This year’s College of Arts & Letters staff appreciation event, which recognizes the exceptional service and work of 13 outstanding members of the College’s staff, was held virtually on Friday, June 11.

The highlight of this online event was the presentation of the group and individual awards. These include:

Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award – Melissa Arthurton, Graduate Secretary for the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures.

Outstanding Leadership Award – Sara Allison, Fiscal Officer for the Department of English.

Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion Award – Ivette Duynslager, Admissions Secretary for the English Language Center (ELC). 

Exceptional Service Award – Penny Shanks, Finance and Human Resources Administrator for the Center for Language Teaching Advancement (CeLTA) and the English Language Center (ELC).

Rising Star Award – Laura Borchgrevink, Administrative Business Professional for the College of Arts & Letters Dean Administration.

Eight staff members also were recognized for their years of service within the College:

40 years of service:

• Deanna Thomas, Executive Staff Assistant for the CAL Dean Administration

30 years of service:

• Amaresh Joshi, Information Technologist 

20 years of service:

• Marianne Triponi, Research Assistant 
• Thomas Hakes
• Ivette Duynslager

15 years of service:

• Louanne Snider
• Alexander Nichols
• Melissa Arthurton

Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award

Melissa Arthurton, Graduate Secretary for the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures, is the recipient of this year’s Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award, which is the gold standard of staff awards within the College.

“Melissa is the ‘go-to’ person for all of us, regardless of program, and we rely on her to either know the answers or know how to get them — all with a smile,” said Jackie Rhodes, Chairperson of the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures. “She is an exceptional team player, a problem-solver, and one of WRAC’s (and the Colleges) greatest assets. As Chair of WRAC, I have worked closely with Melissa for the last several years and believe strongly that the College’s largest department couldn’t function without her grace, ability, and goodwill.”

The Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh Award is named in honor of Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh, who served the College of Arts & Letters for more than 25 years in various staff positions. Established in 2011, the award’s first recipient was its namesake, Jo-Ann Vanden Bergh. Criteria for the award includes being a creative staff leader who is dedicated to problem solving and fostering high-quality work; who treats others with dignity, respect, and integrity; who promotes teamwork that enhances effectiveness and efficiency in the workplace; and who shows impeccable evidence of superior work performance.

This year’s 2021 award recipient will receive a plaque and a $1,000 award.

Outstanding Leadership Award

Sara Allison, Fiscal Officer for the Department of English, received the 2020 Outstanding Leadership Award, which recognizes a member of the support staff who embodies exceptional leadership by building community, nurturing a culture of care and support, exhibiting strong stewardship of institutional resources, and developing a shared vision of institutional excellence.

 “In every way, Sara has exceeded my high expectations for her work. Indeed, due to her professionalism, competence, kindness, and proactive leadership since joining our department, Sara has become one of my most valued and indispensable colleagues,” said Justus Nieland, Chairperson of the Department of English. “I have been impressed by Sara’s remarkable composure and steadiness over the past 16 months in a new department, during which she navigated the professional and demands of a global pandemic and has handled these extraordinary circumstances with intelligence and compassion. Sara consistently elevates the performance of those she supervises. Overall, she is a model of resilience and dependability.”

The Outstanding Leadership Award, established in 2018, honors staff members who build and maintain a sense of community with colleagues, seek to continuously improve operations within the College as well as student and faculty experiences, understand and manage work assignments from a holistic point-of-view, and help others recognize how their contributions are part of a larger whole.

“This award means a lot to me as it reflects the relationships I have made within my department and throughout CAL,” Allison said. “This award reconfirms how I highly value all these connections. I am truly grateful!”

The recipient will receive a $750 award and be recognized with a plaque. 

Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion Award

Ivette Duynslager, Admissions Secretary for the English Language Center (ELC), received this year’s Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Award, which recognizes a member of the support staff who demonstrates adept skills in engaging across differences among the communities in which they work.

“Ivette’s fluency in three languages is certainly an asset, but it is her caring nature that is the real value to the English Language Center (ELC),” said Penny Shanks, Finance and Human Resources Administrator for the Center for Language Teaching Advancement (CeLTA) and the English Language Center (ELC). “Very attuned to cultural differences, Ivette not only understands the students, but their spouse, children, parents, and siblings that are impacted by their student’s decision to choose MSU. Her welcoming smile and terrific memory of names and faces sets the tone for our center.”

