Congratulations to this year’s recipient of the Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award, Lori Fischer! This award honors a support staff employee who goes “above and beyond” in their job at MSU while pursuing a graduate degree concurrent with their employment. Lori is the Director of Operations for the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She has been with MSU for 13 years and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Management, Strategy and Leadership from Michigan State University.

Lori’s leaders and colleagues have this to say about her:

“Lori’s commitment to her role as the Director of Operations at the Burgess Institute reflects the qualities embodied by Ms. Ruth Jameyson. Much like Ms. Jameyson, Lori has gone “above and beyond” in her duties, contributing significantly to the success and recognition of MSU’s entrepreneurship program. Under Lori’s leadership, the program has achieved remarkable milestones, including being recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the top 25 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship programs in the country.”

“For as long as I have known Lori, she has been an advocate for helping students in the state of Michigan gain access to opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial mindset. The opportunity to work directly with Lori is one of the reasons I joined the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at MSU.”

“Lori’s passion for supporting student venturers and fostering entrepreneurial education has had a profound impact on the entrepreneurial ecosystem at MSU and beyond. Lori has demonstrated a genuine concern for students both in and out of the classroom. Her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is evident through her initiatives at the Burgess Institute and her role on the Broad College’s Staff Leadership Committee’s Recognition Committee.”

Watch a video of Lori finding out she won the Ruth Jameyson Award below or on YouTube:

The Awards Ceremony

On May 13, Lori was honored at an awards ceremony at the Kellogg Center for the Ruth Jameyson, Jack Breslin and Gliozzo Clerical-Technical Award recipients. Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Christina K. Brogdon, Interim Executive Vice President for Administration, Thomas Glasmacher, and Award Selection Committee Chairman, Ray Gasser acknowledged Lori’s hard work and expressed their gratitude during the ceremony. A recording of the event is available below or on YouTube:

About the Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award

This annual award recognizes a support staff member who most closely exemplifies the contributions, personal characteristics, and commitment to MSU demonstrated by Ms. Jameyson, going “above and beyond” what is reasonably expected to support the mission of MSU. In recognition of Ms. Jameyson’s own pursuit of a graduate degree while working at MSU, the award recipient must be pursuing a graduate degree at MSU or elsewhere concurrent with their employment at MSU.

Ms. Ruth Jameyson, who died in 2007 at the age of 100 years, served as the secretary to MSU President Robert S. Shaw from 1938 to 1941 and secretary/administrative assistant to President John A. Hannah from 1941 to 1969. She served as both greeter and gatekeeper to the numerous students, faculty and staff seeking to meet Dr. Hannah, as well as dignitaries from around the globe. Ms. Jameyson accepted roles and responsibilities far beyond her formal job description. Having arrived in Lansing with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Coe College, Iowa, Ms. Jameyson pursued a master’s degree in economics at MSU while working full-time.

This award has been created and funded by friends of Ruth Jameyson; Barbara Sawyer-Koch, MSU trustee emerita, and Donald F. Koch, MSU professor emeritus.

All photo credits: Dane Robison/TimeFramePhoto
All video credit: Cheeney Media Concepts