Alfred University honors employees at annual Recognition Reception

ALFRED, NY – Alfred University held its annual All Employee Recognition Reception on Tuesday (May 11). The virtual event—which honored retirees and employees for years of service—also cited employees who were to be recognized during last year’s reception, which was not held due to COVID.

The University also recognized the following recipients of three awards, for both 2020 and 2021:

Cathy Johnson Service Award, which recognizes high standards of professionalism; proactive engagement with tasks; and attention to detail and the utmost care for quality in presentation while completing tasks. The 2020 winner is Corey Fecteau, art advisor/service learning coordinator in the Career Development Center. The 2021 winner is Dan Hausman, learning spaces technical specialist.

The award is named for the late Cathy Johnson, assistant to the Dean of the School of Art and Design, who passed away in November 2017 at the age of 53.

In offering her name for consideration of the award, nominators said this of Fecteau:

“Corey is part of the pulse of excellence that keeps AU humane, caring, and professional. She is thoughtful, polished, and astute. Working with her is a bright spot in my days at AU— I trust her, the work she does, and that when she says something will happen, it does” and “Corey Fecteau has brought honor to Alfred University through her hard work and her high achievements for others.  Her willingness to approach all she encounters as individuals who aim to develop and accomplish life goals with integrity, places her in the highest order of guides and those who inspire.”

Of Hausman, nominators said, “Dan is always able and willing to help when needed, and during this pandemic, he has been a critical team player.  He is always available to assist with tech issues in the classroom,” and “Dan is always available to help with anything needed in the classroom to make the instruction easier for faculty and staff.  He has also been willing to meet with me outside of class to learn the technology, and make sure that I am ready to deliver course materials in person, as well as electronically considering the remote instruction accommodations we have at the University currently.”

Other nominees for the 2020 Cathy Johnson Service Award were: Billie Burns, administrative assistant for graduate programs, School of Art and Design; Janet Lynch, executive assistant, Enrollment Management; Kim O’Rourke, office manager, the Wellness Center; Jason Warner, senior accountant/tax specialist, Business Office; Caitlin Brown, communications coordinator for the arts, School of Art and Design; Sharon McConnell MS ’86, director, Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, School of Art and Design; and Shawn Murrey, senior kiln specialist, ceramic art.

Other nominees for the 2021 Cathy Johnson Service Award were: Brenda Baker ’18 student accounts representative, Student Service Center; Caitlin Brown, communications coordinator for the arts, School of Art and Design; Kim O’Rourke, office manager, the Wellness Center; Shannon Yocum, secretary, physics and astronomy; Nicole Munkwitz, technical specialist; Emilie Carney, assistant dean, Inamori School of Engineering; Valerie Ewald, procurement associate, Procurement Services; Rebekkah Palov, research administrative specialist, Expanded Media; Laura Grove, graduate and faculty secretary, Inamori School of Engineering; Amanda Criss, assistant interlibrary loan manager, Herrick Library; Deb Ohara, secretary, social sciences; Adrian Morling, manager of administrative programming, ITS; Tom George, manager of network services, ITS.

The Saxon Service Award, which honors employees who foster a positive attitude; demonstrate initiative, stand out among the Alfred University community, and exemplify the purple and gold Saxon spirit. The 2020 winner is Dan Napolitano, ’93, MS ’98. The 2021 winner is Adrian Morling, manager of administrative programming, Informational Technology Services.

Some of the comments made about Napolitano in his nominations:

“On top of his very busy full time job, Dan's passion, Art Force 5 has brought Alfred University national recognition. He has written and won grants to fund the project. Dan not only stands out among our community, but he helps our community to stand out. Dan works hard to connect our internal communities so we can all do better together,” and “Dan has provided strength and unity amongst the student, faculty, and staff prior to COVID and now in COVID. He has led and helped create a community environment at Alfred University in the School of Art and Design that I admire, respect, and try to uphold in my classroom and with my colleagues.”

Of Morling, nominators commented: “Adrian voluntarily took on a major role this year to coordinate COVID testing. As far as I know, he did not receive anything extra for doing this. Every week, all year, he worked at the testing site two to three days a week. He held regular meetings with the testing team. He managed the testing email account, managed data, coordinated with the Wellness Center, and reported back to those needed,” and “Adrian was clearly a standout this year in helping out institution successfully complete the year. He will probably not be happy to know I nominated him because he probably doesn’t want to be recognized, but he certainly deserves it.”

