Recipients of 2014 Board of Regents Staff Awards Announced
Adelphi, Md. (Sept. 19, 2014) -- University
System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents Chairman James L. Shea and USM
Chancellor William E. Kirwan honored winners of the 2014 USM Regents' Staff
Awards at a breakfast ceremony before today's board meeting at Towson
University.
The
awards recognize staff members who have made exceptional contributions to their
organizations, students and the university community.
Award
winners are selected based on nominations and letters of support from
colleagues, culminating in a formal recommendation from the Council of
University System Staff, which provides non-faculty USM employees with a voice
in system governance.
Each
award carries a $1,000 prize, provided by the institutions and the University
System of Maryland Foundation.
The
following USM staff members were honored:
Regents' Staff Awards for Effectiveness and Efficiency
Exempt Staff
Allison
Foltz, Database Administrator from the Department of Information Technology at
Salisbury University (SU).
Ms. Foltz's expertise
has been invaluable while SU has handled some major computing projects. For example, thanks to her ability, Salisbury
did not have to hire any outside consultants during a recent project involving
PeopleSoft's Student Information System.
In addition, thanks to her, SU was able to minimize the number of staff
needed to operate the new software. And
her work with offices across campus has helped these departments operate with
greater efficiency as well. Overall, Ms. Foltz's skill and commitment saved the
university an estimated 30 to 60 thousand dollars each year during this
project.
Claude "Dick" Rader, Director of the Information
Technology Division at Coppin State University (CSU).
As director,
Mr. Rader has been responsible for initiating several projects that produced a
cost savings in excess of a $100,000 for Coppin. During his leadership, he has
been instrumental in leveraging existing and emerging technology to advance the
university's mission and promote effectiveness and efficiency. His work has included the installation of
CSU's fiber optic backbone, the migration of the campus to a
voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP), and provision of a cloud-based network
backup.
Regents' Staff Award for Exceptional Contribution to the
Institution or Unit
Exempt
Staff: Dr. David Hoffman, Assistant Director of Student Life
for Civic Agency at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
When he
joined the UMBC community, Dr. Hoffman envisioned UMBC as a campus where
students were deeply involved in decision-making and problem solving. His
visions are now a reality. Today, UMBC students see themselves as partners in
creating the UMBC experience. David's
impact is perhaps best seen through Breaking Ground-a nationally recognized
collaboration across campus that promotes the goals of civic agency by
supporting students, faculty, and staff in undertaking meaningful and
innovative projects for the university and community.
Non-Exempt
Staff: Julie Rosenthal, Program Management Specialist for
the Asian Studies Program, also from UMBC. Ms. Rosenthal has been instrumental
in fostering interconnections among people and programs, and between her campus
and local communities. Her advocacy on behalf of Asian Studies has played a key
role in the program's rapid growth; it now has 60 majors and 22 minors. Notable
in her support of UMBC's broader mission is the founding and directing a Howard
County non-profit organization called "Food on the 15th," which
provides food for senior citizens on fixed incomes. She has extended this
program to the UMBC community by engaging the Asian Studies students to serve
as translators for the Asian population.
Regents' Staff Award for
Extraordinary Public Service to the University or to the Greater Community
Exempt
Staff Phillip Thomas, Area Director in the Office of
Residence Life at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).
While at
UMES, Mr. Thomas has engaged in many internal and external public service
activities. Working with a colleague, he started a turkey drive that has grown
to help hundreds of needy families every Thanksgiving. He spearheaded voter registration drives that
have now registered more than 1,000 people. He is actively involved in Upward
Bound, volunteers his time in mentorship programs, and works with the students
on college readiness activities. His crowning achievement is the non-profit
program he co-founded, GRASP--Generating Realistic Achievement of Success and
Possibilities. Through this organization, he has gone into local schools to
motivate and encourage students toward college readiness.
Non-Exempt
Staff: Jayne French, Administrative Assistant in the
Center for Student Diversity at Towson University (TU). Ms. French is a strong
advocate for social justice routinely attending events in the evening and on
weekends. She is a life-long member of
the NAACP. She has long been involved
with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, prompted by her concern over the
plight of many returning Vietnam era veterans. She has served as a volunteer
with the Special Olympics for more than 12 years. She works with the Active Coalition for
Transitional Services, where she assists women victimized by domestic violence.
Ms. French also an active and engaged member of the Towson community, serving
on the Towson University Staff Council.
Regents'
Staff Award for Outstanding Service to Students in an
Academic or Residential Environment
Exempt
Staff: John Tilghman, also an Area Director in the Office
of Residence Life at UMES. In his 34 years at UMES, Mr. Tilghman has been a
mentor and father figure for many who live on campus. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks,
it is not unusual for him to volunteer and stay on campus with student athletes
and international students who remain on campus. Not only does he stay on campus with these
students. For several years, Mr. Tilghman, with the help of his family members,
has hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for the students that stay behind. He has also
created community engagement and wellness programs for the 200 student
residents. Students lovingly referred to him as "Dean" Tilghman out
of their heartfelt love and respect.
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
