Alfred University recognizes employees for years of service, presents awards
Alfred University held its annual All Employee Recognition Reception on Tuesday, May 9. The event—which honored retirees and employees for years of service—was held in Ade Hall, with light refreshments and beverages.
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 award is supported by alumnus Wayne F. Holly ’78.
The 2023 winner is Shannon Yocum, secretary to the divisions of Environmental Studies/Geology, Biology, Physics, and Astronomy.
One colleague who nominated Yocum for the award cited her work on organizing the Undergraduate Research Forum. “Such a high-profile event for the student body (and their faculty) needs to be accomplished with a challenging combination of sustained hard work and attention to detail, which Shannon does admirably,” the nominator wrote.
Another nominator said Yocum being a student—she is pursuing a degree in history—helps provide a positive connection between fellow undergraduates and the University. “It provides her with a shared experience with our students, and we see the benefits in our division: her connection with students is strong, which in turn solidifies our students’ connection to their major and to the division. Shannon’s experience as a student also serves as a positive model: she is engaged in her studies and shares her excitement for the material with her colleagues, students, and even beyond campus.”
Yet another referred to her proficiency working across multiple academic divisions: “Shannon expertly manages clerical, budgeting, scheduling, and purchasing assistance for six majors across three divisions. In addition, she handles many other tasks and requests daily with grace and professionalism. She has a deep understanding of the administrative layers the divisions interact with, and she steadfastly assists us with navigating them.”
Other nominees for the 2023 Cathy Johnson Service Award were: Kathleen Hillman, Assistant Registrar; Maria Bentley, Assistant Dean SoAD and Performing Arts; and Kim Ward, Auxiliary Custodial Leader.
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 2023 winner is David Snyder, Public Services Coordinator, Herrick Memorial Library.
“Dave Snyder is known on campus for his positive attitude and good-natured humor. In his role as the Public Services Coordinator at Herrick Memorial Library, Dave is a highly visible presence and a bit of a legend,” one nominator wrote. “Our Dean of Libraries, Brian Sullivan, recently sat down with a group of students for a focus group. When he asked them what came to mind when they thought of Herrick Library, the most common answer was, ‘Dave.’”
Another nominator shared a story of Snyder which exemplifies the positive impact he has on students. “One of Dave’s current student employees, Isabel, shares, ‘If you wanted an example of how Dave puts his workers in a good mood; every time he comes in and sees me, he will sit for a few minutes and joke with me and make me smile. He actually pays attention to his workers and knows them each individually, despite the fact that there are so many of us!’”
Another nominator wrote: “If Dave ever hears that a student is struggling and considering dropping out or transferring, he supports them and takes up their cause. Over the years he has helped multiple students avoid dropping out or transferring by listening to their challenges and helping them see how to overcome their obstacles. He encourages them to reach out for help by using the services available to them on campus like the financial aid office, counselors, their success coaches, and academic advisors. Or, by helping them find their niche through work, clubs, sports, Pep Band or finding their friend group.”
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 award is supported by alumnus Jay O. Yedvab ’56.
The 2023 winner is Doris Möncke, Associate Professor of Glass Science Engineering. Nominators cited Möncke’s interest in furthering her knowledge in her field, creating collaborative relationships with international colleagues, and recruiting new faculty and graduate students to Alfred University.
Möncke “attends every relevant conference in her field, and she seeks to take along graduate students, finding ways to help them pay for their transportation and hotels. Moreover, she has taken leadership roles in professional organizations to help steer the profession, earning herself repute as holding high expectations while surpassing high standards herself,” one nominator wrote.
Said another: “Every year, Doris forges new collaborations with colleagues internationally, joining them in doing their research, or involving them in her pursuits. Her reputation has evolved such that more and more international colleagues invite her to participate by contributing articles and book chapters, reviewing others' publications, and reviewing dissertations. Notable people in her field seek her expertise.”
“Doris seeks opportunities for recruiting new graduate students and faculty colleagues to AU. She recently created an Honors Course to enable undergraduate students outside the School of Engineering to learn about exciting new directions of research and application of Glass Science,” said another nominator. “She proactively forms intersections that bring together the right people to propel the growth and spread of knowledge and other resources.”
