Staff and Faculty celebrate at the employee recognition event

Employee Recognition

We see evidence of our employees doing extraordinary things every day. Share your appreciation for the people who make our College special.

Employee Recognition Awards

Do you have a colleague who brightens your day? Are you bursting with appreciation for someone who goes above and beyond? LET THEM KNOW!

You will now find Appreciation Stations across campus with notecards and a few fun flourishes to show your gratitude. Use these materials to write a note of thanks to interoffice mail to colleagues. For remote employees, write their name on the envelope and interoffice mail it to the People Center for addressing and mailing.

Appreciation Station Locations:

  • Perry Hall Mailroom (located near Compass)
  • Freeman Hall President’s Office
  • Library Front desk
  • Lakeside 3rd Floor Mailroom

2024 Employee Shout-Outs

A simple gesture can brighten up someone’s day. Giving a shout-out is a great way to recognize your peers for their work, talent, and living our institutional values, and to contribute to a culture of appreciation, community, and kindness.

    • Sean Callanan, Media Services: Huge thanks to Sean for his tech support at Staff Council Meetings this year! No matter what unexpected things happen, Sean swoops in with the solution and keeps the show running smoothly!
    • The Staff Council Executive Committee: Kelsey O’Connor, Cory Davis, Ptarmigan Abbott, Emily Rudolph, Kyra Yu, Anthony Rivers, Melina del Castillo, Kevin Duerr, Alex Martin, Carrie Honeman, and Leslie Van Wagner: Thank you to all of you for stepping up to serve our community this year, and for everything you have done to keep our colleagues informed and connected, and to keep things fun!
    • Josh Blumberg, Center for Learning & Teaching: Your expertise with the Canvas LMS both under the hood and above the hood is greatly valued within eLearning. First, you brought to the entire Canvas InstructureCon Community the Analysis Tool and now your skill with crafting scripts is enhancing the efficiency of our production cycle again, and frankly, maintaining our sanity, is truly appreciated. Thank you for your unwavering and invaluable assistance to CCO eLearning.
    • Jenn Stockwell, Registrar: Thank you for all your amazing work completing Credit Evaluations for our incoming Transfer students!
    • Grounds Team, Physical Plant: A big shout out to Conor, Josh and Luis. Campus looks amazing !! Thank you for your hard work.
    • Ezra Demers, CCO: Ezra, you are AMAZING! Always willing to help, and so fast to get things done. And when you can’t help, you are always quick to say why and to offer an alternative. I can honestly say that CCO is soooo lucky to have you, and I look forward to many more years of working with you.
    • Housing & Res Life Team: Thank you to the Housing & Res Life team for managing returning student room selection! We appreciate all your hard work, responses to students, and efforts to make the process as smooth as possible.
    • Marcelle Langan: In a time of moving pieces, thanks for endeavoring to be a constant, bridging so many gaps. A shout out for constantly supporting staff under your supervision, implementing strategies from above you, and collaborating with clients from across the campus–360 degrees of constant service to your colleagues and to the College.
    • Robin Gronlund: Thank you for being a strong partner and advocate as CCO evolves its visual identity and brand position!
    • Liza Geduldig: For stepping in and stepping up in a big way to support Admitted Student Weekend! Seemingly overnight, Liza learned the ins and outs of the event and meticulously managed a million moving parts. From organizing schedules and speakers to sprucing up our spaces, solving last minute staffing needs, and writing remarks, Liza was a leader in every way. Thank you for helping us shine bright, Liza! We can’t wait to see more of your magic April 12 & 13.
    • Conor O’Brien, Tim Van Woert, Josh Corrow, Darrin Pillsbury, Spencer Clark, Ryan Crowley, and Joey Conti: HUGE shout out to our amazing Physical Plant team who came in on Saturday to clear the snow for our ASD guests, faculty, staff, and students. They worked around the clock to be sure our entire campus was safe by clearing walkways, the courtyard, and all of the stairways, as well as helping the Event Center monitor the CCM terrace tent! They are hard-working, dedicated, and caring folks who do incredible work behind the scenes. THANK YOU for all you do!
    • Megan Everts: For always providing sweet treats to the campus community!
    • Jennifer Gingras-Green, Abraham Rogers, and Darrin Pillsbury: Thank you to Jenn, Abe, and Darrin for their prompt assistance with a new office door lock! Additional thanks to Jenn for separate assistance with a malfunctioning classroom door!
    • Champ Support: A big thanks to the Champ Support crew for their prompt assistance in setting up the new ITS adjunct office!
    • Jean-Marie Severance, Kellie Nadeau, and Carrie Honeman: A huge shout out to Jean-Marie, Kellie, and Carrie for their help wrangling the temperamental Joyce copier!
    • Susannah Eriksson: Susannah always gives stellar support in ITS, but she recently went far above and beyond in facilitating the ITS adjunct office move on short notice! The ITS Division truly would not function without her!
    • Housing & Res Life: Thank you to Housing & Res Life for managing student housing applications. This is a busy time of year as we approach fall housing selection. Your work is important, and certainly not easy! Thank you for supporting students.
    • Kyra Yu: THANK YOU Kyra for being one of the hardest workers on this campus and always doing it with a smile and stellar attitude. Last minute room flips … no problem! Incorrect room flips .. no problem! Room availability … no problem! Double booking … no problem! Lost items .. no problem! Get where we’re going here? You name it and Kyra is out there working like crazy to help meet our needs on a daily basis. Kudos to you Kyra … and thank you from the Core Division!
    • Sage King: Finishing the staff migration to Zoom Phone and going the extra mile in doing so.
    • Susan Adkins, Librarian Extraordinaire: If there were a prize for the hardest-working and funniest, most self-deprecating librarian, it would go to Susan Adkins. Susan has had many roles over the years at the Library, and in every single one, she has put people at the center. Colleagues, student workers, students, and community members all come first with Susan. She loves to help people, and she loves a good puzzle. Shout out to Susan for being the G.O.A.T. today and every day.
    • Lori Berthiaume: Thank you so much for being such a delight on campus. You always have a smile and are an amazing co-worker.
    • Jennifer Gingras-Green: Thank you so much for your assistance the other day. It was such a reassurance knowing you were there to help us in our time of need. You rock and keep up the great work.
    • Tara Arneson: Thank you so much for your assistance in our recent time of trouble. It is great knowing we have an awesome team of support around us.
    • Nicholas Szumowski, Kaitie Catanie, Amanda Anderson, Danni Johnson, Alyssa Fabrizio: For their ROLES in the import project. Their AREAS OF EXPERTISE and MAJOR contribution of time made it possible. I will not HIDE my gratitude. Therefore, I bestow this DISTINCTION nay AWARD in this fine PUBLICATION to SHOW my appreciation even if it may seem ABSTRACT to some (and is definitely not within 100 characters or less). IYKYK
    • Anne Allen and Susan Paquette: A massive shout out and heartfelt thank you to Anne and Susan for their incredible dedication and hard work on production and quality control for our online courses. Their attention to detail, tireless efforts, and commitment to excellence have been instrumental in ensuring that our courses meet the highest standards. The value they bring to our students is immeasurable, as their work directly impacts the learning experience and success of those who take our courses.
    • Alex, Kevin, and the Staff Networking Committee: Thank you for organizing a fun, festive, and cozy share the love and leap year event! It absolutely made my day.
    • Danielle L’Esperance: Thank you for making ADORABLE frog cupcakes for your colleagues! You are so generous and kind.
    • Cullen Bostock: Thank you Cullen for courageously jumping into the scary world of Financial Aid reporting. Without your help we would not have been able to submit our IPEDS Financial Aid component and provide other Financial Aid stats to various areas. Thank you for filling in that gap so graciously!
    • Sarah Camille Wilson: Sarah Camille can always be counted on for support and troubleshooting. Her willingness to help make everyone’s life easier is much appreciated!
    • Susannah Eriksson, Annika Hawkins-Hilke, Jean-Marie Severance, Cory Davis, Colette Penniello, Michelle Holtkamp, Josh Blumberg, Kellie Nadeau, Pat Boera, Holly Francis, Ptarmigan Abbott, Susan Adkins, Natasha Murray: Thank you for volunteering at the Lemonade Stand the first week of the spring semester. Your enthusiasm for our students is truly inspiring!
    • James Gebo: A big thank you to James for coming to the rescue at the library when campus was closed on MLK day!
    • Carrie Honeman and Leslie Van Wagner: A huge shoutout and thank you to Carrie and Leslie for their leadership of the Staff Welfare Committee. It’s been a busy month for the committee, and Carrie and Leslie are always thoughtful and principled in their leadership, making sure to include all voices and getting things done!
    • Sarah Moore: A big thank you to Sarah for giving a wonderful presentation on resume writing for student workers in the MIC, and for giving such great answers to all the questions!
    • Melissa Rosenberg: Thank you for being amazing. We are so blessed to have you with us.
