Nominate a Deserving Support Staff Employee for one of these Prestigious Awards!

We are excited to be seeking nominations for three prestigious awards available to support staff: the Gliozzo Clerical-Technical Recognition, Ruth Jameyson Above and Beyond, and Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff awards!

All award nominations are due Friday, November 8, 2024.

Gliozzo Clerical-Technical Award

The Clerical-Technical Recognition Award is presented annually to a Michigan State University support staff member performing Clerical-Technical duties. The recipient is selected from nominations received by the CT Recognition Award Selection Committee. The award is sponsored by the Thomas and Concettina Gliozzo Endowment Fund to recognize outstanding MSU Clerical-Technical employees. Last year’s recipient was Meg Quine, Office Coordinator in the MSU Alumni Office. Learn more about the award on the web page, Clerical-Technical Recognition Award.

To nominate an employee, complete the nomination form and return to serviceawards@hr.msu.edu by November 8. 

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 in supporting 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. Last year’s recipient was Lori Fischer, Director of Operations for the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Learn more about the award on the web page, Ruth Jameyson Above and Beyond Award.

To nominate an employee, complete the nomination form and return to Ray Gasser at gasserra@msu.edu by November 8.

Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award

This award is presented annually to six university support staff members selected by the Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award Selection Committee. The award is named in honor of Jack Breslin, who served Michigan State University as a student leader, honored athlete, top administrator and steadfast advocate. Criteria for selection of recipients include overall excellence in job performance, supportive attitude and contributions to the unit or university that lead to improved efficiency or effectiveness, and valuable service to the university. Last year’s recipients were Jesse Alvarez, Ken Beer, Sarah Evans-Cain, Mark Fellows, Amanda Goll, and Darwin Meirndorf. Learn more about the award on the web page, Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award.

To nominate an employee, complete the nomination form and return to serviceawards@hr.msu.edu by November 8. 

We appreciate your time and effort in submitting a nomination for this year’s awards. The awards committees look forward to learning about these outstanding employees!

Congratulations to Lori Fischer, the 2024 Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award Recipient!

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

Congratulations to Sarah Ellis, the 2023 Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award Recipient!

Congratulations to this year’s winner of the Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” Award, Sarah Ellis! 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. Sarah is the Admissions and Academic Services Manager for the Eli Broad College of Business MBA Program. She has been with MSU for 6 years and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Customer Experience Management from Michigan State University.

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

“Sarah is a talented, dedicated, and thoughtful team member, who consistently goes above and beyond to help students, colleagues, faculty, and staff both in her unit and across campus. She is known as a reliable, highly competent professional who is patient, kind, organized, and reliable. Sarah can always be counted on to do her job with effective excellence.”

“There is no better example of Sarah’s ‘above and beyond’ approach than the work she did to support our students, staff, and faculty during COVID. She coordinated multiple, diverse tasks while we were constantly shifting and adjusting our work as circumstances warranted. Sarah was a key ingredient to our ability to be successful.”

“Sarah is ultimately responsible for elevating all our internal processes, and our outward-facing communications, events, and corporate relationships—beyond the highest of MSU’s standards. Her time in the EMBA program has resulted in consistent climbs in our rankings and uncountable word-of-mouth referrals. I cannot imagine a more deserving leader at MSU than Sarah Ellis for this award, and I would love to see the recognition that all her long hours have contributed towards.”

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

The Awards Ceremony

Thank you to photographer Dane Robison for taking beautiful photos during the ceremony! All photo credits: Dane Robison/TimeFramePhoto

On May 15, Sarah was honored at an awards ceremony at the Kellogg Center for the Ruth Jameyson and Jack Breslin award winners. MSU Interim President, Teresa K. Woodruff, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Christina K. Brogdon, Executive Vice President for Administration, Melissa Woo, and Award Selection Committee Chairman, Ray Gasser acknowledged Sarah’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.

Thank you to Cheeney Media Concepts for all video recordings. All video credit: cmc2.tv