CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Dads Association at the University of Illinois announced its 2011 Certificate of Merit award recipients at its annual banquet Nov. 11.
The awards recognize a student, a faculty member, a staff member and a registered student organization for their outstanding contributions to the improvement of the university and community. No faculty member was honored this year.
The 2011 recipients:
Student recipient Chad Johnston, a senior in communication from Momence, Ill., works as a student technology support specialist in Mumford Hall, home of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Previously he worked as an attendant at the ACES Academic Computer Facility Helpdesk. Johnston was nominated by his colleague, Josh Henry, a network analyst, who said Johnson “set himself apart through his excellent work ethic, personal integrity and solid professionalism.”
Staff recipient Randy Elkins is the assistant to the head of the department of industrial and enterprise systems engineering. “Randy is totally reliable in everything he does,” said professor Jong-Shi Pang. “Randy’s dedication to helping the department and college is truly exemplary.”
The registered student organization recipient Interfaith in Action is a service group dedicated to promoting religious pluralism at Illinois. The group has hosted the annual Days of Interfaith Youth Service and created the project One Million Meals for Haiti, which provided food for the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti last year.
“Within the last year, two different Interfaith in Action student leaders have been speakers at the White House for nationwide gatherings about interfaith cooperation in higher education,” said doctoral student Gregory Damhorst who nominated the group.
The Dads Association, founded in 1922, is believed to be one of the nation’s longest-serving parent organizations. It supports programs, services and activities that promote the health, safety and well-being of the university community and serves as the parent liaison to campus.
