I recently had the pleasure to present our annual Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards. Each recipient has made significant contributions to SIU through outstanding teaching, meaningful research and strong leadership, both at SIU and throughout the community.
The recipients — Sukesh R. Bhaumik, Ken B. Anderson, Farhan Chowdhury, Nilanjana Bardhan, Jeff McGoy and Timothy Lyle Attig — represent a variety of backgrounds and bring the type of international perspectives that prepare SIU students to thrive in the global society of the 21st Century.
I would like to take a moment to congratulate them again. I am proud to have each of you as a member of the Saluki Family.
I enjoy any event where I get to meet and talk to the people who help SIU live up to its mission statement. I like to say that at SIU, it’s personal. That wouldn’t be true without the hard work of our faculty and staff.
The unsung heroes of SIU
SIU is home to numerous distinguished researchers who receive wide acclaim, but there are many more unrecognized people who work behind the scenes and might not get noticed. The “Leading the Pack” series features some of those unsung heroes who make a difference in the lives and work of our students and community.
Here’s a brief look at some of the stories that stood out to me.
Supporting students, campus and the community
John Wade in the student center has a smile for every person who comes through his line. He and his colleague Sara Wright make it a point to learn their customer’s names and make a personal connection.
As the trees, plants and shrubs around campus start to bloom, you may appreciate the beauty they lend to campus without ever seeing the hard work that Dave Tippy and his team put into helping it all thrive.
Meanwhile, people like Rachel Frazier in academic services, Jenise Wilson in the College of Engineering, Layla Murphy in the College of Liberal Arts and Amanda Sutton in undergraduate admissions all work behind the scenes in different ways to ensure students reach their goals.
Others — like Recreational Sports and Service’s Sally Wright, Mandy Phemister in Student Health Services and dental hygiene’s Jennifer Meyer — all work to keep faculty, staff and the community healthy.
Nominate someone today
I want to read more of these stories. If you know someone who is consistently going above and beyond their job description to ensure students at SIU have the best experience possible, let us know.
And to the many members of our faculty and staff who come to work every day and ensure our campus runs smoothly, thank you.