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Presentation of the
2003 OVPR Staff Awards
May 8, 2003
Good afternoon and welcome. I am Fawwaz Ulaby and I'm pleased to see so many members of the University community turn out for this special occasion. As we were preparing for today's award ceremony, I approached President Coleman a couple of weeks ago and asked her if she would be willing to make some remarks at today's event. After explaining to her what RAN and the award ceremony are all about and expressing to her how incredibly important I think the role that research administrators play in the life of the University, her response was, "Absolutely. I will be more than glad to do it." However, President Coleman cannot be with us today, as she is tied up speaking with reporters about the NCAA ruling on the Michigan basketball program. She just called me and send her very deepest regrets.
Before we proceed to recognizing the five individuals we are here to honor this afternoon, I would like to express a personal thank you to all of the staff at the University of Michigan for their efforts in keeping our $700-million a year research engine humming, day in and day out.
What makes the contributions of department and research administrators like yourselves so special is the incredible array of tasks you are asked to perform. Not only are many of you involved in the preparation of the 3500-plus proposals submitted to sponsors every year, but there are financial accounts to manage, equipment and supplies to purchase, personnel to hire and supervise, and compliance regulations to understand and adhere to, not to mention the whole array of M-Pathways challenges that you have to cleverly navigate through. I thank you and the University thanks you for your dedication and perseverance!
The two awards we are presenting here today are, first, the OVPR Exceptional Service Award, which honors staff members from OVPR or any of its units. Then there is the Distinguished Research Administrator Award, which honors individuals from any unit at the University who have demonstrated a sustained level of distinguished service that exemplifies the highest standards of professional research development and administration.
None of these awards would have been possible had it not been for the thoughtful and selfless efforts of a group of people who exemplify the best values of professional collegiality. I speak here of the nominators who prepare the packets of material and try to make the case for why their nominees are especially deserving of the honors bestowed by the awards. I also speak of the colleagues who provide insightful letters of support; Letters that do not merely repeat the information already available in the vita and the nomination letter, but rather try to demonstrate through specific examples, the nominee's exemplary level of support and service to his or her unit and an unwavering dedication to the job. I thank all of the nominators and support letter writers for their efforts.
The nominations received by OVPR were reviewed by a committee composed of past award winners, which included:
- Dorene Markel from the Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research in the Medical School, who chaired the committee; [come forward]
- Virginia Wait from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science;
- Laurie Staples of the Survey Research Center in ISR;
- Linda Peasley from the Department of Human Genetics in the Medical School; and
- Tom Zdeba, Senior Project Representative in DRDA.
Going through a stack of nominations from all over the campus and narrowing the list down to a select few is quite a challenge. The committee members did a very thorough and responsible job, so please join me in expressing our thanks. [CLAP]
Now I would like to start by presenting the OVPR Exceptional Service Awards. The program booklet includes a citation and some background information about each of the awardees, and I invite you to read them. Rather than repeating the citations, I will add a few additional remarks of my own instead. As I call your name, please come forward to receive your award.
First, would Keith Newnham come forward, please.
Keith is the Chief Technologist for the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or fMRI, Laboratory -- a multi-million-dollar research facility that the University established two years ago in North Campus. Keith joined the fMRI Lab staff a little more than 20 months ago, when the facility was just getting set up. He has been key to turning the promise of the new fMRI facility into a day-to-day reality. Keith has used his 12 years of MRI experience in helping faculty investigators develop experimental designs that would meet their research goals and make the best use of the fMRI. Likewise, he has developed a number of ingenious adaptations to improve the research capability of the laboratory.
I don't know how many of you have ever had the "opportunity" to go in for an MRI. It's not exactly a walk in the park, as the chamber you slide into is claustrophobic and noisy and somewhat intimidating. One of Keith's real pluses is his ability to put research subjects at ease so that experiments can be completed smoothly and efficiently.
Keith also must summon up all of his good nature to fend off the ribbing he occasionally receives. You see, Keith is a "buckeye" -- he commutes to work from Maumee, Ohio every day -- and he is an Ohio State fan. In fact, the tie he has on today was purchased especially for this event, since he's never been able to bring himself to buy any maize and blue until now. Congratulations, Keith, and, dare I say, "Go Blue!"
I would now like to invite Kathleen Restrick to join me.
