UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Michael J. Gilpatrick, director of planning and institutional management in Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, has been honored with the 2016 Award for Administrative Excellence.
The award, established in 1970, is given to a faculty or staff member whose performance, methods and achievements exemplify the highest standards of administrative excellence.
Penn State is using technology to streamline a host of tasks and Gilpatrick is leading the charge. He uses his expert computing skills to both simplify and advance a wide range of tasks including digitizing university records, updating courses and recruiting and assisting students, said a nominator.
His office was one of the first to use an imaging system for records storage, a task being duplicated across the University.
When working in the Advising Center, he helped design and manage a series of advising tools and guides for the staff to assist in managing more than 5,000 students.
In the Smeal College of Business, where Gilpatrick has worked for 15 years, he helped develop a set of new certificates and specialized masters programs. The changes mean more students are able to take advantage of the college’s business education offerings.
“Mike (Gilpatrick) is an expert on the process for initiating new programs,” said a colleague. “He is an expert in the process flow — who gets what, and when they get it — timelines, approvals and so on. He was invaluable in helping us with the process for getting approval and for implementing the Smeal College of Business Fundamentals Certificate.”
Gilpatrick also helped the college track, troubleshoot and accommodate an instance when a large influx of juniors entered heavy major-specific course schedules. Additionally, he strengthened the data available for administrators.
A colleague said Gilpatrick “goes the extra mile to get the ‘why’ in addition to the ‘what,’ ” adding that he “played essential roles in moving new programs toward reality.”