PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 27, No. 17, April 3, 2008

Email to a friend

Six academic professionals honored with CAPE award

By Roxana Ryan, News Bureau Intern

Six academic professionals will receive the 2008 Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence award at an April 3 reception. Now in its 20th year, the program aims to honor contributions made by academic professionals on campus. Recipients are chosen for excellence in their work, personal and professional contributions to their fields, and the positive impact they have on colleagues, students and the public. Each award winner receives $2,000, a $1,000 increase in base salary and a $1,000 one-time budget increase for their department.

The CAPE recipients and a summary of their expertise, according to the nominating documentation:

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer Carol A. Buss, director of the Office of International Faculty and Staff Affairs

Carol A. Buss, director of the Office of International Faculty and Staff Affairs, has a strong history of assisting departments and units at the university get the best and the brightest international faculty and staff as members of our community, according to her nominators.

“Her involvement starts at the beginning with hiring and extends through visa acquisition and advising once (a faculty or staff member) has arrived,” said Michael Schmelzle, assistant director of the office, which is in the office of International Student and Scholar Services, which reports to International Programs and Studies. “If permanent residence is requested by the department, she will work to that goal. To date, not a single green-card application that she has filed has been denied by (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), which is a remarkable feat. She is creative and determined in finding solutions to visa problems.”

Buss also provides excellent customer service and teamwork to campus units, Schmelzle said. “She understands that the immigration process, which deals with huge bureaucracies, can be intimidating for departments and she strives to comply with regulations without losing the ‘human touch,’ ” he said. “In order to provide transparency and to foster good working relationships, she has organized regular workshops and training sessions to demystify the process and to provide concrete solutions to problems departments are faced with when hiring internationals.”

Buss joined the UI in 1981 as a staff member in the Office of International Faculty and Staff Affairs. Her talents and dedication were quickly recognized and she was promoted to assistant director. She became acting director in 1986 and was named director in 1989.

Buss often goes the extra mile in helping international faculty members and students when problems arise, Schmelzle said. She has driven to the office in the middle of the night to fax required documents to a unit director who was applying for an entry visa at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, assisted faculty members’ spouses in entering the country, and even personally delivered visa documents to O’Hare Airport to a scholar returning from Poland who had forgotten to bring the necessary documents to re-enter the U.S.

“Carol stands out in terms of exemplary customer service, honesty, integrity, professionalism and leadership,” said Debby Reynolds, human resources administrator in the department of computer science. “She goes above and beyond for us and always comes through when the odds are stacked against her. She has the determination, the expertise and the creativity to solve problems and get things done. Some of our most outstanding teachers and researchers are here with us today as a result of Carol’s efforts on their behalf.”

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer Keith Erickson, manager of utility distribution in the University Office for Facilities Planning and Programs

Keith Erickson, manager of utility distribution in the University Office for Facilities Planning and Programs, has worked tirelessly over the past 28 years to ensure uninterrupted utility service is provided to the campus, said Mike Larson, interim director of utilities.

“In the event of a power outage, Keith is usually the first person contacted, the first person to respond and the first person to get started on the development of a solution,” Larson said. “Keith has developed relationships with both university employees and contractors that allow him to quickly identify who can best help in any given scenario and employ their services immediately. In the utility business, timing is critical, and Keith’s development of this support network make him extremely valuable when troubleshooting some of the very unique problems that are presented.”

Because the utility business is a 24-7 responsibility, Erickson is always on call. “When issues arise, they must be dealt with immediately no matter what the time or the circumstances,” Larson said. “Keith has been called out of bed, called away from dinner, even called when on vacation and has always responded. He does not do this for the publicity or reward, because at 3 a.m. on a Saturday there is usually no one around to even notice. He does it because he takes his job and responsibility to the university very seriously.”

“The utility business on campus does not directly advance the primary mission of the university as it relates to teaching, research and public service, but the support they provide is critical for the departments that do directly advance the primary mission,” Larson said. “Keith understands his role in support of this mission.”

Erickson has worked at the UI since 1979, starting as an electrical engineer for Facilities and Services. He has worked in his current position since 2003.

Erickson also provided the leadership and technical insight to bring the University Electric Distribution project to a successful end, according to Lyle D. Wachtel, associate vice president for the University Office for Facilities Planning and Programs. “Keith embraced the forward-looking concepts and established the personal ownership required to guarantee a successful outcome.”

