2022 DOSA Awards

This is the twelfth year of presenting the DOSA awards and a wonderful opportunity to recognize students and staff from within the Division for exemplary performance this previous academic year.

We received numerous nominations recognizing various individuals and groups.
A committee with representatives from across the division reviewed each of the nominations and made the difficult decision on the selection of the recipients, so many thanks to them. And, a special thanks to Raeleen Ziegler who continues to chair this important committee.

Our first award category is the Promotion of Public Affairs Award. This award is presented to an individual or team for promoting an appreciation, understanding, or celebration of the Public Affairs Mission through delivery of a program and/or through personal actions focused on the three pillars that created a positive impact on our campus.

This year’s winner is the Residence Life Custodial Team for the Custodial Food Drive. There are 45 members on the team, and each are very important to the division.

Last November and December, the custodial staff collected 765 pounds of food and hygiene items for the MSU Bear Pantry, the custodial team also filled clothing racks with winter clothes for their peers in need, and what clothing was left was donated to a local charity organization.

Quoted from the nominator: “At a time of the year when personal budgets may be stretched thinner than usual, the custodial team chose to be engaged citizens of our campus community. They looked beyond their own needs to collect much needed items for the Bear Pantry and looked within their own team to provide support through the clothing and coat drive. This was a very personal and hands-on initiative that directly supported the Public Affairs Mission of the institution.”

The next Award is the Innovation by a Team, New Program, or Initiative. This award recognizes the combined cooperative efforts of a team or individual to develop and/or deliver an innovative response to student needs.

This year’s winner is Chelsey Giles from the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Chelsey Giles serves as the Business Process and Reporting Analyst for the Office of Student Financial Aid. Chelsey innovated electronic forms for student and parent use, creating a dynamic form that is available for students through the student portal. This form can be completed online and electronically signed and submitted. By eliminating the need to print, sign, and return the form through fax or postal mail, this form is now significantly more accessible to students and can be more accurately processed by staff, allowing loans to be disbursed sooner.

The nominator stated: “We received a positive response from students and parents stating this is more convenient for them and they are more comfortable providing sensitive information electronically. Chelsey identified a need to provide better customer service and streamlined a manual process, which has benefited borrowers and staff.”

Our NEXT DOSA Award is for the Outstanding Advocate for Social Justice and Inclusion. This award is given to the staff member or group who actively seeks opportunities to increase knowledge of social justice and inclusion and incorporates this knowledge into their practice, brings awareness and/or takes action to remove barriers to social justice and inclusion within and/or outside of MSU.

This year's winner is the Counseling Center BIPOC Working Group. Individuals in this group include Jane Henke (Hen-key), Nia Morgan, Tammy Dixon, Anthony Franklin Jr, Divya Thakkar (Divi-ahTaw-ker), Vernard Farley, and Rhonda Lesley.

The Counseling Center BIPOC working group was formed in reaction to the need to increase both BIPOC student access and awareness to Counseling Center services, as well as identifying gaps and opportunities to more effectively educate Counseling Center staff on how to best meet the mental health needs of MSU’s BIPOC student population.

Their nominator stated, “I am pleased to share through their efforts we have increased our BIPOC student utilization of Counseling Center services by over 30% and the Counseling Center staff have participated in seven targeted trainings geared towards serving with quality the unique needs of our BIPOC students.”

The next award is the Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award. This award recognizes a graduate assistant who has completed at least one semester of graduate work and demonstrated superior job performance. As always, we have many wonderful graduate assistants.

The award goes to…Kam Barker.

Kam Barker works as a GA in the Career Center as part of the Employee Relations team. Kam is a non-traditional student, a mom to four children, and is working towards her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, she has completed two semesters of graduate work so far.

Her nominator noted “The reason I think Kam is outstanding is that she has provided so much more than past GAs in this similar role. She’s a strong advocate for those in marginalized populations and plans to serve on the Career Center diversity committee in this upcoming academic year. Kam is a terrific candidate for the outstanding graduate assistant award.”

The Outstanding New Exempt Staff Member Award is presented to a new exempt staff member employed within the Division of Student Affairs for less than two years who has demonstrated superior job performance and displayed a positive attitude and commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and Missouri State University.

This year we have two nominations who rose to the top. Paige Jenkins and Jhansi Kesireddy!

Paige’s nominator stated “Paige has worked for the PSU for just under two years, she works an incredible number of hours directly with students in Student Activities Council, and frequently works late to support and advise the programs that are provided to the campus community. Paige challenges SAC to create meaningful, inclusive programming for all students, she has assumed the work of the DOSA Inclusion Awareness Team, and she has reimagined Bear Bash to be more inclusive for students.”

