Alfred University honors employees at annual Recognition Reception

ALFRED, NY – Alfred University held its annual All Employee Recognition Reception on Tuesday, May 10, in Ade Hall. The event—which honored retirees and employees for years of service—was held virtually and in-person.

The University also recognized the following recipients of three awards:

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 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.

The 2022 winner is Caitlin Brown, communications coordinator for the arts, School of Art and Design/Division of Performing Arts.” Caitlin is a terrific worker and a wonderful presence in the School of Art and Design,” said Gerar Edizel, professor of art history, in presenting the award to Brown.

“I work with Caitlin daily. She genuinely gives so much thought and consideration to everything she touches and anyone she encounters,” one colleague said in nominating Brown for the award. “She is not only knowledgeable, but she delegates fairly. She is very careful with her words and carries the utmost respect for others in her delegation process.”

Said another nominator: “To meet Caitlin is to be in the presence of someone who greets you as though you are the most important person, and she has nowhere else to be. Of course, this couldn't be further from the truth as this is a person who takes on many tasks at a time. She is super energetic, patient, committed and jumps in when there is work to be done. And always with a smile and good will and respect toward others.”

Other nominees for the 2022 Cathy Johnson Service Award were: Meghanne Freivald, instructional technology specialist/online coordinator, Information Technology Services; Tamara Green, senior human resources associate,  Human Resources; Laura Grove, administrative assistant to the dean, Inamori School of Engineering; Sue Hendee, assistant director Health Services, The Wellness Center; Tammy Jursza-Williams, registrar, Student Service Center; Kassie McCarn ’16 MSEd ’18, assistant director, Pamela Bernstein Center for Advising; Faith Piatt, secretary, Robert R. McComsey Career Development Center.

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 2022 winner is Patty Barber, payroll associate, Human Resources and Payroll.

“Patty always comes in to work with a can-do attitude and is always ready to face the day ahead of her,” said a nominator of Barber for the award. “She exemplifies having a positive attitude and treating everyone with respect no matter how small/big their problem may be. She is such a great asset to our team. I know I can always count on her to get the job done.”

“When I think of Patty, she is what is good about Alfred University—that is the people here. She is a positive presence in our department who is always willing to reach out and lend a hand to other departments to help them with their payroll needs,” said another. “She is always so kind and thoughtful. Patty is the type of person that I think about when I try to describe Alfred University to other people, she is a person that makes our department shine, but also one that makes this a great place to work.”

Other nominees for the 2022 Saxon Service Award were: Caitlin Brown, communications coordinator for the arts, School of Art and Design/Division of Performing Arts; Val Daciw, assistant director, Employer Relations and Events, Robert R. McComsey Career Development Center; Jonathan Kent, vice president for Enrollment Management; Ronald Mulhollen, principles store clerk, Mail Room New York State College of Ceramics.

Bob Condrate Lifelong Learner Award, which 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 exemplified lifelong learning by continuing his education, having taken more than 250 credit hours of coursework after his retirement from the University.

The 2022 winner is Garrett McGowan, professor of chemistry, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Nominators cited McGowan’s interest in areas outside his profession, such as glassblowing and woodworking, skills he has developed by learning to use the hot glass shop and wood shop on campus.

“Through the years, Garrett has demonstrated that you CAN ‘teach an old dog new tricks’,” one nominator said of McGowan. “Garrett has worked what started out as a hobby working in the glass shop and wood shop into a very impressive skill.”

“Garrett has taken a class on glass work/glass blowing with Corning, Inc., and has regular time that he reserves in the hot shop,” said another. “He has parlayed this into connections and networking atypical for a scientist, with art.”

Noted another: “First, he used his building skills developed in the wood shop to create for his daughter frames for her prints presented at her Senior Show a few years ago. Second, he organized a session in the glass shop for the entire department as a community building event. He gave us safety information and tips on how to do glasswork. Third, he has on multiple occasions (incorporated) an art class into the chemistry lab.”

The other nominee for the 2022 Condrate Award was John Lewis ‘03 MS ’21, director of Student Activities, Center for Student Involvement.

Mark Zupan, Alfred University president, presented a Fiat Lux! Award to Heather Cramer, a custodian in the Athletics Department. The Fiat Lux! Award was created in 2016 to honor those in the Alfred University community who bring honor and distinction to the University. Cramer, who has been a custodian at Alfred University for six months, was recognized for an act of kindness and selflessness.