Erickson also is an ambassador for the campus. He lectures to groups of engineers visiting the campus and is involved with the mechanical science and engineering department’s program for undergraduate students. In addition, he regularly hosts tours of campus utilities and utility infrastructure for classes on campus to help provide real-world examples of what they are learning in the classroom.

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer Brian Jewett, research scientist in the department of atmospheric sciences

Brian Jewett, research scientist in the department of atmospheric sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is one of a few research scientists nationwide who is an expert in both numerical simulation of hazardous weather systems and analysis of complex meteorological data, wrote Robert Rauber, professor and acting head of the department.

“Jewett has made substantial scientific contributions to our understanding of hazardous weather systems, both summer and winter, and successfully simulated a wide range of phenomena, from tornadic thunderstorms to winter cyclones, fronts and atmospheric gravity waves,” Rauber said.

Jewett maintains and runs a suite of numerical forecast models in the department and posts model forecasts on the university Web site daily that are used by the National Weather Service offices in Lincoln, Ill.,, St. Louis; and other regions, according to Rauber. He also developed the local UI real-time production system to include the latest weather-prediction models.

Jewett also is a respected instructor. He has taught a 100-level course on severe and hazardous weather and a 500-level course on numerical fluid dynamics. As the department expert in numerical simulation of storms, faculty members have come to depend on Brian to advise students through the process of learning the art and science of numerical modeling. He has served on Ph.D. committees and generously provided considerable time to students not working directly on grants related to his research, according to Rauber.

Jewett led a team of storm chasers who documented the progress of the storm and tornado that hit Urbana and Ogden in 1996. Subsequently, he and a student began a scientific investigation of the storm using data from the new Doppler radar in Lincoln and numerical simulations. The first two papers from this analysis were published in one of the top atmospheric science journals, Monthly Weather Review. He also will submit additional papers in the future on his simulations of that devastating storm. As an avid tornado chaser, he has worked hard to inform the public about tornado safety. His public outreach has included conducting severe-storm awareness and tornado-preparedness presentations as well as storm-spotter training sessions. His storm videos also are used in WILL meteorologist Ed Kieser’s tornado-safety seminars.

Greg McFarquhar, a professor of atmospheric sciences, said he could not imagine himself trying to do his modeling research and field work without Jewett.

“The department is truly fortunate to have the talents of Jewett at its disposal,” he said. “It is only through the presence of dedicated professionals such as Dr. Jewett that the teaching, research and service missions of the University of Illinois can be accomplished.”

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer Robin Neal Kaler, associate chancellor of public affairs

Robin Neal Kaler, associate chancellor of public affairs, is dedicated to enhancing the marketing, communications and public relations resources services – and thus the image—of the Urbana campus, according to her nominators, Melissa Edwards, director of communications at the Institute for Genomic Biology, and Ginny Hudak-David, associate director of the Office for University Relations.

“In the more than four years since Robin was appointed associate chancellor, the campus’s approach to communications and marketing has changed dramatically,” they wrote. “Although colleges continue to determine their individual marketing and communications strategies, unit communicators now have a wide array of resources – tools, staff, information – available to assist them in their work.”

Kaler also is valued and admired as being a creative thinker. “She has the ability to transcend traditional concepts, rules, patterns and relationships to create meaningful new ideas, approaches, methods and interpretations,” said Shelli Drummond Stine, associate director for development and external relations in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. “Quite often it is her fresh and youthful imagination that brings the progressive success of her partners and staff.”

“Robin is a force for good,” Edwards said. “She is an associate chancellor, yet I’ve seen her stop on her way to meetings to pick up garbage that hasn’t yet made it to the trash can. She works incredibly long hours, yet she will always find time to return phone calls. She is the voice for the campus, but she is also a devoted cheerleader for individuals at all levels of the university.”

Kaler also is a role model for those in the journalism world and is respectful to everyone, according to Jennifer Roscoe, news anchor of WCIA-TV and a former journalism student of Kaler. “She has worked on both sides of the aisle,” Roscoe said. “It does not matter which reporter is sent out to interview her, a veteran or a newcomer, Robin gives everyone the time to get the story straight. She has sat through lengthy interviews, but never stopped anyone from asking questions. She is always available to us, and we are grateful for that.”

Kaler’s actions extend beyond the office, said Sharla Sola, associate director in the Office of Institutional Advancement. “Robin regularly meets with students to shape their education and find experiences for them to grow. She provides positive feedback to colleague across campus and nurtures their professional growth.”