Jhansi’s nominator said “Jhansi has accomplished so much since she applied for the IT Coordinator position in September 2021...In the last year with Jhansi’s leadership, ResNet has continued to grow to fit the needs of our students and our growing campus community. With her support, we’ve had time to research and implement new programs and technologies that will only help improve the residential experience on campus.”

The Outstanding New Non-Exempt Staff Member Award recognizes a new non-exempt staff member employed within the Division of Student Affairs for less than two years who has demonstrated superior job performance, displayed a positive attitude and commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and Missouri State University.

Brianna Woods, Event and Meeting Services Coordinator, is this year’s award winner.

Per her nominator “Brianna Woods is very deserving of the outstanding new non-exempt staff member award... She has a wealth of knowledge regarding event operations and is great at working with students, guiding them, and answering all questions... Brianna is kind, helpful, patient, and innovative.”

The Outstanding New Part-Time Staff Member Award recognizes a new non-student part-time staff member employed by the Division of Student Affairs for less than two years who has demonstrated superior job performance and displayed a positive attitude and commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and Missouri State University.

This year's winner is Anna Clark, Care Consultant for the Dean of Student’s Office.
Her nominator wrote: “Anna has truly showcased how she is a valuable employee in the short time she has worked with us. One of Anna’s job duties is to work with students who might be undergoing a challenging experience...Anna is quick witted and very intelligent. Anna is an outstanding member of our team and works for the betterment of all students” Congratulations Anna.

The Outstanding Part-Time Staff Member Award recognizes a non-student, part-time staff member employed by the Division of Student Affairs for two or more years who has demonstrated superior job performance and displayed a positive attitude and commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and Missouri State University.

This year’s winner is Laura Kyle. Laura was a full-time employee at Magers Health and Wellness for 25 years and retired in 2016. Since then, Laura has come back from time to time to fill in when needed in her previous department of Medical Records.

Laura’s nominator wrote “I approached Laura about having more of a part-time roll than a PRN position as the need for her in the department became greater...She graciously accepted and has been a life saver in the Medical Record department...She has gone above and beyond by sharing her knowledge and helping train other members of the department.”

The Outstanding Non-Exempt Staff Member Award recognizes a non-exempt staff member employed by the Division of Student Affairs for two or more years who has demonstrated superior job performance and displayed a positive attitude and commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and Missouri State University. Our winner is Kerri Deal!

One of Kerri’s nominators wrote “Kerri is a staple in the Dean of Students Office...Kerri always prioritizes people first. In her role as executive assistant III to the Dean of Students, she has honed her skills of easing parent concerns, directing students to resources, and answering every question that gets thrown her way...Kerri is the glue that binds the Dean of Students Office, and she deserves every recognition for the work she does, which often goes unseen. Kerri is the best of the best and we are lucky to have such a dedicated staff member!” Congrats Kerri!

The Outstanding Exempt Staff Member Award recognizes an exempt staff member employed by the Division of Student Affairs for two or more years who has demonstrated superior job performance and displayed a positive attitude and commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and Missouri State University. The winner is Shannon Holt!

One of Shannon’s nominators wrote “Shannon always demonstrates a superior performance and is always positive. I don’t think there are words to accurately describe how much she inspires all of us in the Office of the Registrar. Shannon’s job responsibilities are very significant, she oversees all of registration and records, tuition and fees, and supports operations during all that. She is an extraordinary leader in the office...I and many others believe that she is an unsung hero to the University.” Congratulations Shannon.

The Outstanding Long-Standing Staff Member Award recognizes an exempt, non-exempt, or part-time non-student staff member employed by the Division of Student Affairs for ten years or more who has demonstrated superior job performance and displayed a positive attitude and commitment to the Division of Student Affairs and Missouri State University.
The winner this year is Mike Wood!

Mike serves as the Associate Director at the Career Center with a primary focus in Career Development and Education. One of Mike’s nominators wrote “From my first day on the job, Mike has been a very thoughtful, kind, and supportive supervisor. Mike goes out of his way every day to check on his staff, see if there is anything they need, and shows care and concern for them as people. He is the most attentive supervisor I have had and I am grateful to be a part of his team.”

And, our final DOSA award for today is the Friend of Student Affairs award.
This year’s awardee is Burnie Snodgrass. Burnie is a gem! He has worked at MSU for over 40 years, serving first as the Director of the Taylor Health and Wellness Center and lately supporting the center’s leadership as a non-student part time employee leading our Point and Click platform. I chose Burnie as this year’s recipient because he is an all-around great guy… and because he provided tremendous support during the search for a new director in Magers. He made phone calls, vetted applicants, served officially on the search committee, advocated for excellence and helped me hire an outstanding leader, Sara Nimmo, as the new director and Dr. Robert Scott as the new medical coordinator. Thank you Burnie for all of your help and support.