Students spend only a few years at Ohio University, but for some administrators, OU has been their home away from home for as many as 40 years.
Some of these individuals were honored at the university’s 40th Outstanding Administrator Awards as well as the Recognition of Administrators’ Years of Service, held Monday afternoon in the Baker Center Ballroom.
“Today’s just a small way to say ‘thank you,’” said OU President Roderick McDavis.
More than 100 administrators were honored for their years of service, ranging from 10 to 40 years, and three were given the 2014 Outstanding Administrator Award after being nominated by their peers and students.
“I work in Financial Aid, and it’s a really rewarding thing to work on,” said Heather Cumbo, a project leader for testing, who was the only person recognized for 40 years of service at OU. “You know, I just come to work every day. I like my job, I really like it.”
The 2014 recipients of the Outstanding Administrator Award were:
• Martha Bishop, laboratory coordinator for the Department of Environmental and Plant Biology
• Joan Butcher, director of program services for WOUB
• Judith Piercy, interim university ombudsman
“To me, this award reflects not only my efforts, but the efforts of those I work with,” Bishop said in her acceptance speech.
Students and faculty members nominated individuals in the fall for the Outstanding Administrator Award through an online application.
An awards committee narrowed down the 33 eligible nominees through a process that included interviewing references and looking at nominees’ work experiences.
Criteria for the award includes a minimum of five consecutive years of service and involvement in university activities and services.
“Everybody comes to work every day and they do the best that they can do,” said Eileen Theodore-Shusta, human resources librarian and chairwoman for the awards committee.
“We’re looking for people who are the best of the best, who do a lot in terms of supporting the university mission.”
Service awardees were given a certificate and an OU-related gift, while recipients of the Outstanding Administrator Award received $1,000 from the Administrative Senate and a plaque that will hang in Chubb Hall.
Service award recipients have worked at OU for a combined 1,660 years, said Stephen Golding, vice president for Finance and Administration.
“The administrators are often the unsung heroes of the university,” Golding said.
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