“Robin leads by example and the UI is a better place because she is here,” Edwards said.

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer Karen Pruiett, research specialist in life sciences and manager of the Bee Research Facility

Karen Pruiett is responsible for the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of lives in her role as research specialist in life sciences and manager of the Bee Research Facility, according to May Berenbaum, Swanlund Chair and head of the department of entomology. Pruiett not only cares for dozens of colonies of honey bees located across at least two counties, but also interacts with students and faculty members and the public, Berenbaum said.

“Karen Pruiett is one of the jewels of the campus workforce,” wrote Gene Robinson, Swanlund Chair, professor of entomology and a theme leader of the Neural and Behavioral Plasticity Theme at the Institute for Genomic Biology. “Her work adds significantly to the research, teaching and outreach activities of the campus bee research program, which is recognized as one of the best in the country.” 

One of Pruiett’s main activities is to run an operation of about 100 colonies of honey bees so that healthy specimens of the correct age and genetic stock are available for the many experiments performed by researchers, wrote Robinson. “This involves a highly specialized form of expertise, one that requires skill in both commercial and scientific aspects of beekeeping and Pruiett is among the best in the nation,” Robinson said. “Thanks to her, researchers have available to them thousand of bees in just the right condition for experiments that probe their behavior, brain and genes.”

She also keeps up with the latest developments by reading trade journals extensively and consulting with other beekeepers, locally and throughout the country.

“She develops her own new management techniques to fit the situation,” Robinson said. “She is innovative and creative in her practice of beekeeping.”

Pruiett also has made significant contributions to the facility’s outreach mission. She handles most calls from citizens who have problems with bees or other stinging insects or from beekeepers who seek advice, wrote Robinson.

Pruiett also took it upon herself to reactivate the area’s local beekeeping organization.

“Working mostly on her own time, during evenings and weekends over the past three years, she has successfully revitalized this group,” Robinson said. “It now holds regular meetings and new beekeepers are especially grateful to her for her leadership.”

Pruiett also helps teach IB109, “Insects and People,” Berenbaum said. Students visit the bee research facility to observe the insect’s behavior and to learn how they are managed. This trip is often the highlight of the semester, according to Berenbaum.  “Karen’s ability to ease the fears of these students, none of whom are scientists and some of whom are so afraid of insects that they won’t even touch dead specimens, is absolutely astounding,” she said.

Click photo to enlarge Photo by L. Brian Stauffer Tracey Wszalek, associate director of the Biomedical Imaging Center

Tracey Wszalek, associate director of the Biomedical Imaging Center, is a wonderful leader with unique capabilities and knowledge that make her instrumental in cross-campus, interdisciplinary activities, according to Pierre Wilzius, director of the Beckman Institute. 

“Her job requires a multitude of skills, including a solid scientific background, a through familiarity with the policies for the treatment of human and non-human animal subjects for experiments, a knowledge of accounting and perhaps more importantly the ability to successfully interact with and manage people who range across the spectrum of education and training,” said Arthur Kramer, director of the Biomedical Imaging Center. “Wszalek accomplishes all of these duties with a high degree of professionalism and expertise. In my 28 years at the UI, she is clearly the most remarkable professional staff member that I have had the pleasure to work with.”

Wszalek has supported bioimaging at the UI in several different capacities since 1997. At that time, the university did not have its own magnetic resonance imaging capabilities for humans on campus and collaboration with another institution was necessary if faculty members and students were to have access to this technology, Kramer wrote.

“Tracey developed a strong relationship between two institutions with very different missions,” Kramer said. “I can honestly say that without her tireless work to establish and nurture connections between faculty at the university and physicians and staff members at Carle Clinic and Hospital, the collaborative endeavor would have never succeeded and grown into the world-class research group that it is today.”

Wszalek also is a role model for balancing work and family responsibilities, Kramer said. “She also does a wonderful job of providing professional development for the staff by ensuring they are given the time to attend workshops and classes that are needed to enhance their skills and expertise.”

Kramer said Wszalek is a wonderful ambassador of the center to the news media and to the national and international scientific and medical communities. “She and her staff have developed and staffed multimodal educational displays and presentations for a number of open houses and host local and national media for a number of news stories and documentaries that have been produced about research at the institute and on campus.”

Wszalek “epitomizes the person who works at the interface between the physical sciences and engineering on one hand, and the life and social sciences on the other,” said Wilzius. “She is a real gem forIllinois.”

Back to Index