2007-08 Accomplishments and Awards

2007-08 Faculty, Staff, and Retirees Awards Ceremony

Throughout the year, many members of the Winthrop community distinguish themselves by their dedication and outstanding service to the university. This year, 40 Presidential Citations were presented. The awards were given on April 29 during the Faculty, Staff, and Retirees Awards ceremony.

Presidential Citations
Group Citations
Members of the Eagle Club Athletic Scholarship Auction committee: Linda Campfield, purchasing, T. J. Carney, computing and information technology, Linda Dorsett, athletics, Tim Drueke, records and registration, Sharen DuBard, athletics, Jim Johnston, biology, Frank Pullano, mathematics, Dave Rentschler, facilities management and Barry Yates, purchasing, for their exemplary leadership in contributing countless hours and boundless energy to the growth and continued success of the annual Eagle Club Athletic Scholarship Auction, which has grown into an intricate operation of manpower and technology, to benefit deserving scholar-athletes; for their demonstrated ability to work in partnership with a cross-campus committee that harnesses specific areas of expertise and experience; and for their continued commitment to ensuring that scholar-athletes shine both in the classroom and in their sport of choice.

Members of the Digital Information Design Program Team: Steve Dannelly, computer science and quantitative methods, Gerry Derksen, design, Chad Dresbach, design, Jim McKim, computer science and quantitative methods, Mark Nortz, mass communication, Ron Parks, music, Hemant Patwardhan, management and marketing, Cara Peters, management and marketing, Marilyn Sarow, mass communication and Roger Weikle, College of Business Administration, for their invaluable contributions and service as a member of the digital information design program team, which researched, created and launched the state’s first digital information design major that spans four departments and three colleges; and for their vision and ability to identify key areas of study that will allow students to compete locally and nationally in the rapidly expanding world of virtual communication and commerce.

Members of the College of Business Administration Assessment Team: Bret Becton, management and marketing, Keith Benson, management and marketing, Lynn DeNoia, computer science and quantitative methods, Steven Frankforter, management and marketing, Lou Pantuosco, accounting, finance and economics and Cara Peters, management and marketing, for their demonstrated leadership as a row leader to assist with the development of methods to assess the College of Business Administration’s learning outcomes for three degree programs; and for their dedication to championing the behind-the-scenes processes and influencing their colleagues in creating systems and methods to measure and evaluate learning outcomes, which were instrumental in revisions to the college’s strategic plan and objectives for the 2008-09 academic year.
Student Life
Ken Scoggins, campus police, and Craig Sauvigne, computing and information technology, for their unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of Winthrop students, as demonstrated through a recent harassment case that led the two to collaborate in an effort to exhaust all technology-based measures in pursuit of the alleged perpetrator, a partnership that produced an impressive amount of incriminating evidence that resulted in the suspect’s arrest and full confession.

Ellin McDonough, career development and service learning, for her demonstrated leadership, as evidenced through her vital role in launching, marketing and educating students, faculty and staff on the Center for Career Development and Service Learning’s EAGLElink online job search engine and career recruitment system.
University Advancement and Enrollment Management
Susan Gunderson, university advancement and enrollment management, for her outstanding coordination of projects associated with the recent reorganization of the advancement office, which ensured a smooth transition as two new divisions emerged to best position Winthrop for the future; for her hard work and attention to every detail as filing and budgetary systems, operational procedures and protocols for the two divisions were assessed and new ones developed; for her demonstrated can-do attitude and numerous positive interactions with members of the Winthrop community as she supported the restructuring effort; and in addition to all of the above, for her continuing commitment to provide a listening ear and support to numerous Winthrop student athletes who pursue their dreams far away from their homes and families.
Rose Guyer, admissions, for her demonstrated commitment and dedication to ensuring that Recruitment Plus, a new administrative database and software system utilized by the Office of Admissions, was implemented in a smooth and efficient manner; for her willingness to collaborate across divisions with computing and information technology staff members to guarantee the database’s successful effectiveness; and for her positive, upbeat and enthusiastic demeanor that made a complex database conversion less intimidating and more accessible for each member of the extended recruitment and admissions team.
Finance and Business
Brenda Watson, facilities management, for her uplifting spirit and positive, energetic personality that she exudes to each McLaurin Hall employee, visitor, and guest artist with a “good morning,” a song or a “how are you?;” for her heart-warming, welcoming attitude that greets each prospective student and parent; and for her dedication to ensuring that McLaurin is impeccably clean from top to bottom, all outward signs of taking pride in a job well done.
Academic Affairs
Susan Baldwin, student academic services, for going above and beyond day-to-day job duties to take on additional responsibilities, including the processing of purchase requisitions, while the Richard W. Riley College of Education’s Student Academic Services Office was without an administrative assistant; for her vision in creating a streamlined College of Education scholarship process; and for her leadership in revamping the fingerprinting process needed for background checks for approximately 200 teacher candidates, resulting in a more manageable and efficient process.

