Dorang Peeler named 2019 Staff Excellence Award winner

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Stacey Lynn Dorang Peeler, managing director of the Penn State online MBA program in the Smeal College of Business, has been named the 2019 Staff Excellence Award winner.

Established in 1993, the award recognizes the consistently outstanding performance of a staff member who has demonstrated and practiced the philosophy of continuous quality improvement, team spirit, managerial excellence in the performance of assigned duties and leadership in establishing a quality service orientation, so as to benefit his or her unit and the University.

Colleagues said Dorang Peeler played a large role in the creation of the online MBA program that’s ranked in the top 10 in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report.

In its first year of launch, the program doubled enrollments and doubled the average post-undergraduate work experience of its students vs. its predecessor, the iMBA program.“It is almost unheard of for a master’s program of any type to double enrollment while dramatically increasing the quality of students,” a nominator said. “This dramatic success is due in large part to Stacey’s tireless efforts. If she was simply doing her job, the program would not have experienced this dramatic growth and success. She has gone above and beyond.”

Dorang Peeler’s accomplishments include:

• Building and managing an online MBA structure that includes three full-time employees;
• Suggesting and developing many program innovations such as the new program concentrations, optional global immersion experiences, optional leadership immersion experiences, student organizations and clubs, and alumni engagement opportunities; and
• Helping to develop residency programs that bring students on campus before entering the online program