(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)June 27, 2018

MAHWAH, N.J. – President Peter P. Mercer announced the recipients of the Ramapo College President’s Staff Recognition Awards on May 24, 2018. The recipients were formally recognized by the College’s Board of Trustees on June 25.

The President’s Staff Recognition Program consists of three award categories: Staff Excellence in Service, Staff Leadership, and the Team Project Award.

“It brings many of us tremendous satisfaction and joy when we are recognized for doing excellent work, for going above and beyond the call of duty, for exceeding expectations, or for motivating a colleague,” said President Mercer. “Ramapo College is fortunate to be home to many talented and compassionate personnel whose extra efforts and exemplary service make the College a great place to work and study.”

The 2018 recipients of the Staff Excellence in Service Award are Tim Babasade of New Milford, N.J.; Brian Goldberg of Mahwah, N.J.; and Doug Lawrence of Vernon, N.J. The Award is presented to individuals who provide exemplary service by fostering cooperation, collaboration and open communication among college constituents.

Tim Babasade, Director of Client Services, was recognized for his commitment to superior service and collegiality. Babasade was commended for his service as the consummate IT professional who goes above and beyond his role to ensure that students and employees receive prompt and helpful customer service and technical support. In addition, Babasade was commended for volunteering his time to photograph the campus and special events.

Brian Goldberg, Lab Coordinator, Global Financial Lab, was recognized for his thoughtful service to others. His efforts to thoughtfully advise a student group, to develop programming for visiting students, and to facilitate data collection on alumni were commended. In addition, he was lauded for his positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond the limits of his position to advance the College mission.

Doug Lawrence, Assistant Supervisor of Building Repairs, was recognized for his reliability, exceptional willingness to lend a helping hand, and strong character. He was commended for his solution-oriented approach to his work. Specifically, his contributions to the range of College-wide events and ceremonies were praised for being creative, resourceful, and always completed ahead of schedule.

The 2018 recipients of the Staff Leadership Award are Cardacia Davis of Eutawville, S.C.; Chuck McBreen of Hillsdale, N.J.; and Jill Pierson of Rutherford, N.J. The award recipients were recognized for assuming a leadership role and successfully effecting positive change.

Cardacia Davis, MSW/BSW Field Educational/Education Coordinator, was recognized for her leadership in community and relationship building to establish and expand the College’s social work field placements. One nominator noted, “Ms. Davis is respected by community members and students. When she arrived at Ramapo College there were not enough placements to cover the growing demands of the field requirements for the social work program. She worked with any and all of her own community connections to develop new placements, renew agreements with agencies used in the past and discuss potential learning environments for Ramapo. In a short time, she worked tirelessly to find a suitable place for all of our students. Her patience and perseverance was apparent throughout this process where she competed with other programs for field placements. Many other school programs require fieldwork or internships so Ms. Davis was tenacious and highly energetic to show that it would be best for the community agency to partner with Ramapo. She does site visits to the agencies, speaks frequently with our community partners and is available from early in the morning until the evening to process issues, including on the weekends.”  She was further commended for her sincere cooperation, commitment to diversity, and exceptional willingness to go above and beyond.

Jill Pierson, Registrar Coordinator, was recognized for her patient and tech-savvy leadership in overseeing two comprehensive projects at the College. One nominator wrote of Jill’s leadership of the College’s new degree audit program, “She has contributed to the ongoing success of this project because of her overall knowledge of Ramapo policies, Banner, and her strong technology skills. She always has a positive attitude and has phenomenal troubleshooting skills. She is always willing to go above and beyond what is expected and works on this project from home on a regular basis in order to meet deadlines and overcome obstacles. She’s a key contributor to the success of the new campus-wide degree audit.” She was further commended for her can-do attitude, tireless work ethic, and solution-oriented approach.

Chuck McBreen, Assistant Athletics Director, Men’s Basketball Coach, was recognized for his leadership of the Men’s Basketball Team and of his commitment to leading by example by focusing his student athletes and coaching staff on character development and relationship building. The Team advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship this year. A nominator wrote, “While his success as a basketball coach warrants accolades, it is also the relationships he has built off the court that exemplify leadership. He has an established relationship with an adult handicapped program where the adults come to every home game of the season and Chuck spends time with them before and after the game and fosters bonds between the players and the adults. For instance, you can always see adults with different cutouts of our players at our games because they love the Ramapo basketball team. Further, Chuck and his team have a longstanding relationship with the Brandywine nursing home where the players go to visit retired adults to talk about basketball and provide companionship. Chuck shared with me that he made a shift in his coaching philosophy a few years ago when he dedicated himself to focusing on recruiting players on character first, talent second. In doing so, he has built a character competency in his program that has generated great basketball success but even better human beings. That sort of team cannot operate with a core of strong character if they are not led by one.” McBreen was also praised for fostering a level of school spirit and engagement with student athletes and others across campus that has been contagious.

The Team Project Award is awarded to a group of employees who achieved a significant outcome or completed a significant project. It is further focused on recognizing collaboration across the College’s units/departments. The Team Project Award was presented to five employees comprising the Roadrunner Collegiate Recovery Housing Team. The Team was praised for fostering a healthy, inclusive, and supportive environment on campus. Through the team’s collaborative effort, the College submitted a grant application to the State of NJ for $999,408 and received full funding to renovate and create housing with a comprehensive program for students who are recovering from drug and/or alcohol use. The program, “Roadrunner Collegiate Recovery,” will allow the College to offer a comprehensive program that includes recovery housing for up to 10 residential students and additional resources to help reduce the stigma associated with the disease of addiction. Funding from the grant will support screening and intervention services, access to confidential psychological and addiction counseling services, and substance-free activities. Team members included: Claudia Esker, Assistant Director of Grants & Sponsored programs, of Boonton, N.J.; Judith Green, Director, Center for Health & Counseling Services; Daniel Roche, Director of Capital Planning, of Montclair, N.J.; Cory Rosenkranz, Psychological Counselor/Coordinator Substance Abuse/Violence Prevention; and Lisa Gonsisko, Associate Director of Residence Life.

The Ramapo College President’s Staff Recognition Awards Program celebrated its 10^th anniversary this year. More about the program is available at www.Ramapo.edu/president

 

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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