Other nominees for the 2020 Saxon Service Award were: Dan Hausman, learning spaces technical specialist, ITS; Valerie Daciw, employer relations coordinator, Career Development Center; Janet Marble, alumni engagement officer, University Advancement; Tom George, manager of network services, ITS.

Other nominees for the 2021 Saxon Service Award were: Kassie McCarn ’16, MS ’18, academic success coach/interim assistant dean; Valerie Daciw, employer relations coordinator, Career Development Center; Debra Campbell, mailroom clerk, Procurement Services; Zhongbei (Daisy) Wu, visiting professor of music and director of the Confucius Institute.

Bob Condrate Lifelong Learner Award, recognizes employees who continually seek further education/professional development to enhance his/her growth; demonstrate a passion for gaining knowledge over a sustained period of time; and proactively share their knowledge and/or expertise with campus community. The award is named for Bob Condrate, retired professor of spectroscopy in the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Condrate has exemplified lifelong learning by continuing in education, having taken more than 250 credit hours of coursework since his retirement nearly two decades ago.

The 2020 winner is D. Chase Angier, professor of dance and chair of the Performing Arts Division. The 2021 winner is Kayleigh Jones, senior human resources generalist/payroll supervisor.

Of Angier, one nominator cited her service on the New York State Arts Board and participation in annual national dance conferences, and her co-curating of an international performance festival in Prague, the Prague Quadrennial.

“These opportunities feed directly into her classroom, where she invites guest artists to speak with her students and develops new curricula based on content and collaboration from her various conferences, residencies and collaborations. She has developed an exciting visiting dance program, which connects Alfred to a larger dance and performance community. Her efforts make her course content and professional practice relevant, fresh and exciting.”

Jones began her career at Alfred University in 2017 and worked full-time while earning a Master of Professional Studies degree. Despite the challenges of 2020, she obtained her Professional in Human Resources certification. She has spearheaded a series of employee training programs over the last two years, including the Human Resources Annual Training series and New Employee Supervisor Training program.

“Kayleigh's accomplishments have had a far-reaching impact on the University,” one nominator said. “The trainings alone have imparted greater knowledge on the employees within the organization. By proactively seeking to obtain her PHR certification, she has shown an even greater level of dedication and investment to herself and the organization.”

Other nominees for the 2020 Condrate Award were: Tracy Valentine MBA ’20, assistant director of admissions, Enrollment Management, and Beth Johnson, associate professor of psychology. Other nominees for the 2021 Condrate Award were: Kathleen Hillman ’20, administrative assistant to the dean, College of Business; and Adrian Morling, manager of administrative programming, Informational Technology Services.

The following retirees were honored: Barb Lattanzi, associate professor of interactive media design, 13 years; Melanie Auman, assistant director, Residence Life, 13 years; Thomas Vogt, multi trades, maintenance, 14 years; Ron Latham, multi-trades, painter/bus driver, 18 years; Dean Perry, environmental health and safety coordinator, 19 years; Karen J. Porter, secretary Residence Life, 20 years; Charles Barron, janitor, 21 years; Ervilla Crandall, assistant director, Financial Aid, 23 years; Robyn Goodman, professor, communication studies, 24 years; Frank DiRaimondo, administrative assistant to the Provost, 26 years; Mark Klingensmith, technician, New Media and Electronic Arts, 26 years; William Carty, professor ceramic engineering and materials science, 27 years; Mark Smith, digital projects/collection management librarian, 27 years; Luanne Crosby, professor of voice and chorus, 28 years; Susan Goetschius, director of communications/government relations, 29 years; Amy Rummel, professor of marketing, 29 years; Theresa Woodworth, lead desk clerk, 29 years; Patricia Sweeney, secretary English/communication studies, 30 years; Wallace Leigh, professor of electrical engineering, 31 years; Peer Bode, professor of video art, 32 years; Alastair Cormack, professor of ceramic engineering, 34 years; Rick Walker, supervisor, grounds, 36 years; Otto Muller, professor of geology, 37 years; Nancy Furlong, professor of psychology, 38 years; Bonnie Dungan, director, Summer and Family Programs, 39 years; Kim Wyant, Human Resources assistant/benefits administrator; Colleen Harvey, secretary, director of athletics, 43 years; Cathy Schnurle, secretary, Financial Aid, 45 years.

