On December 9th outside of the Meinel building, the final staff recognition awards were presented after a fantastic meal during the OSC Staff Recognition and Holiday Luncheon. Awards presented included the 4th Quarter Peer-to-Peer and the Employee of the Year.
4th Quarter Peer-to-Peer Award
Nominated by Amber Soergel, the 4th Quarter Peer-to-Peer award was presented to Hillary Mathis, aInstructional Laboratories Manager for the College. Hillary received a plaque and $250, issued through payroll.
Amber says of Hillary:
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Hillary goes the extra mile. This includes finding ways to bring students back to the lab and organizing labs for an accelerated experience to get undergraduates up to date in their curriculum. She also was seen taking care of many tasks during the IA Workshop. This allowed peers to focus on ongoing work. Hillary has aimed to improved college first-impressions and diversity using the installation of monitors on the 4th floor and new posters. Now, students can "see themselves" on the walls of their institution. Visitors can see a celebration of the contributions of people of color and other diverse backgrounds.
Employee of the Year
All staff that have been previously recognized through a SPOT or Peer-to-Peer award are eligible for Staff Employee of the Year and Honorable Mention. To determine the awards, the committee has the difficult job of evaluating the content of all nominations, factoring in the number of Peer-to-Peer and SPOT awards received throughout the year, as well as the impact of the employees' daily performance.
Employee of the Year 2021
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The Employee of the Year for 2021 award went to Dan Caywood, Optical Fabrication Facility Foreman for the college. Dan was also the recipient of the 1st Quarter Peer-to-Peer award. Tom Koch, the dean for the Wyant College of Optical Sciences, presented Dan with a beautiful glass award during the Staff Appreciation and Holiday Luncheon. He also received $1,000 for his commitment and dedication to the Wyant College of Optical Sciences.
Congratulations from all of us, Dan!
Honorable Mention
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Additionally, at the Staff Appreciation and Holiday Luncheon, the Employee of the Year 2021 Honorable Mention was presented to Ameé Hennig by Tom Koch. Ameé had previously been the recipient of the 2nd Quarter Peer-to-Peer award, and received a glass award as well as $500.
A very big thanks and congratulations to all of the 2021 Staff Recognition winners for their commitment to ensuring that the Wyant College of Optical Sciences remains at the forefront of optics education. We look forward to highlighting and recognizing 2022's incredible OSC staff.
For more information on the program, see the official Staff Recognition Program on our Staff page, under the Human Resources section.
