Three Cameron employees have been honored with the university’s Staff Awards for Excellence. Tom Arnold, Sarah Frederick and Mary Pettit are the recipients. Nominations were made by CU students, faculty and staff. In order to be eligible, nominees must have been employed full-time at Cameron for at least one year.
Staff Award for Excellence in Campus Stewardship: Tom Arnold
The Staff Award for Excellence in Campus Stewardship recognizes significant contributions to the campus community. Arnold, who operates the university farm utilized by the agriculture program, is responsible for managing and maintaining livestock, pastureland, crops and the community garden.
“These duties and responsibilities keep Tom on-call essentially 24/7, because as any farmer will tell you, farms do not take vacations,” the nominator wrote. The nomination cites the countless hours that Arnold spends helping agriculture faculty and students with research preparation and progress as well as his commitment to improving farm infrastructure and processes.
“He has worked diligently to improve range quality and the health of our farm,” the nominator says. “Though he is behind the scenes most of the time, his actions, which go well beyond his mandatory duties, impact every student pursuing an agriculture degree at Cameron University, honoring our agricultural heritage and ensuring a strong agriculture future.”
Staff Award for Excellence in Student Success: Sarah Frederick
The Staff Award for Excellence in Student Success recognizes a staff member who promotes a student-centered environment. Frederick, a CU alumna who serves as the accounts receivable supervisor in the Office of Business and Finance, was honored with the award.
The nominator wrote, “Sarah assists students who are trying to enroll for various reasons. Most people owe money or have made mistakes in their career. She reaches across campus, working with several departments to help make enrollment possible. This not only helps Cameron, but it helps students who sometimes need a second chance. She is hard working and very pro-Cameron.”
Staff Award for Excellence in Service: Mary Pettit
The Staff Award for Excellence in Service recognizes exemplary contributions in the area of campus or community service. Mary Pettit, technician in the Department of Agriculture, Biology and Health Sciences, is responsible for maintaining a wide variety of equipment, coordinating services with external vendors and internal departments, and the hiring and training of student workers. Her job requires specialized knowledge in biology, chemistry, and personnel management.
One nominator wrote, “Though not her primary task, in completing her long lists of assignments that keep some of the largest labs on campus going, she becomes a mentor to the students she supervises and trains. She has also been phenomenal in collaborating with the Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering and Great Plains Technical Center.”
The Cameron University Staff Awards were created during the Fall 2014 semester at the recommendation of Cameron’s Staff Advisory Council.
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