On Friday, April 15, the women’s lacrosse team had organized an Easter egg hunt. A few of the players had hidden several plastic eggs (with treats inside) around the inside of the McLane Center. The team was to return from practice that evening and hunt for the eggs, but when practice ended, it was discovered that someone had removed all the eggs. The lacrosse team’s Easter holiday fun would have been spoiled had it not been for Cramer’s actions. When she learned the eggs had turned up missing, she drove to Hornell and used her own money to purchase 120 plastic eggs. She placed five-dollar bills in two of the eggs, one-dollar bills in others, and filled the rest with candy. She then hid the eggs throughout the McLane Center and invited anyone who wished to join in on the hunt.

According to Chris Boswell, director of athletic communication, this display is typical of Cramer, who he says takes special pride in her work and is “one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.” Boswell noted that over the winter, on one particularly snowy day, Cramer was outside shoveling around the cars parked in the staff lot in front of McLane Center.

The following employees were recognized for years of service:

One year: Bethany Adams, Kevin Adams, Callie Baker ’17, Marley Bender, Thomas Boyle, Ashley Carl, Andy Cornielle ’18, Danielle Cowley, Melissa Dudley, Cheri Ehrlich, Alissa Faulkner, Meredith Field, Brielle Gavin, Meagan Gaylord, Garegin Grigoryan, Marissel Hernandez Romero, Letti Hibbard, Jason Honeck ‘98 MS ’00, Nicholas Hyland, Daniela Isabella, Johnathan Jackson, Erich Kaempffe, Max Koskoff, Sara Kramer, Lauren Lake, Kendra Lanphier, Andrew Lavoie, Xavier Marshall ’20, Jason Miller, Joyce Miyake-Faraji BFA ’21, Leo Pamphile ‘20 MBA ’21, Angela Paxton, Maria Planansky, Joann Quinones, Kyle Reynolds, Leslie Rollins MFA ’20, Deanna Spencer, Kelly Stephens, Erin Taylor, James Tingey, Kyle Vanhart, Amber Wade, Jacob Wadsworth, Katlyn Yocum, Junpeng Zhan.

Five years: Tracy Blake, Lindsey Burnham MBA ’19, Trina Cook ’21, Junjun Ding, Adam DuPree, Fred Farley, Joshua Faughnan, Justin Faughnan, Carole-Lynn French, William Giese, Lacey Gosnell, David Gottfried, Tamara Green, Allison Grossman, Mike Honeycutt, Whitney Hubbs, Kayleigh Jones, Andrew Kless, Roy LaFleur, Dan Lu, Andrew Makasziw, David Marsh, Dakota Pruiss, Nicholas Schlegel, Holly Schulman, Rebecca Stewart, Colleen Wahl, Tracy Waters, Mark Zupan.

Ten years: Brenda Baker ’18 MBA ’21, Andrea Burch MA ‘06 PhD ’12, Hope Childers, Doug Clarke ’01, Valerie Daciw, Valerie Ewald, Tom George, Bethany Johnson, Nicole Munkwitz, Paul Vecchio, Yiquan Wu.

Fifteen years: Ellen Bahr, Jill Crandall, John D’Angelo, James Eveland, Karen Fry, Juliana Gray, Zachary Hamm, John Hosford ’89, Dale Inglett, Kim Ward, Jeremiah Watson.

Twenty years: Chase Angier, Cori Carlin, Andrew Eklund, Judith Livingston, Roger Loucks, Brian Striker ‘00 MBA ’06.

Twenty-five years: Cecilia Beach, Xiaowen Chen, John Cleveland, Michele Doorley ’03, Allen Grove, Susan Kowalczyk, Lisa Lantz, Janet Marble, Walter McConnell MFA ’86, Garrett McGowan, Mary McInnes, Scott Misture ‘90 PhD ’94, Richard Remchuk, Gary Roberts, Linda Sikora, Emrys Westacott, Vicky Westacott, Francis Williams ’03, Kevin Wixted.

Thirty years: Jay Cerio, David De Graff, Laurie Lounsberry Meehan ’91, Becky Prophet ’70, Pamela Schultz.

Thirty-five years: Bill Carlson, Mary Coleman, Kevin Dodge, Ron Mulhollen, Robert Myers, Karen Porter, Linda Sootheran ’07.

Forty years: Kathleen Harkenrider, Robert Maiden, Susan Mayberry, Orville Perkins.

The following retirees were honored: Lena McDermott, secretary Public Safety, 20 years; David Chamberlain, Grounds/Landscaper, 22 years; Cecilia Beach, Professor of French, 24 years; Herbert Giesche, Associate Professor Ceramic Engineering/Materials Science, 28 years; Becky Prophet ’70, Professor of Theatre, 29 years; William Carlson, Professor of Systems Engineering, 34 years; David Toot, Professor of Physics, 35 years; John Gill ’75 MFA, Professor of Ceramics, 37 years; Gary Ostrower ’61, Professor of History, 52 years.