On January 15, the Division of Student Affairs held their annual Divisional Awards, recognizing the amazing work of its members. There were so many great nominations submitted, showcasing the passion, innovation, and inspiration that comes from the staff within the Division. The selection committee, Annamaria Wenner, Peter Fowler, Jenn Kosses, Lynette Panarelli (faculty representative), and Tina Zunino (student representative) were impressed by all the nominations. We would like to again congratulate those who received an award and provide an excerpt from their nominations.
Inspire Award: Evin Giglio, Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Volleyball
This award is given to an individual who is influential in creating an inspirational work environment. The person is someone who encourages the involvement of others through teamwork. The recipient helps others be successful through role modeling, encouragement and inclusivity. This individual is able to positively impact, engage and support the Wentworth community.
“Evin was able to create an environment for his women’s volleyball team during the 2018 season that allowed for peak physical and emotional performance both individually and collectively; resulting in unanticipated and historic success for the program. His calm, positive demeanor and approach to teaching the physical tactics of the game allowed for the veteran players to grow and develop further throughout the season, but most importantly, allowed for the first-year players to learn the fundamentals of the game that Evin believes are critical for success. The combination of veteran and rookie grown and development, culminated in winning a conference championship. That same calm, confident and positive approach with his student athletes created an emotional environment that inspired a positive spirit each day during practice; providing each individual the opportunity to feel empowered, valued and part of something bigger then themselves.”
Empower Award: Bridget McNamee, Associate Director, Center for Wellness and Disability Support Services
This award is given to an individual in recognition of work that has demonstrated the principle of putting students first. This individual provides programs or services that balance educational needs with customer service. The recipient strives to develop procedures, services, or programs that are both welcoming and efficient in order to enhance the overall student experience and encourage personal growth. This individual provides opportunities for students to be empowered within their academic and social lives at Wentworth.
“When I think of someone who puts students first, I immediately think of Bridget. She is a tremendous advocate for students, and in addition staff. Bridget develops positive, welcoming, and sincere relationships across the Institute to support students. Her positivity and can-do attitude is contagious — this is very evident in her approach to supporting students. Any time I partner with Bridget to support a student, she is welcoming, kind, and most importantly student-centered. While much of her work with students needs to be met with confidentiality, students always speak of Bridget in the highest regard. They recognize her as a support, someone who cares, and someone who is willing to go the extra mile to help them be successful. Beyond supporting individual students, Bridget is a positive advocate for students with disabilities, including advocating for accessibility at Wentworth. She has been pivotal in supporting physical accessibility needs, as well as improving online accessibility.”
Innovate Award: Kevin Long, Assistant Director, Housing and Residential Life
This award is given to an individual who demonstrates innovation through the development or enhancement of programs or services that meet the changing needs of the campus. The individual has an ability to be creative in the usage of people, budgets or technology. Their efforts contribute to creating a positive and inclusive work environment as well as providing quality service to students.
“The residential experience is at the core of the work that Kevin does each day. He is consistently looking for ways to innovate and streamline OHRL processes to benefit students and build stronger relationships with them. The nature of many interactions students have with OHRL can be very transactional and sometimes leave students frustrated or disheartened. Often in his role, students are unable to be given what they’re requesting, such as an exception to move in dates, room changes, and more. Knowing that his role has a large impact on the residential experience and that it’s not possible to always be saying ‘yes’ to every student, Kevin has worked tirelessly to find ways to make interactions with our office more customer-service friendly. Kevin is only one person and manages some of the most significant processes in our office, so he needs to creatively partner with others, be it OHRL or with other offices to make the most positive impact on the student experience. Through partnering with the OHRL Marketing committee, he’s able to split work up to help advertise processes and create opportunities to promote policies and improve relationships with students.”
Collaboration Award: Women Lifting Women (Mike Williams, Director, Fitness and Recreation; Alex Cabal, Director, Center for Diversity and Social Justice Programs; and Ricky Meinke, Assistant Director, Center for Diversity and Social Justice Programs)
This award is given to a committee or special project group for demonstrating great work which exemplifies collaboration, communication and community. The recipients work to create, support or strengthen an environment of being a “team player.” Their collective work has demonstrated the creation of new programs or services, improvement of current program or service and has resulted in high quality outcomes. This group exemplifies teamwork, inclusion and consensus-building as they work to achieve Divisional goals and objectives. Nominees for this award can either be within one department or include individuals from various departments.
“The program, held during Women’s History Month, saw three highly regarded female trainers host 62 students, faculty, and staff members in a self-identified women’s only 2-hour block in the Schumann Fitness Center. During the session, women learned about the “Big Three” lifts; Bench Press, Deadlift, Squat, and more as time allowed. Attendees raved about the positive atmosphere that was created by the event and the trainers, and the bond that they felt with their fellow attendees. Attendees believed that now armed with the knowledge and confidence of how to best utilize the weight area in any fitness area, that they now gained some power and control over what can be a hyper-masculine environment. Women left the event feeling empowered and with a greater depth of understanding of the movements. In addition, male users of the facility were overwhelmingly positive, despite being excluded from the facility for women’s only program. Many understood and agreed that the program would send a strong message to men about the importance of making the weight area a welcoming place for all.”
Thank you to our recipients and our nominees for their work and dedication to our Divisional vision: Every Student Thrives!
Left to Right: Evin Giglio, Ricky Meinke, Mike Williams, Dean Fowler, Bridget McNamee, Kevin Long, Alex Cabal, Dean Kosses, and Dean Wenner