ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif., U.S.A. (Nov. 17, 2005) --- The Electronic Document Systems Foundation (EDSF), the non-profit organization dedicated to the document communications and enterprise content management industry, has awarded Dr. Thomas Schildgen of Arizona State University (Mesa, Ariz.) the Educator of the Year Award for Higher Education. Sponsored by Pitney Bowes, Inc., this award is presented to an educator in higher education who is dedicated to the advancement of the document industry through education. Dr. Schildgen fosters innovation and excellence in both students and faculty, and has made significant contributions to the graphic communications industry worldwide---both inside and outside the university environment. "I am honored to receive this award, and I have great respect for EDSF, a progressive organization that is on the forefront of shaping the technology and systems used for documentation," said Dr. Schildgen. "The faculty and students of Arizona State University continue to explore cross media applications in graphic imaging, and are establishing partnerships with industry to better educate graduates for careers in the graphics industry." The Chairman for the Department of Technology Management, Dr. Schildgen has been a professor of Graphic Information Technology for the last 24 years at Arizona State. Despite a full schedule resulting from his dual role as Professor and Department Chair, Dr. Schildgen gives unstintingly of his time, support, expertise and advice in encouraging both students and faculty to exceed their own expectations in achieving excellence. Serving as a dedicated leader and innovator, he has tirelessly promoted excellence in education. Prior to joining ASU, Dr. Schildgen served four years on the faculty of Illinois State University. He is active in many professional organizations, a variety of advisory boards, and serves on the Boards of the Accrediting Council for Collegiate Graphic Communications, and Accreditation Board for the National Association of Industrial Technology. Started in 1958, the ASU Graphic Information Technology program prepares students for technical and management positions in the diverse graphic communication and information technology industries: digital printing and publishing; technical/digital media production; management of graphic information assets; quality assurance of graphic products; planning and evaluation of print, Internet, multimedia, and computer-based communications. The program offers Bachelor and Master degrees, and has extensive laboratory facilities.