On April 18, the university hosted the Distinguished Faculty, Staff, & Team Awards to honor this year’s winners.
The ceremony began at 3 p.m. and took place in the David L. Eisler Center ballrooms. There were about 90 attendees, which included faculty, staff, community and board members.
The awards began with the vice president of Academic Affairs Provost Bobby Fleischman, listing off the Academic Awards. The Staff and Team Awards were listed off by Associate of Applied Sciences Director of Admissions Kasey Ninke. Additionally, the 2024 Helen Gillespie Ferris Award was presented by Annual Giving Manager Jennifer Yontz-Barger. The Faculty, Staff and Team Award winners are as listed.
2024 Academic Awards
Distinguished Teacher Award – Dr. Becky Johnson-Himes
Distinguished Service Award – Julie Alexander
International Educator Award – Professor Anne Norcross
Adjunct Teaching Excellence Award – Professor David Takitaki
Outstanding Academic Advisor – Dr. John Cowles
Academic Scholar – Dr. Eric Nybo
Diversity Enhancement Award – Dr. Susan DeVuyst-Miller
Disability Advocate Award – Steven Schuiling
Excellence In Assessment Award – Dr. Sarah Rescoe
Distinguished Staff Award Winners – Angela Buys, Eric Haner, Sherry Standen, Amy Truong, Mandy Zweifel-Hughes
Distinguished Team: FIRST GEN Workgroup – David McCall (CHAIR), Allison Bernknopf, Trishia Blackwell, Angela Buys, Nina Davis, Sharon George, Joanie Hazelton, Nancy Hogan, Emmanuel Ogua, Nicholas Palmer, Elizabeth Post, Cindy Smith, Jennifer Stevens, and Mark Young
2024 Helen Gillespie Ferris Award – Julie Alexander
The Director of Accessibility & Disability Resources Julie Alexander, winner of the Distinguished Service Award and the 2024 Helen Gillespie Ferris Award, gave her perspective on what it meant to win two awards.
“The validation is motivating for the times that are really hard,” Alexander said. “Ferris is such a great place to work, and the job is not easy. The people make it amazing and make it so that I keep coming back and showing up. And to keep taking on the tasks so I have that validation is amazing.”
Alexander dedicated her awards to her team in the disability center. She stated that she can’t do what she does without them, and they are her biggest cheerleaders.
The award winners had representatives attend the ceremony with them to show their support. The Accessibility Facilitator of Education Counseling & Disabilities Holly Benjamin came to represent Alexander.
“She’s an amazingly positive guiding force in my journey at Ferris,” Benjamin said. “Not only for her experience working in this field but also her passion for the principles of belonging. She doesn’t us [disability service colleagues] as below her, she doesn’t see us as advisory faculty, she sees us as people.”
According to Ninke, who distributed the Staff and Team Awards, nominations can be opened months before the ceremony. She was able to explain what all is taken into account in order for the nominees to put their names in and how the winners are chosen.
“We [admissions committee] open up nominations in December, and anybody that is nominated has to have been a Ferris employee for at least two years,” Ninke said. “And then we go based on the form that’s filled out for the recommendation. It’s some general questions on why are you nominating them and what do they excel at. After we get all the nominations, the committee and I reach out to people that were nominated and ask them if they would like the nomination.”
Ninke added that if the faculty or staff accept the nomination, they fill out a questionnaire about what they do and what accolades they have. Furthermore, the committee interviews each nominee in the final stages, according to Ninke. Based on the interviews, the committee then compiles everything and picks who they have for the year.
Of the award winners, two of them were unable to attend the meeting. Assistant Dean of Enrollment Services Eric Haner had an illness, and Adjunct Instructor of Languages and Literature Dr. Sarah Rescoe had an unexpected scheduling conflict.
Most of the faculty and staff who attended the meeting will come together for the final Academic Senate meeting this academic year, taking place on May 1 from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
S.E. E.S.
CE – RS / AM