Recognizing our student success champions

For me, the Student Success Summit marks the official start of summer. Last year at Summit, we gave informal recognition to some colleagues on campus who made substantial contributions to student success. This year, we made it an official tradition with more formal recognition organized around the Five Opportunity Areas of Student Success. 

This year’s recipients all demonstrated a commitment to fostering personal, academic, and cultural exploration while supporting students in articulating and achieving their goals through a commitment to continuously reviewing, refining, and adapting policies, procedureDos, and practices to better support students in each opportunity area for student success.

This year’s award recipients were:

Self-Discovery of Purpose

• Maggie Harris, assistant director, Internships & Career Education, College of Arts & Letters, Undergraduate Studies, Excel Network
• Victoria Morris, assistant director, Career Services, College of Arts & Letters, Undergraduate Studies, Excel Network

Educational Success

• Kirk A. Domer, professor and director, Theatre/Arts and Cultural Management
• ShirDonna Y. Lawrence, director, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Student Life & Engagement DEIB and Fraternity & Sorority Life
• Danielle M. Flores Lopez, director, Advising and Student Success, Natural Science

Contributing to an Empowered Community

• Jonglim Han, director, DOW STEM Scholars
• Pat Arnold, assistant director, GenCen

Developing a Sense of Belonging

• Yvonne C. Morris, advisor and associate chair, African American and African Studies
• Sharron Reed-Davis, coalition coordinator, Student Life & Engagement DEIB

Developing Wellbeing

• Laura Yares, faculty, Religious Studies
• Samara Chamoun, educator and doctoral candidate in mathematics, Mathematics

Just as we know that we indicate what we value by what we measure, we also demonstrate our values in rewarding the work and the commitment of colleagues who center students and student success. In that way, awards like these are not just about the recipients; they are also exhibitions of our community’s values. Thank you again to our student success champions, to their nominators, and to the committees who read through the many nominations to choose this year’s award recipients. 

Please take a moment to learn more about the Five Opportunity Areas of Student Success Recognition Program and discover how you can get more involved in MSU’s student success work. Nominations are open again this summer, so take the time to recognize the incredible work of your peers and colleagues.

*Student Success Awards photos courtesy of Sarah Schultz, director, Student Experience Record