Faculty, Staff Recognized at 2016 Years of Service Luncheon
On May 25, Arcadia University celebrated the careers and achievements of faculty and staff at the annual Years of Service Luncheon. The following earned special recognition for their service to Arcadia.
30 Years of Service
- Kathy Anne Trainor, School of Education: “Kathy is a gifted educator and mentor. Her ability to connect with students and support them in their journey through Arcadia is amazing, and she cares deeply about her students and helps them grow into strong and thoughtful teachers.”
40 Years of Service
- Steven P. Gulkus, School of Education: “Steve is a thoughtful mentor and guide, who is always willing to listen and is generous with his time. [His colleagues] thank him for his sense of humor, his expert advice, and his tireless dedication to the School of Education.”
- Chester M. Mikulski, professor of Chemistry and Physics: In his 40 years at Arcadia, Chester has served as chair of the Chemistry and Physics Department, proposed the Master in Forensic Science program, and developed the Optometry program in partnership with Salus University. He has authored more than 170 articles, many in conjunction with student co-authors.
Retiring Faculty and Staff
- Barbara Erickson, administrative assistant for the Department of Biology (also recognized for 15 years of service): “Barbara has done an amazing job of managing the Biology Department, and we don’t know how the Department would function without her. Barbara can always be counted upon to make Department events extra special.”
- Ellen Lefebvre, cataloger and archive liaison of Landman Library: “Ellen’s exemplary work ethic is an example to all of us that being passionate about books, information, and access to resources is critically important in a University community. She has brought to the library what can only be described as an ethic of care. Her dedication to her job, her coworkers, and her family is apparent.”
- Jeffrey Shultz, professor of Education: “Jeff has always been at the lead of developing a culturally sensitive and responsive curriculum at Arcadia. [His colleagues] appreciate his kindness, generosity, wisdom, willingness to listen; and, of course, his deep knowledge of all things Phillies.”
- Donna Whitlock, media relations manager for University Relations (retired in August 2015): “Donna is irreplaceable and brings excitement and energy to the office each day. Her extensive knowledge of the University and its history is unmatched, and Donna was to thank for many expertly orchestrated Commencement ceremonies.”
Martha Washington Award
- Mike Saloma, athletic facilities and special events coordinator for Facilities and Capital Planning (winner): “Mike displays patience and kindness in every situation. While fitting 28 hours of work into a 24 hour day, he makes listening to his coworkers’ ideas, concerns, and questions a priority. Even if he’s organizing five separate events, setting up rooms, and working electric, Mike makes time to drive his golf cart with some of Arcadia’s most prestigious guests, offering information about the campus. Mike’s calmness and adaptability are among his greatest strengths. He regularly works seventy to eighty hour work weeks, without complaint. Even more amazing than his can-do attitude is the fact that his set-ups are correct to the last detail. He treats each event, regardless of size or matter, as the most important event of the day. With a smile and a hearty attitude, Mike gets the job done every time. He has a clear devotion to high quality work, attention to detail, and exceptional service. Mike is not only one of Arcadia’s most dedicated employees, but a true friend to all of his colleagues. Often welcoming new employees and visitors to campus, Mike makes his guests feel like part of the university community by offering help, advice, and a witty comment to make them laugh. His welcoming and pleasant attitude, continuous hard work, and contributions to the university community make him a perfect mentor to all Arcadia University staff.”
- Laura Baldwin, chief marketing and branding officer: “Inspire is an overused word, and it has become little more than a cliche these days. But the full definition of inspire, ‘to give someone an idea about what to create,’ ‘to cause something to happen or be created,’ and ‘to cause someone to have a feeling or emotion,’ perfectly captures the impact that Laura Baldwin has on people at Arcadia University. As Director of Marketing for The College of Global Studies and as Chief Marketing and Branding Officer for the University Relations department, Laura has used her expert design skills to redesign enrollment, alumni, and marketing publications, creating materials that have earned several industry awards. She was centrally involved in the University’s extensive website redesign project, plays a vital role in planning and implementing major events such as Commencement and Convocation, and even led the charge on redesigning the University’s mascot. Most recently, she has helped to take the marketing lead for the academic alliance with Global Pathways Institute in Mumbai, India, making multiple site visits, helping to redesign the GPI website, developing international marketing plans, and providing guidance and support to staff members in India. It is rare to work alongside someone as compassionate, considerate, dedicated, talented, productive, encouraging, positive, strong-willed, and caring as Laura. She’s a tremendous marketer of the University, and she’s an even greater representative of the University. Any college or organization around the world would be most fortunate to have someone like her.“
- Bruce Keller, associate dean of Undergraduate Studies: “Bruce’s colleagues know him as the ‘go-to-guy’ for information about academic matters pertaining to students. Working with multiple constituents outside of academic affairs—including enrollment management, student affairs, and athletics—Bruce has earned the respect of students, faculty, and staff. A few of the many tasks that Bruce undertakes with extraordinary competence and skill include overseeing the placement test and class scheduling for first-year students, organizing students for undergraduate commencement and honors convocation, and updating the undergraduate catalog. Bruce is one of the key staff liaisons to the Academic Committee of the Faculty Senate, a position that involves tracking course proposals, coordinating assignments for committee members, organizing the agenda, and conveying information and items for action to the Senate. In addition to caring for the needs of his students, Bruce has created an enjoyable work environment within his department. His door is always open, and he’s always ready to lend a helping hand. Bruce understands how Arcadia functions, and he uses this experience to improve the day-to-day working lives of hundreds of faculty and staff members with unparalleled integrity. In short, Bruce Keller is a fixture at Arcadia University. He is dedicated to his work, brings a range of knowledge about policies and practices to his job, and is a strong advocate for students and a careful guardian of academic processes.”
