Congratulations to the 2020 Distinguished Service Award winners!

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First Place: Trisha Iyonsi, Office of International Students and Scholars

“Trisha assists with cultural programs in the community … When international students have a medical emergency, they know they can call on her … Trisha approaches life with humor, patience, knowledge and compassion … her service to the community is exceptional; she is they type of employee and colleague that makes working at OSU a joy.”

 

Second Place: Pamela Stokes, University Health Services

“Pamela has a remarkable ability to remain calm, kind, compassionate and understanding in the midst of working long hours and dealing with very stressful situations. She’s worked tirelessly to design and implement COVID-19 testing, securing of PPE and developing workflow plans for patient care to maximize safety and efficiency.”

 

Third Place: Tanya Massey, Housing and Residential Life

“Tanya is the utmost of professionalism. Her goal is to create an environment where residents feel engaged and supported while being challenged to grow in their ideals. The residents, student staff members, graduate staff and professional staff who come in contact with Tanya leave with a sense of being and empowerment to change the world around them.”

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Finalists

Dakota Keith, College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology

“Dakota is a superstar … she goes above and beyond every single day. She’s always positive and professional and is a joy to be around. She’s passionate about her work and the people she works with and is dedicated and truly wants to succeed in all she does.”

 

Benjamin Dunagan, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

“What doesn’t Ben do for the department? Since he has had an impact on every facet of staff service … without Ben’s leadership, we would have been ill-prepared to handle the budget cuts we have gone through over the years … he has been a wonderful helper to many departments within DASNR

 

Sandra Earls, Boone Pickens School of Geology

“Sandy is by far, the most dedicated of the set of assistants and easily the most giving of her own time to ensure the success of the school … she has the same dedication to the School of Geology and takes pride in making sure the students, faculty and department are viewed in a positive way and working toward their mission.”

 

Chris VanZant, Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music

“Chris is a tremendous colleague and mentor, and he is one of the kindest people I have ever met.. He is always quick to lend a helping hand … he frequently takes on physically strenuous tasks that many people would not do ... He never complains; he is always happy to be helpful … He sets and excellent example of leadership.”

 

Jacob Nelson, Robert M. Kerr Food and Ag Products Center

“There is not a day that passes that Mr. Nelson isn’t engaged in some act of teaching, research or outreach that in some way changes the lives of the citizens of Oklahoma. Jake far and above exceeds the requirements and expectations of all his positions and in doing so, distinguishes himself as being deserving of the Distinguished Service Award!”

 

Shannon Bauman, Housing and Residential Life

“Whether advocating for staff development, taking time to talk with concerned parents, stepping in to absorb someone’s role when they’ve left or on leave ... Shannon is a true leader who wants the best possible product for our students. She is always willing to take on additional duties if it helps us achieve our goals

 

Jeff Huber, Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence

“Jeff is certainly deserving of this nomination and OSU can be proud to have such a quality employee and person representing this institution … Jeff and his team made miracles happen in the identification, selection, procurement and installation of the audiovisual and lectern technologies that were required to turn non-typical classroom spaces into classrooms.”