Allen ’68 receives Leadership and Service Award

Cornell College awarded Michael Allen ’68 with the 2023 Leadership and Service Award.

The Leadership and Service Award is presented annually by the Alumni Association and the college during Homecoming Convocation. Leadership and Service Award recipients have demonstrated outstanding leadership in their careers or professions, their work has contributed to the betterment of their community and its citizens, or their commitment to the college has remained strong for many years.

Following Allen’s graduation from Cornell with a psychology major, he received his master’s degree in information technology and his doctorate in educational psychology from The Ohio State University. This began his professional career as a leader in the architecture and design of interactive multimedia learning systems and strategies. 

Allen worked for Control Data Corporation on its PLATO computer-based education system and rose to be director of advanced educational systems research and development, the earliest networked learning system. He went on to found Authorware in 1984—which became a rapid success, obtaining more than 80% of the market, and eventually merging with Adobe. 

Then, he founded Allen Interactions, Inc. in 1993, and the Allen Interactions studios have created educational programs and training programs for schools and many major corporations such as Apple, Google, American Express, Hilton, Mary Kay, and others. Millions of people have learned advanced skills from his programs, ranging from space technology to children’s psychiatric counseling. Allen has received the Ellis Island Humanitarian Award and other lifetime achievement awards for contributions to learning and education, in addition to publishing nine books, with his 10th on educational technology coming out soon. His contributions to the world of e-learning have been so profound, that he has been referred to as the “godfather of e-learning.”

Listen to his speech: