Two members of the College of Information Sciences and Technology’s (IST) Division of Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR) were recently recognized for dedication to the DDAR and for their collaborative efforts with IST’s Startup Week 2015.
Joyce Matthews, director of development and alumni relations, was awarded this year’s Mentor Award for serving as a role model for others and for mentoring in traditional and non-traditional ways at all levels within the Division. In addition, she received a Teamwork and Collaboration Award, which was also presented to fellow DDAR staffer Maureen Kilian, director of major gifts, for their work on Startup Week.
The awards ceremony, held at the Nittany Lion Inn at the end of every academic year, hosted 350 members including development and alumni relations staff from campuses across Penn State, all of whom are eligible to nominate and receive the awards. Recipients are chosen by an award committee who review questions submitted by peer nominators. There is no limit to the number of nominees accepted for the awards, given to recognize and honor the hard work and dedication that recipients show for the DDAR every day.
For Matthews, a member of IST’s development team for five years, the Mentor Award is especially meaningful because it was bestowed by her peers. “It’s significant and inspiring to be honored in this way,” she said. “In Development we have a laser focus on metrics and results, but my focus is equally balanced on people, and being noticed for that means a great deal.”
Matthews, who was nominated by numerous coworkers, was acknowledged for “clearing barriers so that her team can achieve success,” Matthews said. “I’ve had the joy of watching the people I’ve hired grow into higher positions and into new careers, which has been very meaningful to me over the years.”
“This award recognizes individuals, units, or groups who embody and exemplify the DDAR core values of teamwork and collaboration, and seeks to acknowledge the efforts of either individuals or groups of staff members who, within and beyond the scope of their own jobs and areas of responsibility, work across functional lines to produce an outcome that could not have been achieved working individually,” said Patricia Brown of Penn State’s Alumni Association of the Teamwork and Collaboration award.
Kilian, who has worked in DDAR for eight years, said that IST is already committed to cross-college collaboration with events like tech fairs and the Idea Makers Challenge, so it was an easy transition to reach out to other colleges for Startup Week.
“We set our sights on spreading the word across the University, asking other colleges to help with the speakers,” Kilian said “because there are a lot of entrepreneurs to reach out to, and not just in IST.”
“Receiving this award is the recognition that we’re moving in the right direction,” said Kilian, “We’ve already started planning for next year, and we’re upping the bar.”
IST’s Startup Week 2016 takes place April 11-15. Learn more at http://startupweek.weebly.com/.