    • Melina Del Castillo: Thank you for all your help with the Day of Thanks video shoot. We are so grateful.
    • Tyler Dion: Thank you for helping with the Day of Thanks Video. We appreciate you!
    • April Mentzer, Skip Harris, Adrienne Phillips: A huge shout-out to April for crafting and guiding a debrief and reflection for the Library and SMART Space student workers after they completed the Kognito training. We’re so grateful to you, April! And thank you for Skip and Adrienne for guiding the small group discussions. The students are so lucky to have such a kind and thoughtful counseling center team to support them!
    • Katie Mumbauer: Katie your sense of humor coupled with your ability to dive in and work through a time consuming and tedious process of getting things ready for 2024/25 financial aid year has kept me motivated and moving forward. Thank you for patiently listening to me “think” out loud! Couldn’t ask for a better teammate to work through this process especially when it is already mid February and we still don’t know what the final federal update will be!!
    • Jimena Huaco: Congratulations to Jimena Huaco for completing the both College Fact Book and the IPEDS winter submission this month. (Look for the Fact Book on the College website to find out everything you need to know–almost–about Champlain!) Jimena does amazing work as our resident Institutional Research expert and IPEDS Key Holder. Being an institution’s IPEDS Key Holder is a huge responsibility and is vital to the College. So, when you see her, thank Jimena for helping keep us in compliance with the Feds!
    • Rachel Lavallee: When I think of Champlain employees who quietly triage, manage, and resolve varied and vast concerns and challenges throughout their work, I think of Rachel Lavallee. Rachel is an indispensable part of the Student Affairs team with her knowledge of how to get things done, a memory that helps keep so many others on track, matched with a humble demeanor that is rare for someone who is so effective, friendly, efficient, and thoughtful in their work. Student Affairs, and Champlain, are better because of Rachel and hopefully she enjoys this small bit of gratitude; thanks Rachel!
    • Sage King: Throughout the process of transitioning the Library phone lines to zoom phone, Sage has been helpful, accommodating, and super responsive. Thank you, Sage!
    • Joseph Conti: Thank you to Joey for his outstanding and reliable help in getting faculty offices moved around just as the semester started. I can always count on Physical Plant to get the job done and I remain grateful.
    • Jason Trahan: Many thanks to Jason Trahan in Marketing for his beautiful redesign of the CCM Honors Poster. I’m so proud to hang this in our hallways.
    • Champlain College Public Safety, and Melissa McDuffie: Thank you so much to Public Safety for their quick response to a distress call by a community member. Thank you so much to Melissa McDuffie for covering a community member with warm blankets during the short wait for the arrival of Public Safety.
    • Kim Moran: Kim is such a delight to work with! Today I had a whole slew of questions around different aspects of student hiring and budgeting, and a rush hiring request. Kim talked through everything with me with patience and kindness, and she asked great questions to bring issues I wasn’t aware to my attention, and made sure those issues were resolved. Thank you, Kim!
    • Donna Swartwout: Thank you to Donna for assisting the Office of Accessibility as we begin the spring semester. Your work and outreach to students is greatly appreciated!
    • Zach Harrison and David Boyle: Thank you to Zach Harrison and David Boyle who shoveled snow outside and around Skiff Hall on Monday morning. Many of the Physical Plant staff were out sick and these two folks saw a need and picked up a shovel and got to work. Thank you for your efforts!
    • Matt Farnham and Josh Corrow: Thank you Matt and Josh for helping to put up and take down holiday decorations at Sears Lane! We had a festive office and I greatly appreciate you!
    • John Earp: John is extremely helpful and responsive with special requests for new hires and e-mail account creation. When special circumstances arise, and even if he isn’t the “point person,” he always responds quickly and will direct me to the right person. During heavy hiring periods, it is good to know that someone is on the other end ready and willing to help in whatever way he can. Thank you, John, for all that you do!
    • Ed Schlak: Even with the hundreds of packages that flow through the mail room on a daily basis, Ed did not hesitate to help me with a special request. Thank you, Ed!
    • Professor Mike Kelly & Professor Brian Hall: Thank you so much for acting in the SMART Space’s new film cliips! We really appreciate you partnering with us to create these tips and tricks. We can’t wait to see them during Student Success Week in January.

