Announcing the 2011 Thompson Award Recipients
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Morningside College presented the 2011 Thomas S. Thompson Staff Excellence Awards to Jessica Jones-Sitzmann, head softball coach; Lisa Krohn, administrative assistant to the president; Dr. Mary Leida, dean of advising and associate dean of students; Andre McWell, director of Student Success; Janice Petersen, secretary for graduate studies; and Bill Schindel, general maintenance. Leida also was named staff employee of the year. Recipients were selected based upon their demonstration of outstanding dedication, service and commitment to Morningside and its students during the 2010-2011 academic year. President John Reynders presented the awards at the annual holiday and recognition banquet in December. Each recipient received a cash bonus. Funding for the annual awards comes from an endowment established by Margaret Thompson, wife of the late Thomas S. Thompson, who served as president of Morningside from 1969 to 1978. Jones-Sitzmann joined the college in 1996 as an assistant softball coach and was named head coach in 1999. As a standout athlete in high school and college, she built a list of honors that included school records and all-state and All-American recognition. Her 13-year career as head coach at Morningside has added more accolades: several Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) coach of the year titles, regular season and post-season championships, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national tournament appearances. She is the winningest softball coach in Morningside history. Krohn came to work for Morningside in 1999 as the administrative assistant to the president. She has many skills that make for a highly effective and likeable employee. The president’s office is one of the busiest offices on campus. It could not function without her
ability to organize, plan and deal with last-minute changes. There are always unexpected assignments. For example, last summer she managed the check-in and check-out of more than 100 flood victims living temporarily in the dorms. Krohn doesn’t have the easiest job on campus, but she always handles it with grace and exceptional competence. Leida began working at Morningside in 1987 as an assistant professor of biology. During almost 25 years at Morningside, she has been called upon to wear many hats: chair of the biology department, associate dean for academic affairs, coordinator of first-year programs, and now dean of advising and associate dean of students. She demonstrates her dedication and commitment to students and to the college in so many ways. It is apparent in her work with students. It is apparent in her wise counsel and effective leadership on a variety of task forces and committees. McWell started working for Morningside in 2002 as an assistant track and cross country coach. He became director of the Student Success program in 2005. He makes every effort to ensure that high risk students are successful at Morningside. If it means coming in early and staying late, he does it because a student will benefit from the extra time. If a student has an important off-campus appointment and no car, no problem. He will drive them. Needless to say, commitment like this builds strong, productive relationships with students. It also makes the Student Success program a valuable campus resource.
Petersen came to work for Morningside in 1986 as secretary to the associate dean for continuing education, and she started working in the graduate studies department in 1990. She does many things well, but she has been singled out for excellent customer service. Prospective and current graduate education students get high-caliber customer service, and that same commitment to customer service is evident when she deals with employees in other departments on campus. She is a team player who makes life as pleasant as possible for everyone with whom she comes in contact. Schindel joined the maintenance department at Morningside in 2005. He has been described as steadfast, dependable and a jack of all trades who really is good at everything he does. During a typical week, he will tackle a wide variety of projects that impact students, faculty, staff and administrators. He sees what needs to be done and does it without being told. The results of his work can be seen in almost every college building and facility, as well as on the campus grounds. From snow removal to assembling and setting up new chairs and tables for a classroom, he takes pride in a job well done.
faculty and staff
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