Staff Awards
Honoring outstanding staff members that go above and beyond for College of Liberal Arts faculty and students.
Staff Award winners and the Dean (from left to right): Tyler Flynn, Gwen Rogers, Dean Lee Cohen, Matt Ward, and Adam Thebeau.
About Our Awards
Each spring, the College of Liberal Arts recognizes its staff with the following awards:
- Student Support Award - For those that provide advising support or outstanding assistance to students.
- Newcomer Award - For administrative professionals in their positions for 3 or less years.
- Commitment to Administrative Excellence Award - For the outstanding staff member of the year in the College.
- Teamwork Award - For a group that showed outstanding teamwork in the College.
The awards are based on several key factors:
- Characteristics of a compelling nomination letter.
- The number of nominations received for each nominee and scope of impact.
- The extent of the nominee's work responsibilities.
- The general quality of work is described in the nomination letter. Highlighting personal examples would be helpful in the committee’s review.
- The nominee's efforts in promoting Accessibility and Strategic Initiatives at the University.
Recipients are recognized during the College of Liberal Arts Awards Ceremony, have their name added to an award plaque in the Dean’s Office, and receive a monetary gift. All full-time permanent staff in the College of Liberal Arts are eligible. Temporary or part-time staff are not eligible.
Nominations Open for 2025 Staff Awards
2024 Teamwork Award
Rebecca Cleary
- Communication Specialist
Kell Kellum
- Academic Counselor
Staff Award Recipients
Awarded to the most outstanding staff member of the year in the College.
- Glenn Shove, Operations Coordinator II, Dept. of Writing and Rhetoric (2024)
- Matt Ward, Operations Manager, Department of Psychology (2023)
The Newcomer Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of administrative professionals within their first three years of service.
- Gwen Rogers, Operations Coordinator II, Department of Biology (2024)
- Kim Dunnavant, Operations Coordinator, Department of Psychology (2023)
This award celebrates the staff member who goes above and beyond in providing advising support and outstanding assistance to students.
- Ingrid Valbuena Academic Counselor II, College of Liberal Arts Student Services (2024)
- Victoria Barnes Hughes, Project Coordinator, Department of Mathematics (2023)
This award is presented to a group within the College that has demonstrated exceptional collaboration and teamwork.
Department of Southern Studies (2024)
- Rebecca Cleary, Communications Specialist
- Kell Kellum, Operations Assistant
- Bert Neal, Administrative Coordinator
- Afton Thomas, Associate Director for Programs
- Jimmy Thomas, Associate Director for Publications
Department of Biology (2023)
- Tyler Flynn, Coordinator of Advising, Recruitment, and Retention
- Gwen Rogers, Operations Coordinator II
- Candece Stewart, Operations Assistant
- Lance SUllivan, Senior Laboratory Technician
- Adam Thebeau, Laboratory Technician