honorees
Fall 2019 / Spring 2020
Brett McLaughlin
Assistant Athletic Director
Emporia State University wants to thank Brett and the rest of his crew for creating the senior recognition event, The Corky's. The Corky's were an experience appreciated by the seniors, staff, and many more. Although they were unable to be held in person, Brett went above and beyond to make sure they were still special and creative; and the staff and team are grateful. A lot of things have been taken away this semester, but Brett has done a fantastic job of making sure the spirit of The Corky's was still present!
Michael Behrens
Assistant Professor of English
Michael truly exemplifies the Heart of a Hornet! Without divulging too much of a student's situation, I will share that Michael was very sympathetic and understanding with a student. He was exceptionally flexible and worked with this student to offer an approach to modify a difficult situation. Important layers of this situation include: quickly moving online, international student, student overseas, completed semester.
Student Advising Center
The Student Advising Center has worked tirelessly since Spring Break with students. When everyone was sent home, SAC pivoted immediately to move enrollment and advising on line. That is all excellent! The real amazing piece, though, is that right after everyone moved home, Hornet Connections started. Very quickly the process of enrollment for our new students was changed. SAC quickly created a very individualized, personable, one-on-one experience for the hundreds of new students needing to get enrolled. SAC created a way to engage students and their parents. They helped these new Hornets to feel wanted and important, despite COVID uncertainty. Students and parents were able to talk with advisors and enroll with their very own advisor. Typically Hornet Connections last one day. This new approach was each advisor working with each of their new advisees for 45 minutes to one hour. Hornet Connection became a week-long event. So SAC continued to enroll their own advisees for fall, while also performing a personalized Hornet Connection enrollment experience for our new students. They also managed Early Alert notices coming in and other parts of their responsibilities. I am very proud of this team! They exemplify the ESU Core Values! And they largely contribute to the success of ESU's retention and graduation rates.
Candy Johnson
William Allen White Library
Candy came of out retirement to assist Darian with Interlibrary Loan. Both of them are key individuals in offering our Curbside Service to ESU students, faculty, and staff. She also assist's the library community in Kansas and beyond our borders by providing materials to individuals from other communities who might need to borrow something that ESU owns. Candy has been essential in keeping our library running during this interesting time.
Office of International Education
The OIE has gone above and beyond to meet the needs of international students through the challenges of the past few months. The OIE has ensured students were able return home or remain safely in Emporia with the support that they need so far from home. Through phone calls and texts, video chats, live streams, and an uncountable number of emails, the OIE has been proactive and engaged in removing obstacles and connecting students to the resources and information they need to begin or continue their education with as little disruption as possible
Sam Derksen
Information Technology
Sam is always ready and willing to help with any project and answers every question quickly and with a positive attitude. I know with the transition to the virtual world, Sam, and all of the IT department, have been tasked with a number of different initiatives, but no matter how busy he is, Sam never makes you feel like you're inconveniencing him. Helpful. Friendly. Reliable. Professional. Sam is a tremendous asset to ESU.
George Head
Information Technology
George was on top of my technical issue, I called IT and they sent George over to work on my ticket. It was not an easy fix, George worked diligently all day to make sure I had my technology working for my presentation at 3:00. He worked hard knowing I was going to have to cancel my presentation in front of a large group if he didn't get the issue fix. Under the wire, 15 minutes before my presentation, he was able to fix it. He made multiple phone calls to colleagues to try and troubleshoot. He also came by the next day to make sure everything worked okay. He did this all with an awesome attitude. Much appreciated!
Ryan o'meara
Art Director - Marketing and Media Relations
Ryan has gone above & beyond to help me with a personal project for a friend who passed away. The quality of this project and effort he put in will make this family smile and remember her fondly for years to come. I am forever grateful to him for his help on this and so many other projects! We are so VERY lucky to have him at ESU!
Jason Santangelo
Assistant Director for Athletic Development
Jason was able to organize a couple of wonderful activities for two of our ESU supporters that was truly above and beyond the call of duty. He arranged to have several Foundation and Athletics staff visit one who is currently residing in a local care home, with everyone making signs and lining up outside of his window to parade through, wave and tell him hello. This fantastic display of Hornet pride lifted the spirits of many residents at this nursing home. He also organized staff from both Athletics and Advancement to help paint the garage of an ESU donor and volunteer. She was very grateful to everyone for this act of kindness, and many ESU employees involved agreed that it lifted their spirits as well, reminding us why we do what do and the power behind Hornet Nation.
Allan Comstock
Chair of Music
Allan put in a lot of extra work on the Instructional Planning/Classroom Protocols handbook with Tim. Allan is always willing to go above and beyond for the campus and the health and safety of the ESU faculty, staff, and students.
Tim Burnett
Chair of Biological Sciences
Tim contributed a lot of extra work with the Instructional Planning/Classroom Protocols handbook with Allan. Tim is always willing to go above and beyond for the campus and the health and safety of the ESU faculty, staff, and students.
Regina Mutanha
Financial Aid Office
Regina consistently goes above and beyond to serve our students and our university. Keeping the student experience in mind when working, coordinating the awarding of scholarships, and taking on additional responsibility to help implement a new scholarship management platform. Taking proactive steps to ensure the use of our scholarships is as strategic as possible to help recruit and retain students; and current and prospective students are aware of opportunities. She accomplishes these things with professionalism, responsiveness, and kindness. Regina does all-around great work and is always a pleasure to interact with.