Outstanding staff honoured with presidential award

by Maria Lironi

Three individuals and an 11-member team have won the fourth annual President's Distinguished Service Awards. The awards were created in 2002 to honour the achievements of UVic's 4,000 staff members.

"This award recognizes UVic employees who go to great lengths to support faculty and students, and who help connect the university to the wider world," says President Dr. David Turpin. "They make UVic a great place to learn and work. What's more, their enthusiasm and commitment inspires us all."

Employees are nominated in two categories. The Award for Distinguished Service honours up to three employees for their contributions to the university's learning and working environment. The Team Award for Innovation goes to a team or group for innovations that improve an educational, administrative or organizational process.

This year, the selection committee received 15 nominations for the individual awards and two nominations for the team award. Each recipient received a framed certificate during a ceremony at the president's holiday reception in December.
The individual winners are Yousuf Ebrahim (biology), Rosemary Pulez (chemistry), and Terry Russell (earth and ocean sciences).

The team award goes to the student transition centre team, led by Sue Corner (student affairs). The core team members are Devin Arnold (student affairs), Tia Robertson (international and exchange student services), Anna Stein (resource centre for students with a disability), Sonya Chandler (family centre), Allison Gain (student transition centre), Linda Nicoll (alumni services), Jennifer Margison (career services), Tricia Best and Rita Knodel (counselling services), and Bruno Rocca (student recruitment).

Eleven people from several departments came together to help students make the transition from newbie to grad by forming the Student Transition Centre.

For UVic students who aren't sure who to ask, the centre is there to help. Officially launched in June 2005, the centre provides information and programs for UVic students to help their transition into the university and beyond.

"There's no question in my mind that this group provides an invaluable service not just to students but to the entire campus community," says graduate studies dean Dr. Aaron Devor. "Students who have had an effective orientation are better at their studies, require fewer remedial services from staff, and are able to make more significant contributions to campus life."

"Sue Corner and her team are creating a model of collaboration at UVic that fosters leadership and community, promotes social responsibility, positive values and sensitivity to diversity and creates invaluable connections between students, staff and faculty," says David Clode, executive director of student and ancillary services.

The centre is located in the SUB, room B010 and its drop-in hours are Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. For more information visit web.uvic.ca/transition/.

Ebrahim

Described by his colleagues as the "consummate educator and humanist," Yousuf Ebrahim has been a senior laboratory instructor in the biology department since 1974. He'll be retiring in 2006. However, during a time when many others might be content to coast or wind down, Ebrahim has been progressively escalating his efforts to enrich the education of undergraduates.

His contributions include: organizing and participating in field trips to the Bamfield Marine Science Centre; designing and teaching a popular continuing studies course that explores marine biology from a global perspective; spearheading the Malaysian Field School where UVic students spend six weeks learning about tropical biodiversity and field ecology; and acting as an undergraduate advisor in the biology department.

Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre's public education co-ordinator Anne Stewart was an undergraduate when she first met Ebrahim 30 years ago. "Like everyone else in the class I was inspired and intrigued by Yousuf's knowledge and ways of teaching," she recalls. "I was inspired through my contact with Yousuf to continue in marine studies. Now as a member of the centre's staff I, in turn, reach thousands of students each year. The ripple effect that Yousuf creates continues."

"Yousuf's passion for all things biological and his dedication to teaching are highly appreciated by both his students and the faculty," adds science dean Dr. Tom Pedersen. "It's a pleasure to have these qualities recognized by the university through this award."

Russell

Since its inception in 1991, the school of earth and ocean sciences (SEOS) has grown from a fledging department into a school with national prominence. Much of this growth has to do with the hard work and organizational skills of its administrative officer, Terry Russell. She has provided the operational framework to make it work, and to attract top researchers and funding.

"Achieving this goal would be difficult enough even if we were all housed under one roof," says SEOS professor Stephen Johnston. "Making this goal a reality given how our faculty, staff, students and facilities are distributed over half the campus is a true feat of organization."

SEOS faculty and students are commonly involved in shipboard investigations involving every ocean, mapping and sampling rocks on the ocean floor, and exploring mountain systems around the globe. Russell's administrative support makes these field-based research programs run smoothly and efficiently.

"When it comes to knowledge of the university system, Terry is the definitive source and always the first person to approach when questions arise," says SEOS senior laboratory instructor David Nelles.

Pulez

Rosemary Pulez is an administrative officer in the chemistry department. As part of the department's 40th anniversary in 2003, she organized a reunion of chemistry graduates. One of the first challenges was to develop contacts with chemistry alumni, and she conceived the idea of the Elements newsletter for chemistry grads.

Pulez developed content ideas, found contributors, assembled the newsletter and oversaw production and distribution. It's a role she continues to take as Elements currently reaches more than 700 chemistry alumni.

Her boundless energy and command of organizational details also made the reunion a "stunning success." In the midst of the reunion, the faculty of science held its very successful open house. Again Pulez played a central role in the planning and implementation of this community event.

"Rosemary's activities these past few years have done more to strengthen our ties to our people and community than at any other time I can recall in 35 years of association with this department," says Dr. Tom Fyles, chemistry chair. "Her dedication, energy and commitment produced the conditions to allow us to discover this for ourselves. It's a remarkable achievement."

"Rosemary is integrally responsible for maintaining and enhancing the sense of community within the chemistry department," adds graduate student Bryan Koivisto. "This sense of community has improved the quality of life and level of education within the department."