Awards to be announced for faculty and staff

Current faculty and staff members have been nominated for the 2009-2010 school year member of the year awards. Worthy candidates of Faculty Member of the Year and Staff Member of the year are thoroughly involved with students.

“Students really value professors who are concerned and interested in student’s lives. All of the professor’s nominated were nominated for their enthusiasm both in and out of the classroom. The staff members are all individuals who go out of their way to assist others,” senior and Student Senate president, Brittney Switzer said.

During a Senate meeting, members of Student Senate nominated faculty and staff members that they felt deserving of the awards.
“We had a fantastic group of nominees,” Switzer said.

The nominees for BVU Faculty Member of the Year are: Brian Lenzmeier, Jamii Claiborne, Beth Edmondson, Jill Rhea, Joni Anderson, and Inez Schaechterle.

Rhea is thrilled and honored to be nominated for Faculty member of the Year by the students.

“The students at BV are definitely my favorite part of the job. They are why I am here and why I do what I do,” Rhea said. “I love connecting with students about ideas, theories, concepts, goals, and plans for the future. Our students are bright, funny, responsible, and dedicated people.”
This is year is Rhea’s ninth year teaching at BVU.

The nominees for BVU Staff Member of the Year are: Linda Mobley, Ken Meissner, Bruce Willems, Ashley Farmer-Hanson, and Kevin Wagner.
Winner of Staff Member of the Year last school year was Director of Spiritual Life, Ken Meissner. He is up again for the award.

“It’s always an honor to be nominated by students and have the rich opportunity to interact with young adults, plus be appreciated in the midst of my awkward failings and attempts to share a glimpse of joy or wisdom,” Meissner said. “Without those daily interactions and encounters in the hallways with students, my spirit would definitely be less driven. After an incredibly busy academic year, it is a gift to be recognized.”

Meissner is currently in the midst of his eleventh year at BVU.
Director of Residence Life and Associate Dean of Students, Kevin Wagner is also a nominee for Staff Member of the Year. It is Wagner’s second year here at BVU.

“It’s an honor to be nominated. It’s a good feeling that people recognize that you are here for students and that you want to see BV be a great place,” Wagner said.

Wagner’s favorite part of his job is being involved with students, faculty and staff, and feels that his past experiences allow him to better connect with these people.

“The thing is, having worked with many different schools in the past, I came in with an outsider’s perspective. After being here a while, people sometimes forget how special BV really is. This is a great place and it’s because of the people here,” Wagner said.

The awards will be announced at the Faculty/Staff Recognition Dinner on May 21.