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In Brief

Sugaring Time Again; Former President Writes Autobiography; Alum Signs with Baseball Team; News from the Nursing and Business Administration Departments and more.

Making Their Mark

Learn about how our community members engage in writing, presentations and exhibitions.

Past as Prologue

Explore Haystack, a portal to the history of Colby-Sawyer College.

Colby-Sawyer Courier

Keep up with campus news from students' perspectives through the Colby-Sawyer Courier.

Solidus

This new literary magazine features creative writing in many genres by current students and alumni, faculty and staff, and a few friends and partners.

Q&Alumni

Find out what Colby-Sawyer alumni have been up to since graduation.

Currents: celebration of service

College Celebrates Service and Staff Employee of the Year

At the Celebration of Service, held Feb. 23, there were many cheers, laughs and stories shared. But, there was no waste. In the spirit of our strategic theme goal of Living Sustainably, the event was zero-waste.

Kelley Perron, administrative coordinator in the Baird Health and Counseling Center, was named the 2011 Staff Employee of the Year. Colby-Sawyer President Tom Galligan presented Kelley the award at a celebration that also recognized colleagues who had reached milestones in their careers at the college.

The Employee of the Year distinguishes the staff member who has made an outstanding contribution to enhancing or improving the institution through demonstrated integrity, resourcefulness and teamwork. There were 27 staff nominated by students, faculty and staff, and they included: Koreen Bennett, Wende Bohenko, Tara Lakeman, Heather Zahn, Maureen Connelly, Melanie Deshaies, Teresa Gallagher, Mike Gregory, Norma Haley, Jim Hanlon, Mike Heffernan, Cheryl Lawson, Donna Marszalkowski, Sue Maurer, Mary McLaughlin, Rachel Parsons, Kelley Perron, Scott Roy, Hilary Ryan, Kim Sauerwein, Kate Seamans, Kimberly Slover, Jen Smith, Sondra VanderPloeg, Harriette Yazzie-Whitcomb, Kristen West and Jen White.

A frequent nominee, Kelley was recognized as the sunshine and friendly face of Baird, the welcoming and calming presence who greets ailing or worried students. Kelley is an active member of Community Council, the Incident Response Team, the Student Health Insurance Selection Committee and Staff Council. Kelley frequently attends college sporting events, particularly volleyball, soccer and basketball. She participates in the Holiday Dinner Gala, and for Baird is involved with Emergency Preparedness, RA Training and the Student Activities Fair. Kelley has not only been instrumental in getting the Quad Squad programming going, she has been an active participant. President Galligan acknowledged that "as Colby-Sawyer grows, Kelley continues to provide the personal touch that is our hallmark."

Employees recognized for 5-years of service to Colby-Sawyer included Willie Bacote, Leigh Bears, Dexter Burley, Barbara Chadwick, Ewa Chrusciel, Mike Clark, Timothy Cook, Lisa Dupuis, Tom Galligan, Ray Juneau, James King, Nancy Kingsley, Chris Kubik, Ambrose Metzegen, Sharon Morse, Wendy Ordway, Tracia O'Shana, Hilary Ryan. As a gift, each received a Shaker box made at Canterbury Shaker Village.

Employees recognized for 10-years of service to Colby-Sawyer included Tracey Austin, Cindy Benson, Karen Bonewald, Allison Faccone, Teresa Gallagher, Lynn Garrioch, Rick Goerlitz, Joan Huber, Charlie Krajewski, Russ Medbery, Rachel Parsons, Paula Rowell, Kimberly Slover, Jennifer Smith, Renee Vebell, Kristen West, Peter White, and Ed Winters. President Tom Galligan spoke briefly about the honorees present, reminding colleagues of their many contributions to the college and community.

A friend or colleague was invited to speak about those who have been at Colby-Sawyer for 15 or more years. Jill Metsch was recognized by Karen Bonewald as kind, efficient and willing to take on any challenge. Robin Davis was honored for her dedication to Citizenship Education, but Dave Sauerwein reminded us of Robin's ability "to crack us up." Beth Crockford shared stories of friendship about honoree Randy Hanson, but not before teasing him about the casual tee-shirt he wore to the event. Randy's students have been known to find him walking the track, under the assumption Randy keeps office hours at Hogan. Mike Peirce, Bob Morse reminded us, is hard-working, dedicated and responsible for making so many of the events that we enjoy a success. Carrie Thomas was recognized for her work at our library by Ken Kochien, who shared her many community commitments as well, including to the Sutton library.

Twenty-year employee Ted Craigie, director of Financial Aid, was lauded for his devotion to students, a devotion that transcends waking hours. Greg Matthews revealed that Ted's amusing penchant for giving folks in his department nicknames suggests that Ted may not know his colleague's real names after all. Kerstin Stoedefalke, faculty in Exercise and Sport Sciences, was applauded by chair Russ Medbery for her commitment to her students and to wellness, and for her recent promotion to full professor awarded by the Board of Trustees last week. The opportunity to honor Bill Thomas, faculty in Natural Sciences, prompted colleague Nick Baer to skip out on his sabbatical to share a few historical references to drive home how different things were when Bill arrived in September 1991. He also thanked Bill for the conversation they had when Nick interviewed for being the reason he chose to work at Colby-Sawyer. Honoree Donna Berghorn could not attend, but was applauded for 20 years as faculty in Humanities.

Doug Atkins honored two colleagues who have each dedicated 25 to the College. Mike Heffernan, manager of Dining Services, never forgets a student's name, has never been seen without a smile on his face, and looks the same to Doug as the day he first stepped into Ware Campus Center in 1986. Deb McGrath, director of Athletics and alumna, has not missed few athletic contests in her quarter century at the college, and Doug shared that she was a passionate supporter of the student athletes and the programs. Margaret Wiley honored Humanities faculty Ann Page Stecker, thanking her for a treasured friendship and recognizing her as a gifted writer and teacher.

Pat Anderson took the stage to honor his colleague Janet Bliss, Social Sciences and Education faculty and Windy Hill School director. His tribute to Janet's 35 years was done in the spirit of the Oscar Awards, and so each film nominated was tied to Janet's accomplishments. Janet's gift for her long-time commitment was the colorful "Sunday Laundry" by student artist Stacy Hannings. President Galligan honored Deb Taylor, Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty, for her 35 years. He detailed Deb's many roles at the college, lauded Deb's devotion to everything and everyone she works with, and affectionately told Deb, "You are the greatest!" Deb was presented with the beautiful painting "Ocean Life" by student artist Kate Martin as a service award gift. Tom Galligan concluded the celebration with warm appreciation to all faculty and staff for "making our world, our community, a great place to learn, to live, to work, to teach."

-Kathleen Karr


Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with professional experience.

Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000