One award recipient stood out among all the others at last week’s annual college Service Awards as the college honored Professor of Political Science Jay Goodman for 50 years of service to Wheaton College.
Members of the Wheaton community gathered in the Balfour Atrium last Tuesday, March 30, for the annual college Service Awards. Besides awards for five-year intervals of service, online nominations resulted in recipients of the President’s Award for Outstanding Service, the Vision of Service Award and the Gladys Kelley Memorial Award for Professional Development.
This year was particularly special as it marked Goodman’s receipt of a Lifetime Award for 50 years of service.
A piece about Goodman by award-winning journalist Ted Nessi ’07 in the Winter edition of the Wheaton Quarterly notes, “An oft-cited statistic estimates more than half of all living Wheaton alums have taken one of his classes” and includes effusive remarks from Goodman’s former students who have gone on to work in the fields of law and government. The article chronicles Goodman’s life and achievements and states, “He is one of the most popular professors on the Wheaton College campus (and has) always kept his focus on the students.”
Provost Linda Eisenmann said, “It’s very unusual to have someone like Professor Goodman who has completed 50 years of service to the college, so that’s why we did a special recognition of him. I have also invited him to be the featured speaker at this year’s Honors Convocation held on April 30th. That speech gives him a special chance to address students, especially the seniors.”
This year, the prestigious Vision of Service Award was given to the Office of Career Services. The rewards include a day off with pay for each team member, recognition on a plaque, and a special celebratory luncheon with the president of the college.
“It’s a great award and the name of it speaks volumes,” Director of Career Services Lisa Gavigan ’83 said. “The people that work here do have vision, as far as looking forward in the career fields over the next several decades and understanding what that environment and landscape looks like.”
“Wheaton is an easy place to have a vision of service because in many ways, as employees, we are encouraged to step out of the box, try new things and be adventurous and entrepreneurial,” added Gavigan. We have that freedom and a wonderful work environment.”
The President’s Award for Outstanding Service that started in 1998 is presented to an employee selected for his or her outstanding work. This award includes a choice of one week’s pay or an extra week of vacation, a reserved parking space, name placed on a plaque in Balfour-Hood, and a special celebratory luncheon with the President.
This years recipients were Associate Dean of Students Jack Kuszaj for his passionate engagement with issues of sexual misconduct at Wheaton, and Assistant to the Provost Alice Ricco for meticulous care and coordination for the college’s academic division.
President Dennis Hanno also recognized “a group that has done amazing work over the last several months, [there is] no award that would appropriately recognize them”: the Wheaton snow removal team, each of whom were given certificates and T-shirts that said, ‘I survived the winter of 2015.’
The Gladys Kelly award was established in 2006 in memory of Gladys Kelley, who served as an administrative assistant in the Office of College Advancement for more than 28 years. This is awarded to someone who excels in his or her job, and it provides 500 dollars to use for professional development. It also includes a certificate, college plaque and lunch with the president. This years recipient was Coordinator of the Nursery School, Marie O’ Malley whose responsibilities include enrolling children, preparing newsletters and press releases and hiring work study students.
“Over a 1,000 years of service represented by award winners today,” Hanno said at the end of the hour-long ceremony. “No place has that kind of dedication other than Wheaton.”