Charles Tate

Congratulations to Charles Tate, Student Success Coordinator, who has been selected as the Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of October. A parking spot of his choosing has been reserved for him through the end of the month.

Here is what a coworker said about him:

“Charles is such a great advocate for our students, always putting their needs before anything else.  As Student Success Coordinator, Charles has openly stated that he believes that the university has a duty to support their students from pre-admission advising through graduation – and his actions reveal this philosophy so well.

The Office of Academic and Career Services is very fortunate to have Charles on their team!”

To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, send an email to Priscilla Sullivan (psulliva@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the subject line. In your email, be sure to list the person’s name, department, job title, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized. Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).

You may now also go to the Staff Advisory Council’s site and click on the Excellent Eagle tab to make a nomination:  http://sac.umwblogs.org/excellent-eagle/.

Congratulations to Connie Dowell, coordinator for the Stafford Campus Writing Center, who has been selected as the Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of June. A parking spot of her choosing has been reserved for her through the end of the month.

Here is what a co-worker said about her:

“Connie Dowell is the coordinator for the Stafford Campus Writing Center. Although Connie is located out on Stafford away from the main campus, she takes her job as seriously as if she were seeing 300 students a day. Connie adores the students at Stafford and works to ensure their writing needs are met. Moreover, Connie works hard to build bridges and relationships with the other departments and services around the writing center in an effort to ensure that students receive the assistance, support, and encouragement they so deserve.

Connie coordinates workshops for students such as APA Bootcamp and works with the library to ensure students have opportunities to master APA citation style. Importantly, Connie listens. She is truly concerned about what students say they need from their experiences at UMW and works hard to provide them with the skills and support the wriitng center can offer. Any student to whom I have spoken who has worked with Connie always echoes the same sentiment in a variety of ways: She was patient, kind, and brilliant.

Those who know Connie would describe her as quiet, but we have all heard the cliché that still waters run deep. Connie is truly a content person absorbed in thought most days. It would be a mistake to construe her quiet as aloofness. Rather, the opposite is true. Connie illustrates what Mother Teresa described as practicing humility: ‘To speak as little as possible of one’s self.  To pass over the mistakes of others. To be kind and gentle even under provocation.’ Connie is truly a humble employee who works tirelessly to assist students; she endeavors to gain as much wisdom as possible. She even works in her spare time to publish a book on composition in universities as well as keeping up a blog for which she writes and illustrates.

Connie never ceases to amaze me. She has amazing hobbies. One day she simply brought everyone some hot peppers she had been growing at home. She and her husband hiked in Alaska for their honeymoon. She decorates cakes for people who want them. Connie knits. Who knows what else she does! As Silent Bob says in Chasing Amy, “What you don’t know about [Connie] could just about fill the Grand Canyon.”  Indeed she is a source of order, dependability, knowledge, friendship, and support..” 

To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, send an email to Priscilla Sullivan (psulliva@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the subject line.  In your email, be sure to list the person’s name, department, job title, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized. Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).

You may now go to the Staff Advisory Council’s site and click on the Excellent Eagle tab to make a nomination:  http://sac.umwblogs.org/excellent-eagle/.

Amanda Rutstein

Congratulations to Amanda Rutstein, coordinator at the Fredericksburg Writing Center  and adjunct English instructor, who has been selected as the Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of May. A parking spot of her choosing has been reserved for her through the end of the month.

Here is what a coworker said about her:

“Amanda has been working at UMW for almost three years now. She is a graduate of UMW and went on to UNC Greensboro for her MFA. She loved the university so much, she wanted to come back and contribute to the atmosphere of dedication and hard work UMW is known for.

Amanda now works as the Coordinator for the Writing Center on the Fredericksburg campus. Amanda manages all the tutors’ work schedules, time sheets, scheduling student appointments, records for the visits the Writing Center has, planning events, and so forth. This is merely her required activities. Amanda goes above and beyond her job description every day. She arrives early almost every day to ensure that everything is set up for the busy day ahead. She also volunteers to assist the tutors with their own writing, and many students come by just to have her read their poetry and provide feedback. Moreover, Amanda goes out of her way to be kind and accommodating to all she encounters during the day. For instance, she always remembers what is going on in peoples’ lives and asks them how a particular event went or how a paper turned out.

To beat it all, Amanda is a funny and genuine person. She is always making us laugh with her quick wit and humor. She always makes the day fly by. No matter how busy or frustrating a day may get, we all can count on Amanda to make us laugh hysterically. We are constantly afraid we will lose her to a job at some great, funny online website or blog such as Jezebel. With any luck, she will remain with us for many years to come as she makes certain the writing center is running well all the while making it look easy. She EVEN makes me look organized–a feet unto itself!

Amanda genuinely cares about the university and wants to see it maintain the spark that first captured her heart when she was in high school looking for her perfect university. Every day, she gives the university all she has to ensure students currently enrolled have the wonderful experience she had. Amanda truly exemplifies what it means to be a an excellent eagle employee.”

To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, send an email to Priscilla Sullivan (psulliva@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the subject line.  In your email, be sure to list the person’s name, department, job title, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized. Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).

You may now go to the Staff Advisory Council’s site and click on the Excellent Eagle tab to make a nomination:  http://sac.umwblogs.org/excellent-eagle/.