OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi faculty and staff members who render service to students beyond the call of duty are recognized annually with nominations for the prestigious Thomas Frist Student Service Awards.
Nominations are open through April 13 for the 18th annual awards. Students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends are invited to nominate a member who has gone the extra mile in their behalf. Any full-time faculty or staff, except previous winners, is eligible for the award, which includes a $1,000 prize and a plaque.
Written and submitted by individuals, nominations are being accepted via the online nomination form. The nomination narrative should differentiate between obligation and service by citing specific examples in which the person being nominated has gone beyond the call of duty to help a student or group of students. Past nominations are also considered.
“Many faculty and staff on our campus fit the criteria for the Frist Award, which helps us identify two individuals who are exemplary of going beyond the norm in extending a helping hand to our students,” Chancellor Dan Jones said.
All nominees are notified that they have been so honored, and a campus committee appointed by the chancellor chooses the two winners. Awards are to be presented May 12 at UM’s spring commencement ceremony.
Past winners of the Frist Award include faculty members Aileen Ajootian, Don Cole, Larry Cox, Charles Eagles, John Juergens, Pamela Lawhead, Ellen Meacham, Terry Panhorst, William Staton, Ken Sufka, Patricia Treloar, John Winkle and David Willson; and staff members Barbara Collier, Thelma Curry, Sue Hodge, Michael Johansson, Barbara Leeton, Max Miller, Ginger Patterson, Melinda Pullen, Thomas J. Reardon, Valeria Beasley Ross, Marc Showalter and Linda Spargo.
Last year’s winners, Barbara Collier, director of University Health Services and nurse practitioner, and Larry Cox, now the Gwenette and Jack Robertson Jr. Chair of Insurance and Professor Emeritus of Finance, both expressed surprise upon learning that they had been chosen for the Frist recognition.
“I feel very humbled by this award,” Collier said. “I know many past recipients and am honored to be included among them. Serving others and meeting the needs of individuals who come into my life, either at work or in the community, has been one of the greatest rewards of my life. I believe that God gives gifts to each of us, and I believe that this is my gift.”
Likewise, Cox said, “When Chancellor Jones called with the news, I was absolutely stunned. In retrospect, I believe that this award is mostly reflective of a team effort by our risk management and insurance faculty, staff, students and alumni over many years. When I arrived here, I basically told our students and alumni that it would take a unified effort by all of us to raise the Ole Miss profile in our area and attract the type of employers and industry supporters that we all needed to succeed. Everyone seemingly bought in, and it has been one exhilarating ride. Employers from coast to coast now flock to Ole Miss to recruit our graduates, and even our interns.”
The Frist Student Service Awards were established with a $50,000 gift from the late Dr. Thomas F. Frist of Nashville, a 1930 UM graduate.
Click here for more information or to submit a nomination.