MARQUETTE MATTERS
Being the difference: Excellence in University Service Awards celebrate staff members who go above and beyond By Jesse Lee
Excellence Excellence in University Service Awards recognize staff members who have contributed to the essential work of Marquette at the highest level of excellence. Recipients were nominated based on service that is above and beyond the duties normally assigned to their positions. They will be honored at the Excellence in University Service Awards Luncheon on June 3.
Photos by Dan Johnson
Michelle Raclawski Director of academic business affairs College of Health Sciences Michelle Raclawski views her job as “a bridge between what needs to be done and how to get it done.” In the College of Health Sciences, she’s known as a problem solver, communicator, caregiver and hard worker. As one nominator said, when Raclawski is approached with a problem, “Her answer is always, ‘I will take care of that.’” “I got my work ethic from my parents,” Raclawski says. “I feel like people who work with me know my mission is to help them do their jobs.” From her nominations, which range from notes of thanks for helping to navigate purchases and policies to praise for tracking grants, it’s clear that faculty and staff recognize and value her dedication and expertise.
Debra Jelacic Office associate Department of English Klingler College of Arts and Sciences For Debra Jelacic, dedication and commitment of service to Marquette runs in the family. Her father, Floyd Hubatch, received the Excellence in University Service Award in 1993. “My father had a great work ethic. He continually did more than was expected of him,” Jelacic says. “He loved working at Marquette, and I was excited to follow his path. I try hard to model my actions after his.” The model is working. Words used to describe Jelacic in her nominations include professional, knowledgeable, kind, generous and utterly indispensable. Jelacic adds another word: blessed. “Every day I see great people doing great work, and I consider many of my co-workers good friends,” she says. “I feel that I’m blessed to have been given the opportunity to work at Marquette.”
Mitchell Gawlak Mail carrier Facilities Services “Mitchell is the bright spot of my day.” “Mitchell is a caring presence to all he meets.” “Mitchell is the difference to many of us in his daily contributions to our work.” These sentiments echo throughout every nomination for Mitchell Gawlak. The people who nominated him describe his hard work and dedication, along with his positivity, his smiles and his love of all things Marquette. “Mitch was chosen because of his incredible work ethic and positive attitude,” says Christopher Bartolone, Gawlak’s supervisor. “Mitch is always upbeat and takes great pride in doing his job well. Seeing him win makes our whole department proud.”
Ruzica Gajic Custodian II Facilities Services Cleaning the College of Nursing’s Emory Clark Hall, with its two staircases, four floors of classrooms and offices, numerous bathrooms and hundreds of daily visitors, is a daunting task. But it’s a task easily handled by custodian Ruzica Gajic. As one person who nominated her said, “Not only does Ruzica do marvelous work, she does it with a cheerful, friendly and helpful demeanor. Those of us who work in Clark Hall truly value her service to Marquette. She is a wonderful employee who deserves to be recognized.” Gajic was humbled to learn she had been chosen to receive the award. “I’m very grateful,” she says. “I’ll continue to do good work.” Of that, the faculty, staff and students in Clark Hall have no doubt.
M A R Q U ET T E H AP P E NINGS Haggerty Museum of Art welcomes two new exhibits this summer
Next class of journalists for O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism announced
The Haggerty Museum of Art will welcome two new summer exhibitions, which will run June 4 – August 3. Looking at a portrait or figure painting has usually been thought of as an isolated occasion with finite meaning, but Scrutiny After the Glimpse explores the potential of paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures of the human form to evince multiple meanings based on context and proximity to other works. AGOD, an acronym for “animated GIF of the day, is an organic video about the fear of order and disorder, and is comprised of daily animate GIFs, created and collaged over a three-year time span. The non-linear, openended narrative speaks to the rapid speed and large volume of information available in the digital age.
The three journalists who will take part in the Diederich College of Communication’s Perry and Alicia O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism during the 2014–15 academic year are Brandon Loomis of The Arizona Republic, Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Marjorie Valbrun, an independent journalist whose fellowship work stands to be published by The Washington Post. They will report on water scarcity, food additives and welfare reform, respectively, and will each research and produce an in-depth public service journalism project on campus and working with Marquette students, giving them first-hand journalism experience.