Spot Award

The Spot Award is presented to Faculty and Staff by their manager for work that goes above and beyond. Awards are a $50 gift card. Managers are expected to use discretion and judgment. Not all employees will receive one/more per year. To nominate someone please complete the form.

Here are some examples of the reasons Spot Award winners have been nominated:

  • Creating an innovative solution to improve a process
  • Taking the lead to implement an idea
  • Volunteering to take the lead on a project
  • Going the extra mile in customer service to help someone in the Champlain Community or an external customer
  • Working beyond normal hours on a project
  • Leading a community service project for employees and co-workers
  • Take on a leadership role in a campus group such as staff council, campus committee

Nominate an Employee

Awards & Recognition from Around Campus

Each year, Staff Council calls for nominations for our Staff Council Award, and presents the award to one well-deserving Champlain staff member who is actively engaged in making Champlain College a great place to work.

Staff Council Award

Edward Phelps Lyman Professorship
The Edward Phelps Lyman Professorship Award is given to a full-time faculty member dedicated to teaching and service at Champlain College.

Francine Page Excellence in Teaching Award
The Francine Page Excellence in Teach Award is for an adjunct faculty member who shows dedication to students and the mission of Champlain College through excellent teaching.

Academic Innovation Award
Established in 2022, the Academic Innovation Award spotlights individuals and teams whose collaboration, inventiveness, and hard work exemplify academic innovation at Champlain.

Faculty Emeritus
Faculty Emeritus status honors retired faculty who made a commitment to Champlain College in multiple roles.

Academic Affairs Awards & Recognitions
  • Student Support Award

    Students nominate a staff member who has gone above and beyond to make a positive impact on their experience at Champlain. This recognition is specifically for staff members engaging with students outside the classroom. Faculty members in dual staff roles are also eligible.

    The 2024 Student Support Award winner is Emily Merrill!

  • Rising Star Award

    This award is presented to an individual who has worked at the college for less than two years and has had a significant influence on our community. Criteria considers innovation, collaboration, positive impact on others, and enthusiasm for Champlain.

    The 2024 Rising Star Award winner is Melina del Castillo!

  • Elizabeth A. Durick Staff Service Award

    The Elizabeth A. Durick Staff Service Award is intended to recognize a staff member who has had a positive impact on the College community. This honor, to be awarded every year, is named in honor of the late Elizabeth Durick, who was an exemplary staff member.

    The 2024 Elizabeth A. Durick Staff Service Award winner is Lyle King!

Years of Service Recognition

Staff and Faculty who have committed 5, 10 or 15 years of service at Champlain College are recognized at the annual employee recognition event.

Staff and Faculty who have committed 20 years of service to Champlain College are recognized at the annual employee recognition event and receive an engraved College Chair or Table.

Staff and Faculty who have committed 25, 30, 35 or 40 years of service at Champlain College are recognized at the annual employee recognition event and are awarded a monetary amount dependent on their years of service.

2024

  • Madison West
    Sarah Calnan
    Spencer Clark
    Celia Dehais
    Bethany Dietrich
    Silas Farrar
    Erin Ferrara
    Lida Kazemi Ghamsari
    Danielle L’Esperance
    James Lang
    Hannah Marton
    Elizabeth McAllister
    Christopher Mendenhall
    Kaelyn Murray
    Adrienne Phillips Luhr
    Kimberly Quinn
    Emily Rudolph
    Megan Sheldon
    Tanya Lee Stone
    Kaylee Sullivan
    Rebecca Swem
    Leslie Van Wagner
    Timothy Van Woert
    Susan Waryck
    Gary Washburn

  • Nicholas Anderson
    Tara Arneson
    Cullen Bostock
    James Clere
    Regina Farrell
    Cooper Fellows
    Barbara Colombo
    Annika Hawkins-Hilke
    Jimena Huaco
    Heidi Lebrun
    Keith Oppenheim
    Kerry Shackett
    John Ware

  • Jason Cone
    Joshua Corrow
    Parthiv Patel
    Theodore Winokur

  • Leslie Averill
    Julie Eldred
    Kelly Thomas
    Ellen Zeman

  • None

  • Wayne Buttles
    Bridget Calacci
    James Ellefson
    Jennifer Perlee

  • None