The following employees were recognized for years of service:
One year: Curtis Bailey, Alan Beadle, Elise Bouhet, Donna Buchholz, Andrew Burlingame ’22, Paul Butterfield, Victoria Cramp ’20 (MBA ’22), Julia Decker, Amy DeKay, Jackie Eason, Riley Flaitz, Barb Freeland, Jenny Gibson, Geremy Grant, Laurie Graziano, Nichole Guysick, Katie Hamlin, Stephanie Hanes, Christine Harris, Kylee Harvey, Ren Hillman ’22, Logan Holmes, Abigail Hurley ’17 (MSEd ’19), Sean Kenyon, Jordan Kozlowski, Barbara Landries, Julia Langal-Sittu, Cheyenne LaPlante, Kash LaPlante ’19, Lisa Lehmann, Christos Madamopoulos, Al Mancuso MA ‘05, ADV ‘07, PhD ’08, Erin Martinovich, Jenny McCumiskey ’08 (MBA ’12), Thomas McDaniels, Amanda McMahan, Haleigh Mikolajczyk ’20, Izzy Monti MFA ’22, Anthony Nguyen, Allsun Ozyesil, Lukas Perry ’23, Elise Petrichick, Christina Ritenour, Evellia Roberts, Jamie Seifert, Theresa Shattan, William Shibuya, Alex Shick, Marwa Soliman, Terry Stephens, Jacob Stuart, Melissa Van Winkle (MBA ’03), Randy Wachtel, Matt Wandover, James Ward, Chloe Wasendorf, Stephanie Waters, Doug Weitzel, Michael Wesley, William Wheeler, Collin Wilkinson, Devon Withers (MBA ’22), Jonathan Ziese.
Five years: Harpreet Bedi, Pam Costello, Jordan Crouch (PN-MBA ’23), Bradford Daly, Sam Dannick ’12, Jenny DeSanto, Michael Elmes, Shaun Fields, Chris Gause, Jane Gilliland ’01, Liam Glover ’09 (MBA ’17), Shelly Grant, Tim Heckman, Jonathan Hopp, Pam Jones, Evan Linza ’18, Amit Maha, Elizabeth Matson, Janet McClain ’00, Jeff McDowell, Michael Moskowitz, Tim Nichols, Faith Piatt, George Potter, Darren Stohr ’92 (PhD ’06), Mallory Szymanski, Angie Taylor, Craig Yanni
Ten years: Jodi Howe, Betsy Kent, Joseph Kirtland, Joshua Knight, Dale Watson, Cassandra Yanda, Joseph Zanghi
Fifteen years: Brett Arno ’08, Tim Cox, Corinne Fecteau ‘01, ’15 (MSEd ’19), Meghanne Freivald, Coral Lambert, Shawn Murrey ’04 (MBA ’08), Robert Reginio, Brian Sullivan.
Twenty years: Emilie Carney ’06 (MBA ’10), Elena Wallace.
Thirty years: Steve Pilgrim
Thirty-five years: Albert Baker, Billie Burns ’14, Rob Cornell, Julie Slack, Kathleen Torrey, Xingwu Wang.
Forty years: Judy Linza.
The following 15 retirees, with a combined 443 years of service—an average of nearly 30 years—were recognized: Mark Guinan, Director, Human Resources, 13 years; Judy Livingston, Associate Professor Graphic Design, 20 years; Kevin Wixted, Professor of Painting, 24 years; Donna Perkins, Supervising Janitor, NYSCC, 24 years; Vicky Westacott, Director, Writing Center/ESL Specialist, 25 years; John Cleveland, Mechanic/Driver, 26 years; Deb Ohara, Secretary, Social Sciences, 27 years; Jay Cerio, Professor, School Psychology, 34 years; Marilyn Saxton, Secretary, Human Studies, 34 years; Michele Hluchy, Professor, Environmental Studies/Geology, 34 years; Joe Rosiczkowski, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, 34 years; Robert Myers, Professor of Anthropology/Public Health, 35 years; Linda Sootheran, Technical Processes Manager, Herrick Library, 36 years; Bob Bitting, Associate Director, School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, 37 years; Orville Perkins, Plumber, NYSCC, 40 years.