Kate is administrator for the Minority International Research Training Program in the Center for Human Growth and Development. She has been involved in this training program since its start in 1994, which has seen 166 undergraduate and graduate minority students go to Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, India, China, and South Africa to get hands-on experience in all kinds of behavioral and biomedical research projects. Kate is widely credited with providing the kind of administrative leadership that has made this a premiere program with an outstanding reputation. She takes a personal interest in the students' successes, and is always ready to step in when one hits a rough spot, whether from culture shock or other hurdles they face in their foreign placements.
Kate is also a self-described "on-again, off-again" thespian; in other words, she is a dramatist. She was "on" this past weekend when she and four co-conspirators put on a variety show at Pioneer High School. The troupe, known as "Third Peasant from the Right," has presented a number of benefit performances over the years. Last Friday and Saturday, the show was titled "School Daze" -- that's spelled D-A-Z-E -- which they called a "light-hearted look at readin' and writin' and 'rithmatic." The proceeds benefited Ann Arbor S.O.S. Community Services. And the group's motto is: "We don't care if you laugh with us or at us, just as long as you laugh." I ask you to applaud, rather than laugh as I present Kate with her plaque.
Now I would like to present the Distinguished Research Administrator Awards...
I'd like to ask Deborah Eadie to come to the front.
Deborah has worked in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences since 1993, where she is the unit's research administrator. Deborah brings a unique resource to her position, for prior to assuming administrative duties in her department 10 years ago, she was a working scientist in one of its laboratories...so she has some first-hand knowledge of the needs and wants of researchers.
She has had many opportunities to show the versatility required these days of research administrators. She oversaw a major laboratory upgrade and installation in her department, she often helps foreign postdocs find housing, and on one occasion she spent the weekend trying to get some leaky plumbing fixed to prevent a real disaster from happening.
But perhaps the real secret to Deborah's ability to cope with unforeseen problems is the several years she spent as a substitute teacher in Ann Arbor. Working with highly creative middle and high school teenage students through a biology or chemistry lesson must have prepared her for the worst the University could possibly throw at her. Deborah is admired and respected by her faculty, staff and students. It's a pleasure to present her the Distinguished Research Administrator Award for 2003.
Next, would Beth Lawson please join me.
Since 1998, Beth has been the research administrator for about 20 faculty members in the Systems Group of my own department -- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She has made her mark through her efficiency, attention to detail, and resourcefulness. Beth has also been a "model citizen" serving the University as a whole -- by mentoring new lab administrators, making valuable contributions to the Research Administrators training program known as RAIN, and participating in the College of Engineering's implementation of M-Pathways.
Her career at the University goes back to the mid-70s, when she first worked in the Chemistry Department as a procurement clerk. Since then, Beth has also worked at University Stores, the Mental Health Research Institute, and the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences -- she's left her mark all across campus.
Beth has made her presence felt in the community, as well. She is foster mom to Matt, a 14-year-old boy -- and I understand that Matt's adoption into Beth's family will be finalized soon, so congratulations on that, too.
There is another side to Beth that I bet most of you don't know about -- she's a devoted and accomplished deer and duck hunter -- a "real shooter," says one of her hunting pals (which I suppose means, that unlike most hunters, she actually hits what she aims at). So, Virginia, you better watch out!
Beth, Congratulations.
Finally, I'd like to call on Patricia Schultz to come forward
Pat Schultz has been the Dental School's primary research administrator ever since the School established its Office of Research 10 years ago. And as if that isn't enough to keep her busy, Pat also administers the Oral Health Sciences Ph.D. program. In fulfilling these dual roles, she really has to pay attention to a broad range of research-related activities in dentistry. The span extends from coordinating the submission of major grant proposals, such as the recently successful application for a "Tissue Engineering and Regeneration" training grant from the NIH, to overseeing the staging of the annual Research Table Clinic Day, which is an opportunity for students in all of the Schools' programs to present research posters, and to dealing with difficult compliance regulations.
Pat also contributes to research administration campus wide. She has served on a number of committees that explored ways to develop or improve electronic administrative systems. She participated in the development of RAIN, and she often represents her school at meetings of the Research Associate Deans.
Pat is known for seeing what needs to be done and just doing it, without fanfare or calling attention to her efforts. She also pays attention to her co-workers and will bring in newspaper clippings about someone's son who did something special in school sports, or about a colleague's daughter who performed in a play. It's that sort of caring attitude, combined with her dedication and intelligence, that has earned her the respect of her faculty and coworkers, and in turn, the 2003 Distinguished Research Administrator Award.
Thank you all for coming. Please stick around and enjoy the food and the company of your colleagues.