Chris Durden, Katrina Pawvluk - Residence Life
Core Value: Professional Excellence • February 2016
Chris and Katrina have coordinated the project to re-core all of the residence hall rooms. This has required them to coordinate work with the contractors doing the work, re-issue new keys to each resident, and re-hang the new keys in the key boxes in the area duty offices and the Res Life central office. Their dedication to this project has been during an incredibly busy time in Residence Life with preparation for room selection, student staff selection, ongoing heat and hot water issues, budget preparation, and snow days. Both Chris and Katrina have worked long days to ensure this project is done correctly, on top of managing their day to day responsibilities. Their commitment to the safety and security of our residents is an example of the professional excellence they display every day.
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James Holmes - Campus Recreation
Core Values: Collaboration, Professional Excellence • February 2016
Nomination #1: Collaboration: at the recent January Kick-Off, James arrived early (7:15 a.m.) to assist with setting up the food. He returned at noon to help clear up afterwards. Having not worked with James previously, I just wanted to comment what a truly pleasant, congenial, and hard-working person he is and he should be commended for going "above and beyond."
Nomination #2: Professional Excellence: James Holmes has recently distinguished himself through his role as project manager during a renovation of the Student Rec Center Equipment Center & Facility Operations Suite. James developed a vision to re-imagine the space during the summer of 2015. The hands-on work began in August and has continued through the semester. Through his efforts (and the support of the Director) he has increased efficiency, improved safety, and added to the professional environment of a space that has been described in the past as "the basement." He was able to juggle various timelines and keep the project on track. When faced with unexpected challenges, he demonstrated a thoughtful and mature approach to problem solving while coordinating with multiple vendors and Facilities Management. Through it all, James held on to his enthusiasm and signature "No Problem" approach to his work. His investment of time and talent has truly paid dividends for the division and our students. James embodies the Student Affairs value of Professional Excellence every day, and this project has provided an opportunity to highlight his passion and dedication to the institution.
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Shelley Paulson - Vice President's Office
Core Value: Professional Excellence • February 2016
Shelley is constantly engaged in refining, improving, and looking for ways to do our shared work more efficiently. A recent experience really struck me. Shelley was completing the Personnel Action Form (PAF) for Jodi's devastating departure from the division and--in an unsolicited interaction--brought Student Leadership Development all of the checklists for voluntary resignation AND offered to do the PAF for Kaitlyn Schmitt. Shelley recognized that we'd be working on the same process and that we probably didn't have immediate access to the information. She went above and beyond (as she does in EVERY interaction) to see if she could collaborate with us to make our work more efficient. What I appreciate most about Shelley is that she is always engaged in looking at ways that our systems, processes, and shared work could be better. This is one small example where Shelley went out of the way to ACT on an opportunity to help a colleague, and I am sure many other examples occur throughout the division!
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Lynn Smith - Counseling Center
Core Value: Professional Excellence • March 2016
On any given day, Lynn Smith could be recognized for displaying every one of our division’s values. Since I could select only one, I'm proud to nominate Lynn for the value of professional excellence because I have never worked with such amazing administrative support. Lynn is the linchpin of the Counseling Center. She is the first voice or face that a student encounters when walking in. She and Bernice manage ringing phones, crying students, angry parents, and a bunch of counselors walking in and out with questions and favors. But above anything else she keeps us all organized, adds perspective, challenges us to a higher level of excellence, and just makes us laugh when we need it. The Counseling Center would not be able to function without this wonderful woman.
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Ali Pappas, Mark Sanders, Rebecca Shoemaker - Counseling Center
Core Value: Student Centeredness • March 2016
Ali, Mark, and Rebecca have been involved in extensive prevention work through outreach programming with different organizations and students on campus. We remember that students are central to our mission and we encourage and promote the student voice. Given their commitment to the holistic development of the students, they have responded to multiple requests for prevention/education programs. They have shared their expertise across campus in an attempt to promote wellness among the student body. Their after-hours work in prevention and education has been above and beyond the Counseling Center's expectations. Ali, Mark, and Rebecca absolutely deserve to be recognized and celebrated!
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Meghan Lechner - Campus Recreation
Core Value: Student Centeredness • April 2016
Meghan "always optimistic" Lechner exemplifies Student Centeredness in so many ways. From her work with Trip Leaders in Campus Recreation to her passion to "Stop The Stigma" of mental illness, she always has the best interest of students in mind. She has proven herself as a leader in Campus Rec, the Higher Education Student Association, and with the Healthy Campus 2020 committee. I am so proud to nominate such a deserving person. She continues to prove herself to be an excellent resource to our students and will be a great higher education professional wherever she goes!
