Winthrop Recognizes Employees for Service, Outstanding Work at Annual Awards Ceremony

April 26, 2016

Quick Facts

bullet point During Winthrop's April 26 Faculty, Staff, Retirees Awards Ceremony, the university honored 24 retirees, 50 employees for service to the state of South Carolina and five employees for service to the university or community.
bullet point The honored retirees have collectively provided 463 years of service to the state of South Carolina and Winthrop.
bullet point Jean Silagyi-Rebovich received the Richardson Award and Eddie Lee earned the Faculty Student Life Award.

/uploadedImages/news/Articles/Rebovich_Jean1.jpg President Dan Mahony and Jean Silagyi-Rebovich /uploadedImages/news/Articles/Stone_Gary1.jpg Gary Stone, right, and President Dan Mahony /uploadedImages/news/Articles/Rogers_Don1.jpg Don Rogers and President Dan Mahony

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA — During Winthrop University's April 26 Faculty, Staff, Retirees Awards Ceremony, the university honored 24 retirees, 50 employees for service to the state of South Carolina and five employees for service to the university or community.

The honored retirees have collectively provided 463 years of service to the state of South Carolina and Winthrop. Those retirees included:

Jane Bailey, physical education, sport and human performance
Charlie Bowers, physical education, sport and human performance
Tim Boylan, political science
DeeAnna Brooks, Office of the President
Gary Brooks, mathematics
Anna Burris, counseling, leadership and educational studies
Linda Campfield, purchasing
Iris Coleman, mathematics
Mark Dewalt, curriculum and pedagogy
Dorothy Duncan, facilities management
Caroline Everington, counseling, leadership and educational studies
Patricia Ferrell, facilities management
Christy Goodner, human nutrition
Connie Hale, music
Tom Hickman, athletics
Jamie Howe, campus police
Michael Lavine, fine arts
Gail Little, athletics
Debbie Newsome, athletics
Deana Peterson, counseling, leadership and educational studies
Pat Rhyne, internal audit
Phyllis Twyman, Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement
Mary Watson, Macfeat Early Childhood Laboratory School
Lillie White, facilities management

Retirees are encouraged to participate in the Winthrop Retirees' Association. Information regarding the association may be obtained from Terry Norton at nortlee@hotmail.com.

Winthrop officials also recognized employees who reached their 10-, 20-, 30- and 40-year state service milestones. Those employees included:

10 Years:
Abbigail Armstrong, counseling, leadership and educational studies
Mary Jo Barreto, health services
Lisa Benjamin, alumni relations
Bob Bergseng, facilities management
Becky Best, facilities management
Kim Brazzell, accreditation, accountability, and academic services
Thadd Bridges, facilities management
Dave Brown, design
Terri Guidry, management and marketing
Jay Hanna, chemistry, physics and geology
Phyllis Hayes, facilities management
William Haynes, facilities management
Kelly Huber, facilities design and development
Andy Johnston, Dacus Library
Kristin Kiblinger, philosophy and religious studies
Will Kiblinger, philosophy and religious studies
Darlene Ledwell, design
Michael Matthews, management and marketing
Scott McDonald, athletics
Ellin McDonough, career and civic engagement
Linda O'Connor, student financial services
Padmini Patwardhan, mass communication
Odessa Peterson, facilities management
Daniel Ridenhour, athletics
David Rollings, admissions
Carol Shields, curriculum and pedagogy
Michael Thomas, facilities management
Eric Threatt, computing and information technology
Brad Tripp, sociology and anthropology
Joan Vandersloot, arts and sciences
Tina Vinson, records and registration
Andrew Vorder Bruegge, theatre and dance
Brenda Watson, facilities management
Michelle Wolf, University College

20 Years:
Thea Barnes, records and registration
Ann Biggerstaff, College of Business Administration
Janice Bradner, music
Cliff Calloway, chemistry, physics, and geology
Chad Dresbach, design
Rose Guyer, admissions
Rhett Herron, facilities management
Gina Jones, records and registration
Pat Owens, chemistry, physics, and geology
Nancy White, Dacus Library

30 Years:
Susan Gunderson, Institutional Advancement
Ponn Maheswaranathan, chemistry, physics, and geology
Phil Moody, fine arts
Gina White, Dacus Library

40 Years:
Don Rogers, music
Gary Stone, accounting, finance and economics

Jean Silagyi-Rebovich, accreditation and accountability, and academic services, was the recipient of the Mary Spann Richardson Award which was created by siblings Rowland P. Alston Jr., William E. Lenoir, Jr and Victoria Lenoir Saunders '79 in memory of their mother. The award honors a faculty or staff member for exceptional service, professional excellence and the ability to provide Winthrop with positive visibility throughout the region.

Eddie Lee, associate professor of history, received the Faculty Student Life Award for his broad and deep interactions with student life efforts, and for his efforts with various initiatives that have had a positive impact on students' lives.

Winthrop also honored five employees with presidential citations for service to the university as well as presidential citations for service to the community. President Dan Mahony congratulated each recipient while presenting each with a framed citation.

Presidential citations for service to the community award winners are recognized for their contributions in agencies external to Winthrop. Their work could be for a social agency, church, community organization, K-12 school, etc.

Presidential citations for service to the community recipients included:
Cheryl Fortner-Wood, psychology, for her devoted service to the Children's Attention Home as chair of the Board of Directors.

Kelly Scott, accreditation, accountability, and academic services, for her dedicated leadership as chair of Ebinport Elementary's School Improvement Council.

Presidential citation for service to the university award winners were recognized for their extraordinary contributions to the university beyond normal job expectations. Winners demonstrated a history of engagement with the campus community and a career that has significantly advanced the vision and values of the university. 

Those employees who received a presidential citation for service to the university were:

Jennifer Leigh Disney, political science, for her outstanding leadership in bringing the Southeastern Women's Studies Association annual meeting to Winthrop March 31-April 2.

Howard Seidler, residence life, for going above and beyond his already demanding work load to take on more responsibilities during a time when the office is understaffed.

Evelyne Weeks, English and athletics, for her 22 years of committed, behind-the-scenes work as the university's NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative.

For more information, please contact Monica Bennett, director of communications, at 803/323-2406 or e-mail bennettm@winthrop.edu.


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