Cliff Calloway and Jason Hurlbert, chemistry, physics and geology, for their tireless efforts involved in composing and completing a major research instrumentation grant, one that was awarded more than $282,000 - the largest National Science Foundation grant at Winthrop to date; and for their forethought and vision in securing the much-needed instrumentation that provides faculty-led collaboration with undergraduate and graduate students while using state-of-the-art technology to conduct groundbreaking research and experiments.

Kelly Costner and Elke Schneider, curriculum and instruction, for their initiative in coauthoring a three-year, $700,000 grant that focuses on increasing local teachers’ knowledge of English Language Learners and trains Winthrop’s teacher education faculty to ensure English Language Learners’ best practices are integrated into all teacher education programs.

Donald Friedman, modern languages, for his prolific contributions to disseminating Belgian literature abroad; and for his steadfast leadership as founder and editor of the Belgian Francophone Library, a vital international scholarly forum, all of which resulted in the Belgian government conferring upon him its highest civilian honor, Office of the Order of Leopold.

Aaron Hartel, chemistry, physics and geology, for his outstanding mentorship of chemistry students, particularly 2007 graduate Sarah Wengryniuk, which produced numerous accomplishments that resulted in Wengryniuk receiving the 2007 Merck Index “Women in Chemistry” Award, the most significant achievement and recognition of a Winthrop chemistry major in more than 13 years; and for the countless hours spent in the labs during the summers providing guidance and support to student researchers.

Gina White, Dacus Library, for her constant dedication to preserving the past while educating today’s learners, as evidenced through her contributions to Retrospect, the archives’ newsletter, the archives’ recent digitization project, which provides instant online access to numerous collections, and through her participation in collecting veterans’ oral history interviews to preserve for the next generations.

Marge Tebo-Messina, Teaching and Learning Center, for her exceptional leadership and guidance that has resulted in an exponential increase in Teaching and Learning Center offerings and participation, all while fulfilling the center’s mission of facilitating and encouraging the professional and personal development of Winthrop employees; and for her commitment to revitalizing the Winthrop Invests in Lifelong Learning literacy program, which has served 51 participants to date, all of which allow each employee to contribute to the university’s community of learners.

Community Service Awards

Margaret Anne Comer, president’s office, for her steadfast leadership in spearheading the inaugural 2007 York County Multiple Sclerosis Walk, an endeavor that raised $30,000; for her unwavering commitment to participating for the last three years in the MS Challenge Walk that annually raises $250,000 or more; and for her dedicated service to the Mid-Atlantic chapter’s government relations action committee and her participation in South Carolina Advocacy Day.

Bill McGinnis, Master of Liberal Arts, for his “live by example” mantra that one person can make a difference, as evidenced through his service on three boards of directors, including the Catawba Care Coalition’s facilities committee in which he secured the agency’s largest donation to date — a land parcel valued at $400,000 — to be used for a new facility for which he will coordinate design, construction and fundraising efforts.

Rudy Wiegand, retired instructor of mathematics, for his commitment to providing continuing education workshops through the Teaching and Learning Center for faculty and staff; for his initiative in designing 15 technology workshops that are offered annually to rave reviews; and for his willingness to go the extra mile to provide individual instruction to those who need further assistance.

Scott Finn, athletics, Dan Murray, athletics, and Charlie McDonald, facilities management, for their continued dedication to maintaining the Farm’s beautiful grounds and first-class facilities for thousands of visitors to experience during Rock Hill’s annual Come-See-Me Festival, a commitment that was rewarded with the festival’s 2008 Beyond the Call of Glen Award.