The Diversity, Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Award honors efforts to actively work to make Michigan State University a more accessible and welcoming place by understanding the complex, intersectional nature of identity, and employing such knowledge to improve the student, faculty, academic staff, and support staff experience.

“It means a lot to me to be the recipient of this award.  I feel humbled receiving this award for doing something that I love and for whom I am, as a person,” Duynslager said. “Diversity is a beautiful garden where roses and flowers with different shapes, sizes and colors are together making the garden pure and beautiful!  ELC-MSU is a garden of sorts where different languages, cultures, races and ideas coexist. In our work place we should all aspire to Diversity, Equity, Justice and Inclusion. To me, these values extend beyond workplace; we should extend everywhere we go. I am further grateful to my colleagues who nominated me, and to Dean long for his generous and kind words.”

The recipient will receive a $750 award and be recognized with a plaque. 

Exceptional Service Award

Penny Shanks, Finance and Human Resources Administrator for the Center for Language Teaching Advancement (CeLTA) and the English Language Center (ELC), received this year’s Exceptional Service Award, which recognizes support staff members who have worked for the College at least three years and have consistently demonstrated outstanding performance and a commitment to delivering exceptional service. 

“Penny is an extremely talented steward of institutional resources and has been working hard from day one to improve the efficiency of a number of office workflows and routines,” said Dustin De Felice, Director of the English Language Center. “She has brought new energy and direction to our special programs that started with a number of positive changes to the ELC front office. She has created an atmosphere of inclusion by encouraging input from the staff on all decisions and changes, and she routinely recognizes them for their contributions. This has created an environment in which the front office staff, including student workers, clearly feel valued and take pride in their work.”

The Exceptional Service Award, established in 2016, honors staff members who anticipate the needs of the College and are proactive and forward-thinking in addressing those needs. They also promote productive relationships across the College and University while demonstrating diplomacy and responsiveness.

“I don’t often think of myself as a person that needs recognition,” Shanks said. “Arranging, coordinating and completing the work is reward enough.  Apparently I was wrong.  It was humbling to hear the words of recognition submitted by the nominators. I spend much of my day looking forward at the next things to do, I don’t pause and look at what’s been done, the impact that’s been achieved, or even know what my contribution has meant to others.  It was very humbling.  I am grateful to work with so many amazing people and know that they appreciate me too.”

The recipient will receive a $750 award and be recognized with a plaque. 

Rising Star Award

Laura Borchgrevink, Administrative Business Professional for the College of Arts & Letters Dean Administration, was awarded the Rising Star Award, which recognizes support staff members who have worked in their position within the College for one to three years and have shown promise early in their College of Arts & Letters careers with a potential for growth and advancement.

“If I had to nominate a champion for CAL’s value of providing an excellent graduate learning experience with a student-centered approach, Laura would top my list,” said Bill Hart-Davidson, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education. “When we meet, Laura’s view is always aligned with student interests first and includes options for proceeding in ways that [benefit] student interests. She takes pride in helping to ensure that student learning opportunities exceed their expectations.”

The Rising Star Award, established in 2016, honors staff members who have exhibited exemplary dedication to the mission of the College and Michigan State University while consistently demonstrating outstanding performance in fulfillment of their job responsibilities.  

“I am honored to have been granted the Rising Star Award,” Borchgrevink said. “It’s a privilege to work in an environment that truly embodies what it means to have a culture of care.  The College of Arts & Letters’ level of care is far reaching to faculty, staff, students and the broader MSU community. I’m grateful to stand alongside my CAL colleagues as we all endeavor to embody the mission and values of our college.”

As the recipient of this award, Borchgrevink will receive a plaque and $500.

Golden Staff Award

The College of Arts & Letters Golden Staff Award, established in 2015, recognizes a department, program, or group in the College that demonstrates exemplary service, hanging in there when the going gets tough, or for just being a good model for the rest of the university.

This year the golden staff award goes to all of the College of Arts & Letters support staff for their resilience and dedication to the College.