP if you can come or would like to be invited to an in-person event in the future. You can also upload a photo, video or other memory or share one with elsie@umn.edu.