- Barbara Kulp, business manager for Information Technology: “In the Information Technology department, Barbara is known as someone people can count on to provide the information to support their individual and departmental needs. Combining excellent interpersonal skills with efficiency and intelligence, she goes the extra mile to assist users who face a time crunch, often sacrificing her personal time to meet short deadlines. In addition to her full time responsibilities for IT, Barb has taught many Arcadia undergraduates foundational computing skills in her “Computer as a Tool” class. Barb demonstrates a caring attitude when mentoring student workers, building relationships with students that last long after their work-study assignment has ended. She displays this same attitude when supporting her staff, maintaining an atmosphere of calm in the high-stress field of information technology. Despite the increasing role that IT plays on campus and beyond— and the resulting complexity of her responsibilities— Barb stays collected as she coordinates and keeps track various tasks, budgets, and equipment. Barbara is a knowledgeable and dedicated person who continually juggles responsibilities, ranging from managing the information technology budget to maintaining good relationships with vendors. Her constant good humor, paired with her finely honed sense of organization and commitment to excellence, keeps everyone moving. She provides outstanding support to the faculty and staff for their information technology needs.”
- Annie Merritt, assistant director of the English Language Institute: “In her interactions with students, faculty, and staff, Annie always adopts an encouraging, positive, and collaborative attitude, even in tense professional situations. Checking in with the ELI adjunct teachers daily, Annie ensures that students and faculty have what they need, determines whether or not there is coherence between lessons, and advises professors on how to handle difficult student problems, often negotiating between and problem-solving for students and teachers. Annie not only completes her job responsibilities, but spends considerable time helping students outside of regular business hours: coming in early, leaving late, and assisting students during her lunch hour and on the weekends. She counsels depressed students, tutors struggling ones, and comes to students’ aid during emergencies. Annie once drove to pick up a student who unexpectedly arrived from Korea on the weekend, took her food shopping, and delivered her to campus housing. On another occasion, she took a student from her class to the hospital when he was suffering from a painful skin malady well after business hours. Annie also plans and facilitates social activities for students outside of class time, encouraging them to interact with native speakers. She organized the Conversation Partner Network with students from the School of Education and Modern Languages, arranged volunteer tutors for ESL tutoring sessions, and facilitated trips to Center City and Morris Park Arboretum.”
- Gail Moser, graduate programs assistant for Enrollment Management: “Gail is meticulously detailed when entering information into Enrollment Management’s database, interpreting unclear degree program details and checking documents to make sure they are official and acceptable for Arcadia’s competitive graduate programs. Because Arcadia’s admissions requirements are different across departments, it takes an organized person to keep the information straight. Gail is so experienced and detail-oriented that she has been able to catch many discrepancies in applicants’ files. Gail rarely has to transfer calls for the graduate programs to counselors because she knows the programs so intimately herself. She has excellent relationships with the departments on campus that she works with, including our Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in English and Humanities, Master of Business Administration, Graduate Education, and Counseling programs. Prospective graduate students see Gail as a helping hand, and as the person they are frequently in touch with to make sure that their applications are complete. Campus event preparation and participation are other areas where Gail shines. She has to regularly track registration numbers for graduate events, prepare registration reports and specific paperwork, and send out confirmation communication to students. Her positive attitude, team spirit, accuracy, and ability to take on extra work all for the goal of bringing new incoming graduate students to Arcadia is how Gail contributes to the greater good of the Arcadia University community.”
- Cynthia Nichols, associate director of Career Education: “Cynthia’s guiding philosophy of ‘meeting each individual where they are’ makes her a remarkable educator, counselor, and mentor. She creates programming and career planning resources custom tailored to her audience, including class presentations, career and professional development expos, and marketing resources. Cynthia is always prepared to see tasks through to the end. Whether it’s a student who asks for an extra advising session or a coworker who needs help with a project, Cynthia is there to answer the call. No matter how large the task may seem, she is eager to break it down and create solutions. In addition to taking on new job responsibilities as the Associate Director of Career Education in 2015, Cynthia spent countless hours designing the Strategic Career Planning course. She ensured that career development learning objectives were achieved, and made certain that students walked away with a connection to her. She embodies the personalized attention for which Arcadia University is well known. Under her careful guidance, the Career Peer Adviser program has grown to help a large constituency that otherwise may have missed the wonderful opportunities that the Office of Career Education offers. In the last academic year, hundreds of students have had their resumes reviewed, received internship advice, and prepped for professional events. All of this was made possible by Cynthia’s dedication to bettering the Arcadia community.”
- Donna Smith, office systems coordinator for the Registrar’s Office: “Imbedded deep in Italian Renaissance culture is a famous and culturally rich term, sprezzatura, that denotes the grace with which practitioners of difficult and demanding arts make it ‘look easy’ to the rest of us, when in fact their apparent effortlessness is the fruit of long and careful cultivation. This is the term that Donna’s colleagues have used to describe her. Donna is known as the warm voice that people hear when they call the Registrar’s Office, and the kind face that greets students when they walk into the office. When a teary-eyed student asks to withdraw from a course, Donna doesn’t just hand them a form. She makes an effort to reassure them that a “W” isn’t the end of the world. In addition to her work in the office, Donna’s involvement in campus events makes them more enjoyable and festive. Her knowledge of what’s happening on campus is always accurate, not simply because she is a dedicated employee, but because she has a deep sense of loyalty to Arcadia. In fact, one of her proudest moments was when she and her husband received their Master’s degrees from Arcadia. Donna consistently and continuously provides aid to students, staff, and faculty despite her own personal challenges. Her good nature and even keel often keep her colleagues grounded, and inspire them to be more friendly.”
