Employees recognized during reception

Office of Communications & Marketing |Northeastern State University
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Northeastern State University hosted the 2014 Employee Recognition Reception on Thursday, May 1 in the Senator Herb Rozell Ballroom of the University Center on the NSU-Tahlequah campus.

There were eight categories of honor: service award, grant recognition, retirees, promotions and tenure, STAR Awards, Circle of Excellence, Presidents Ambassadors Network, and Model the Way.

The 2014 recipients are as follows
Service Awards: Recipients received a custom service pin for their continuous years of service, beginning with five and continuing in five year increments following. This year there were 153 individuals honored; ranging from five to 40 years of service.

Retirees: Regina Portman, Connie Wright, William Nowlin, Larry Gipson, Janie Polk, Jocelyn Payne, Lereen Neugin, Jeanna Wing, Dr. Martin Venneman, Dr. Louis White, Connie Henshaw, Dr. Mary Stanley, Victoria Sheffler, Dr. Deborah Carment, William King, Dr. Dorothy Radin, Marvita McGuire, Joyce Van Nostrand, Dr. Bill Wallace, Johnny Blue, Doris Kendrick, Nora Finnegan, Peggy Osborn, Leslie Ritz, Dr. Martha Albin and Tim Foutch.

There were 26 retirees in total, with a range of five to 40 years of dedicated service to Northeastern State.

Circle of Excellence: Dr. Christine Hallman, Teaching; Dr. David Lewerenz, Service; and Dr. Mark Paulissen, Research.

Circle of Excellence awards are given to teaching, research and service award recipients who will receive a brick bearing their name to be placed within the Circle of Excellence in front of Seminary Hall. They will be included in a formal display in the Administration Building and will receive their choice of a new computer or $2,500 to use toward professional development.

STAR Awards: Helen Lahrman, Rising STAR and Alaka Back, STAR Award

STAR and Rising STAR awards acknowledge the service of dedicated staff at NSU; those who possess the traits of service, teamwork, attitude and reliability. To qualify as a STAR nominee, the employee must have been employed at least two years; and the Rising STAR nominee must be in their first two years of service. These nominations are submitted by faculty and staff.

Model the Way Awards: Dr. Katy Ellis, Faculty; Dr. Brad Agnew, Faculty; Phyllis Wilmon, Staff; Linda Brown, Staff

The Model the Way Award is presented to two faculty and two staff members who exemplify service above self, tireless effort to promote the mission of the University, and a sense of community and collegiality among their fellow employees. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 cash award and have his or her name engraved on a plaque that resides in the Administration Building.

Presidents Ambassadors Network Awards
Courtney George, Coordinator of Orientation and Leadership, Student Activities: $1, 409 to bring Dr. Eric Grospitch to speak at NSU.
Dr. Teri Cochran:$700 to purchase National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration training program.
Peter Henshaw: $1,500 to attend 2014 Annual University Photographers Association of America Technical Symposium.
Staci Quant: $500 to attend National League for Nursing Education Summit.
Dr. Sallie Ruskoski: $500 to attend 114th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
Dr. Robyn Pursley: $500 to tour childrens theatre production to elementary schools throughout Oklahoma.
Jason Junkens: $1,200 to attend the 62nd Annual International Association of Emergency Managers.

The Presidents Ambassadors Network is an initiative established by NSU President Steve Turner in 2013 to support professional development opportunities for NSU faculty and staff and discretionary projects. Faculty and staff can submit applications for a grant from the fund and will be screened and selected by a committee made up of the current recipients of Circle of Excellence, Model the Way and STAR Awards.

Service awards are given to those with continuous years of service to NSU. Recipients will receive a custom Service Pin. This award begins after five years of service and awarded in five-year increments following the first award.