The College of Southern Maryland recognized 50 employees who have made noteworthy contributions to the college’s success the past year during the fifth annual All College Convocation Aug. 15. Employees were recognized for their actions and accomplishments in response to the college’s seven principles of diversity, excellence, innovation, integrity, knowledge, respect and teamwork.
The college’s Employee Recognition and Awards Program gives staff and faculty the opportunity to recognize their co-workers’ excellence in the following categories: President’s Award, Leadership Award, College/Community Service Award, Innovative Teaching Award, Customer Service Award, Extra Mile Award and Professional Goal Attainment Award. The awards are open to individuals, groups and teams.
The President’s Award, recognizing accomplishments that move the college forward in its strategic direction, was presented to the members of the Middle States Steering Committee for their time spent preparing the college’s Self-Study Report which led to a successful site visit and 10-year re-accreditation for CSM this spring. The co-chairs of the committee were Communications, Arts and Humanities Professor Dr. Sarah Merranko and Director of Financial Assistance Christian Zimmermann. Members of the committee were Computer Science Program Coordinator Professor Joe Burgin; Vice President of Student and Instructional Support Services Dr. Bill Comey; Business and Technology Professor Rachel Drake; Vice President and Dean of the Prince Frederick Campus Dr. Richard Fleming; Vice President of Advancement Michelle Goodwin; Business, Economics and Legal Studies Professor Mike Green; Communications, Arts and Humanities Professor Dr. Chretien Guidry; Student Success Center Director Ronda Jacobs; Communications, Arts and Humanities Chair Dr. Stephen Johnson; Planning, Institutional Effectiveness and Research Associate Vice President Dr. Kelly McMurray; Legal Studies Program Coordinator Professor Daphne Morris; Business, Economics and Legal Studies Professor William Morton; Continuing Education and Workforce Development Vice President Dr. Dan Mosser; Vice President/General Counsel Craig Patenaude; Mathematics, Physics and Engineering Professor Sandra Poinsett; Health Sciences Division Chair Dr. Laura Polk; Mathematics, Physics and Engineering Department Chair Andrea Ronaldi; Languages and Literature Department Chair Barbara Scotland; Integrative Learning Center Director Michelle Simpson and Distance Learning and Faculty Development Chair Dr. Sue Subocz.
The Innovator Award recognizes ideas that result in improved educational experiences for students. Engineering Technology Program Coordinator Professor Bernice Brezina was presented with this award for her contributions in creating a VEX tournament league for tri-county high school and middle school robotics teams. She also started a program for middle school robotics and is in the process of creating league play for elementary school LEGO robotics program. Brezina has been instrumental in developing CSM’s new certificated program in Mechtronics that will be offered starting this fall.
The Leadership Award recognizes a faculty or staff member who has applied strong leadership skills to the success of a curricular project, committee responsibility, administrative project or major college activity. Community Relations Coordinator Larisa Pfeiffer was presented this award for her contributions to the Business and Information Technology Department with regard to increasing workforce development enrollments as well as for her efforts to have CSM the preferred provider in Maryland with the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2® for Maryland for continuing education units for professionals working in the (ISC)2® field. CSM is one of the first to offer courses online that are approved by ISC (2) for continuing education units.
The College/Community Service Award recognizes substantial college or job-related volunteer services internal to the college or in the community. Four contributors to the African American Male Mentoring Program were presented with this award for their efforts in the Men of Excellence Program. Business Administrator Coordinator Professor Athena Miklos and Pre-Engineering Program Coordinator Shadei Jones coached their respective students and guided them to academic success as well as helped them make positive changes in their scholastic lives. Social Sciences Chair Dr. Patrick Allen helped lay a strong foundation for the Male Mentoring program by providing technical assistance and encouraging more than 20 faculty members to act as mentors, and Vice President and Dean of the Leonardtown Campus Dr. Tracy Harris helped develop the pilot program and mentored several students on that campus.
The Innovative Teaching Award, which recognizes a team that has improved the educational experiences for students and moved the college forward in a strategic direction, was presented to faculty members Green, Miklos, Morris, Accounting Program Coordinator Professor Bruce Fried, Hospitality Management Program Coordinator Bill Williams and Business, Economics and Legal Studies Professor Mary Beth Klinger.
The Customer Service Award recognizes staff members who are dedicated to quality service and customer satisfaction and was awarded for “Putting a Student First—Making a Difference.” Recognized were Career and Academic Advisor Jehnell Linkins, Senior Associate Director of Career Services Lisa Warren, Lead Social Sciences Administrative Assistant Janet Thompson and Lead Student Success Center Coordinator Beverly Russell for the extra efforts they offered students in need.
The Extra Mile Award, which recognizes a substantial contribution for an extended period of time, was presented to Associate Director of Software Development Gene Kirscht and Enterprise Systems Administration Manager Mike Blakeley for supporting colleague and system patching, and ensuring the necessary updates were applied without impacting the college community.
Seven employees were presented with the Professional Goal Attainment Award, a commendation that recognizes those who have achieved a job-related educational or professional goal. Student Life Coordinator Anya Patterson earned a master’s in Human Services in Military Resilience from Liberty University. Conference Center Manager Annie Sutten earned a professional certificate in event management from The George Washington University School of Business. Career and Academic Advisor Tamara Cherry-Clarke earned a master’s in human service counseling, specializing in executive leadership from Liberty University. Mail and Printing Services Coordinator Janice Love earned a master certification in Mail Communications and Certified Mail and Distribution System Manager. Personal Enrichment Programs Course Manager Jenn Hamilton earned an E-Learning Educational Specialist Degree from Northcentral University and a Certified Program Planner designation from Learning Resources Network. Business and Information Technology Program Coordinator Paula Coluzzi earned a bachelor’s in business administration with a minor in communication studies from the University of Maryland University College. Interactive Media Coordinator Marika Taylor earned a master’s in professional studies, and public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University.
Additionally, three employees were recognized during the convocation for their Innovation Monographs. Assistant Communications, Arts and Humanities Professor Michelle Brosco Christian; Communications, Arts and Humanities Associate Professor Denise Gilmer-Knudsen and Digital Media Production Coordinator Alan Lifton submitted a monograph entitled “Developing Real-World Media Skills in an Integrated Lab Setting,” focusing on students in journalism classes gaining behind-the-scenes experience in the field by producing, writing, editing and presenting a newscast and website focusing on college news.
CSM has been an Alliance for Workplace Excellence award winner since 2002 and in 2014 was one of 14 companies that were recipients of all categories recognized by the AWE: the Workplace Excellence Seal of Approval, the Health and Wellness Trailblazer Award, the EcoLeadership Award and the Diversity Champion Award.
To view career opportunities through CSM’s online application system, visit http://www.csmd.edu/employment/. For information about the college, call 301-934-2251 or 301-934-7700.