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Briana Legerlotz - Cohen Career Center
Core Value: Collaboration • April 2016
Briana Legerlotz embodies the value of collaboration. In her work in the Cohen Career Center, she never shies away from taking on extra projects or from putting in the extra time to get a project done. Her efforts help make numerous programs go off smoothly and do not go unnoticed. She is thoughtful about her work and always willing to lend a helping hand. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to work with her.
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Jessica MacArthur - Dean of Students Office
Core Value: Student Centeredness • April 2016
Jessica MacArthur has a keen understanding that students are central to our mission. She has proven this through the many initiatives she proposed and implemented, including training dozens of tutors to teach independent learning skills and to assist students from a holistic perspective. This year, through the development of a program to make personalized lessons in time management available to many students, Jessica selected, hired and trained a group of Time Management Consultants to carry out this work. These consultants are now seen as a “go to" resource for faculty, staff and advisors who seek organizational assistance for their students. Because Jessica considered principles of student development in the creation of this program, these consultations will serve our students well, not just in their academic lives, but in their careers as well. Without doubt, Jessica is an outstanding example of professional commitment to student centeredness, a core value of our division.
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Spencer Pelfrey - Student Leadership Development
Core Value: Respect • April 2016
Spencer is an all-star in the Student Leadership Development Office and throughout his interactions on campus. He exemplifies the values of respect and student centeredness in his day to day life. In Spencer's interactions with all of his colleagues and students he shows each the utmost respect and gives each individual student and student organization and leader his full attention, elevating our office and our campus as a whole. Spencer, through the “No Title Needed" campaign and other leadership programs this year, has cultivated community and leadership among students, faculty, and staff within the William & Mary community. For these reasons and many more, Spencer is incredibly deserving of being recognized as a role model for all graduate assistants and the division.
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Student Health Center
April 2016
Core Value: Professional Excellence
It's with great admiration that I nominate the entire Student Health Center for a Golden Griffin Award. They recently went through their 5th accreditation review by AAAHC and the summary comments by a very tough and scrutinizing evaluator were effusive in their praise of the SHC for their professional excellence. Of the over 2000 university health centers, only 175 have the distinction of accreditation. Not only is this evidence of professional excellence but because the SHC has finished their 5th consecutive positive review, it is a testament to their sustained commitment to excellence in serving our students. While the Golden Griffin is typically reserved for individual recognition, this was truly a team effort that included weekly meetings for over two years to prepare for the review. When the only concern presented in the review was both admiration but caution about the extremely high volume of students seen that far exceed the national average, they wanted to make sure that resources would help sustain the demand. For these reasons, I'm proud to nominate the entire SHC staff and Virginia's leadership for the Golden Griffin Award.
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Trici Fredrick - Student Leadership Development
Core Value: Professional Excellence • May 2016
April was a big month for programs and events. Trici Fredrick capably handled responsibility for MAJOR events every week during the month of April. Each week she was responsible for an event that had at least 1,000 attendees, sometimes more! She's navigating all of this in the absence of our AMP programming coordinator with a smile on her face and many juggled balls in the air. We are so appreciative of her hard work and resilience!
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Bob Knowlton - Sadler Center
Core Value: Professional Excellence • May 2016
Bob has been a longtime volunteer in the resolution of reports of sexual misconduct--his service precedes my decade here. Over the years, Bob has served as a hearing chair and panel member, and more recently, as one of the designated advisors provided to students going through the process. I have continually admired Bob's willingness to take on difficult cases, and he almost always is one of the first responders to "all call" emails to the listserv seeking volunteers. I have found Bob to be a wonderful colleague, and his continued service in what can be a difficult role evinces his commitment to student well-being.
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Don Snyder - Cohen Career Center
Core Value: Professional Excellence and Collaboration • May 2016
It is my privilege to nominate Don Snyder for a Golden Griffin for exhibiting the core values of Professional Excellence and Collaboration. In higher education it is sometimes easy to get bogged down with several concurrent high-priority tasks, all while keeping up with a “healthy” flow of student appointments and organizing information sessions for employers. Don seems to have the ability to do all of this with a smile on his face and an incredibly positive attitude. Don is always willing to lend a hand, and his collaboration with faculty members to advance our programs and initiatives is second to none. He has enhanced the Cohen Career Center in so many ways, and is an absolute pleasure to work with. |
