By Kasie Von Haden
Lumen Editor
The 2012 Rose Awards ceremony was held on Thursday, May 3 in the Recital Hall. Faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the work of professors, advisors, and employees of the University. In total, 19 awards were distributed in recognition of individuals’ talent and contributions to the university.
Rochelle Brooks, associate professor of business, received this year’s Teacher of the Year Award.
Help Desk Service Coordinator Chad Gilbeck received this year’s Employee of the Year Award.
The Alec Chiu Memorial Award was given to Mary Ellen Haupert, associate professor of music. The Alec Chiu Memorial Award is given to a faculty member to recognize his or her efforts to engage students in scholarly activities.
The award for Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Adviser Award was given to Melissa Growt, an academic counselor in the Academic
Resource Center. Betty Pfaff, coordinator of the teacher licensure program, received the award for Outstanding Graduate Academic Adviser.
The Sister Helen Elsbernd Dinstinguished Service Award was given to Michael Smuksta, associate professor of history.
Jan Janiszewski, associate professor of business, was presented with the Finucan Exemplar of Mission Award. The Pax et Bonum (Peace and All Good) Award was given to the Custodial Staff.
Several awards were also distributed to adjunct faculty of Viterbo. These were presented to Marsha Kurth in the Center for Adult Learning, Kristine Gerke in the Dahl School of Business, Susan Johnson in the School of Letters and Sciences, Jennifer Slusser in the School of Education, Donna Ferry in the School of Nursing, and Jen Brown in the School of Fine Arts.
Servant Leader Awards were also given to several members of the Viterbo community: Custodial Services Supervisor Greg Erpenbach, Registrar Amy Gleason, School of Fine Arts Administrative Assistant Susan Hauser, Professor of biology Ward Jones, and Associate Professor of English Rolf Samuels.
Descriptions of the awards can be found at www.viterbo.edu/awards.
The following are excerpts from nomination forms for some of the winners:
Teacher of the Year, Rochelle Brooks (Began employment Aug. 21, 1998)
“Out of all of the courses that I’ve taken online, Rochelle, by far, was the best teacher that I’ve had. She is extremely involved with her online students and always accessible when you need additional help.
Her class was extremely challenging; however, I felt that she provided us with all of the tools that we needed in order to be successful in the class. She always graded work in a timely manner, answered emails in a timely manner, participated in the discussion boards, offered encouragement, was very detailed about the expectations, provided feedback, provided additional guidance as necessary, and demonstrated a true concern for the success of her students.
Rochelle is a top-notch teacher and Viterbo should be ecstatic to have her as a professor.”
Employee of the Year, Chad Gilbeck (Began employment Jan. 17, 2002)
“If you have a computer problem, whom will you call? Chad. For the thousands of big and small fixes he performs for students and employees each year with a smile and a joke, Chad deserves this recognition.
He is always there to help with large and small problems. There isn’t a person on campus who doesn’t feel comfortable calling Chad because he shows daily how much he knows and how willing he is to serve.
He has attended numerous campus events, served on the iPad initiative, the hiring committee for our new instructional design person and helped untangle the Moodle/Blackboard decision.”
Alec Chiu Memorial Award, Mary Ellen Haupert (Began employment Aug. 16, 2003)
“Mary Ellen has established an extensive and impressive record of creative-scholarly accomplishments that includes performances, presentations, publications, master classes, and adjudication, both within and outside the university.
Most notably, Dr. Haupert has expanded and enhanced student learning in music by embedding a composition project into the sophomore-level theory curriculum.
By ‘taking the fear’ out of music composition, students learn the skills necessary for the gestation and birth of a musical work that is uniquely theirs. Through a mentoring process that fosters meaning and purpose, combined with guidance and encouragement, Mary Ellen helps students develop a concept, compose, edit, and finally perform their works.
Beyond the campus, Dr. Haupert has published and presented her theory pedagogy at the International Conference on Fine and Performing Arts in Athens, Greece, the International Conference on Education and New Technologies in Barcelona, Spain, the Lilly Conference on College & University Teaching-West, and at the Finch Center for Teaching and Learning at Maryville University in St. Louis.
She recently submitted a proposal to present her findings at the 4th World Piano Conference Novi Sad, Serbia.
Her passion and dedication to students helps unlock their creative potential, guides them as artists and scholars, and connects classroom learning with real-world experiences.”
Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Adviser, Melissa Growt (Began employment July 6, 1993)
“Melissa Growt serves as academic adviser for students admitted into Pre-Nursing (5 year nursing).
Because Melissa works with her advisees during STAR registration, she is the ‘go to’ person for these students throughout their first year. She is readily available to and for these students.
Because of her lengthy history of working with these students, she anticipates their frustrations, needs and challenges. She is a support for them as they move into nursing courses or other majors.
These students typically want to be a nurse but many do not make it in the program. Melissa balances sensitivity to not defeating their enthusiasm yet encouraging them to be open minded to other majors. She is focused on the individual needs of the student and she is giving, caring, empathetic, and genuine in her relationships with her advisees.”
