Last Friday our college held its 2nd annual Celebration of Excellence to have fun together and acknowledge the many awards and other recognition received over the past year by our faculty, staff, and students.
Last year, Dr. Bayly created two special awards to be selected by the dean. I thought this was a great idea, and so continued it this year, so now they are tradition, having been given time after time. I think Waz meant for the awards to recognize individuals who make a big difference in the eyes of the dean and others yet who may not always get the wider recognition they merit for all their difference making. At least this is largely what guided my thinking about these awards. That said, these were not easy choices, because there are so many excellent faculty and staff to chose from in this college.
These awards are known only to the dean until they are revealed at the end of the Celebration of Excellence. Thus, at this point, the only people who know about these awards are those in attendance Friday. Time to rectify that (drum-roll....)...
The DEAN'S TEAM PLAYER AWARD is "given to an individual who has worked tirelessly to help colleagues to become more productive." This year I chose one of our three department chairs -- by far the longest serving department chair -- to receive this award; David Prieur, Chairman of the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology. This is a very successful department, and that success is in no small part due to Dr. Prieur's steady hand and advocacy all these years in making sure the departments needs were well met and that the faculty, staff, and students had the resources and systems in place to help them succeed. He has also tirelessly put forward his faculty and staff to make sure they receive the awards and recognition they deserve.
The DEAN'S EXTRA MILE AWARD is "given to an individual who has gone the 'extra mile' for their college, and colleagues, on many occasions." I chose one of our long-time staff members in Student Services to receive this award this year. Barb Robbins has been going the extra mile for students, staff, and faculty since I was a veterinary student. For those of us around the college the last 3+ decades, it seems like there has never been a time that Barb wasn't helping us all succeed.
So there you have it. Please take the time to stop by or drop them a note to congratulate them on what I think are much deserved awards.
Subscribe