LAS staff and academic professionals recognized
Staff and academic professionals in the College of LAS are being recognized for dedicated service to students, fellow employees, and the mission of the college and university.
Seven staff members and academic professionals will be honored at a ceremony on Tuesday, March 7. They include three recipients of an academic professional award, three recipients of a staff award, and one recipient of the Nancy J. McCowen Distinguished Service Award.
“We are extremely fortunate to have these employees in our midst,” said Feng Sheng Hu, Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of LAS. “They take the college’s mission to heart and are absolutely pivotal to our teaching, research, and outreach mission.”
The awardees are as follows:
Annie Abbott, LAS Academic Professional Award
Abbott serves as the director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Spanish & Portuguese. Abbott oversees the undergraduate curriculum, teaches courses, and successfully recruits students to the program. She also developed the department’s first ever community service learning course and has been particularly active in outreach, forming strong ties between the department and the local Latino community.
Anna Ivy, LAS Academic Professional Award
Anna Ivy is an undergraduate academic advisor for the Department of English. She provides academic advice and career preparation to students of English, creative writing, and English teaching, as well as connecting students with campus-wide resources to help maintain academic excellence. She has also devoted many efforts to college and campus initiatives to improving student life.
Melissa Reedy, LAS Academic Professional Award
Melissa Reedy is a life sciences teaching specialist in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology. She coordinates MCB 150 (a large introductory course), an upper-level biochemistry lab, and also has developed Biopass, a program to assist at-risk students. Reedy serves on a committee to review student theses, and she has also helped organize a summer learning academy.
Dennis Dalby, LAS Staff Award
Dennis Dalby is a business and administrative associate at the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology. He helps oversee staff operations for almost 400 employees, and he is primarily responsible for the coordination of the renovation of the former biology library space. Dalby finds successful solutions for building resource management and also heads safety operations for the school.
Allison Perry, LAS Staff Award
Allison Perry is an office manager in the LAS Student Academic Affairs Office. She serves as primary support for the director of operations and associate dean. An expert record-keeper, she manages vacation and sick leave tracking and reviews student academic progress. She arranges LAS advisor workshops, and possesses invaluable knowledge of various computer applications and databases.
Elizabeth Vonk, LAS Staff Award
Elizabeth Vonk is an office support specialist in the Department of Mathematics. She functions as the initial contact person for thousands of undergraduate students each semester, as she assesses their needs and either addresses the issue herself or directs them to the proper contact person. Additionally, she contributes greatly to maintaining a cheerful office atmosphere and organizing departmental activities.
Carla Buchanan, Nancy J. McCowen Distinguished Service Award
Carla Buchanan is an office administrator for the LAS Student Academic Affairs Office. She supports operations in the LAS through the Access and Achievement Program. She is known as a dedicated and proactive advocate for students who works hard to help them solve issues more quickly. She also takes a leadership role in office operations and helping improve staff experiences and productivity.