The following employees were recognized for years of service:

One year: Samantha Dannick, Kassandra McCarn ’16, MS ’18, Chris Gause, Brian Shanahan, Timothy Nichols, Brian Saltsman, Heather Campbell, Emma Wolf MS ’16, Michael Moskowitz, Jordan Crouch, Michael Padlo, Evan Linza ’18, Janet McClain ’00, Mallory Szymanski, Scott Seslar, Elizabeth Matson, Amit Maha, Liam Glover ’09, MBA ’17, Bradford Daly, Harpreet Bedi, Jonathan Hopp, Faith Piatt, Darren Stohr ’92, PhD ’06, Michael Elmes, George Potter, Brenda Joyce, Kun Wang, Matt Austin, Marilyn Dueno, Melissa Badeau ’98, MPS ’04, Brianna Jacobs, Ashton McCumiskey, Nicolas Crosby, Gabrielle Gaustad ’04,Jeanene Austin, Amanda Jadwin, Joshua Hopkins, Sarah Rynearson-Moody, Jason Halsey, James Kania, Lisa Weaver ’97, John Simmins ’84, PhD ’90, Shannon Brown, Michael Bush, Michael Kozlowski, Kimberly Guyer, Michael Holley, Hannah Paduano, Laurie Harvey, Sarah Pratt, James Cerullo.

Five years: Peggy Shank, Russell Phillips, Stephen Shank, Keith Simpson, Likin Simon Romero, Luis Rodriguez, Amanda Lipnicki, Seong-Jin Lee, Amy Button ’11, PhD ’17, Katarina Riesing, Meghen Jones, Karen Donnellan, Kathleen Hillman ’20, Thomas Logan, Hannah Thompsett, Debra MacCrea, Catherine Geens, LaRae Outman, Chris Boswell, James Mighells, Madeline Alsworth, Heather Gaus, Somer Rollins, Krishna Amin, Jennifer Haxton, Cheyrl Tucker, Lane Jacobs, Mariah Evans ’12, MS ’20, Eliza Ordway, Trevor Pierce, Crystal Henshaw, Patricia Barber, Brian Newman, Liz Shea ’11, MA ’13, Steven Bucklaew, Caitlin Brown, Emma McDowell, Diana Maguire, Michele Lowry ’02, MA ’06, Geoffrey Lippa, Steven Tidrow, Matthew Kelleher, Jeffrey Scharl ’15, Ann Rossington, Jesse Plass, Kyle Dray, Maria Bentley ’15, MS ’20, Jessica Middaugh, Jeanne Marion, Lisa Sexsmith.

Ten years: Susan Hendee, Bridgit Buono, Dawn Pedersen-Hunt, Grzegorz Pac, Jason Warner, Chris Tolbert, Anthony Wren, Laura Grove, Robin Mazejka, Mark Guinan, Rob Freeland, Kevin Curtin, Steve Byrne, Frederic Beaudry, Shanmugavelayut Sundaram, Mark Lewis, Jason Smith, Brock Reynolds.

Fifteen years: Robert Stein, Melissa Ryan, Danielle Gagne, Sangjoon Lee, Stephanie McMahon, Wendy Marvin, Justin Grigg, Rhonda Bradford, Sheila Decker, Marty Fuller, Amy Jacobson, Kristen Vargason, Susan Weit, Jeffrey Sluyter-Beltrao, Joseph Petrillo, Lynn Petrillo, Angus Powers, Kevin Gagne, Jodi Bailey, Amanda Criss, Kim Baker, Jason Lockner, David Greene, Mike Stone.

Twenty years: Cheryld Emmons, Jalal Baghdadchi, Kelly Williams, Adrian Morling, Shawn Forshee, Herb Schmidt, Mary McAllister, Janine Mosher, Giovina Lloyd ’96, MS ’97, David Snyder, Nadine Shardlow ’86, MS ’17, Kerry Kautzman, Jean Cardinale, Sharon McConnell MS ’86, Lynn O’Connell ’00, PhD ’02, Robert Rankl MS.Ed ’01, Lena McDermott, Terri Outman, Mark Whitehouse.

Twenty-five years: Dan Napolitano ’93, MS ’98, Debra Campbell, Sandra Singer, Andrew Deutsch ’90, Pam Bradford, Barb Condrate, Heather Yanda ’92, Beth Ann Dobie, Deb Ohara, Andrew Eldridge, Jeff Nisbet, Louie Perry, Jeff Houy.

Thirty years: Joe Scheer ’84, Alix Clare, Slawomir Zdzieszynski, Kim O’Rourke, Kristen Karl ’94, Susan Morehouse.

Thirty-five years: John Gill MA ’75, James Thiebaud ’82, MS ’84, Robert Bitting MS ’80.

Fifty years: Gary Ostrower ’61, Bill LaCourse, Lou Lichtman.