Oglethorpe faculty and staff recognized for commitment to the university and students

Valeri Cruz '23
May 13, 2025

A few days after celebrating the Class of 2025, Oglethorpe faculty and staff gathered for the annual OU Community Celebration luncheon, recognizing several employees for their commitment to the university and its students.

For the third year, faculty and staff submitted nominations for Excellence in Service Awards and Community Builders Awards.

Heather Neal poses with her Excellence in Service award in front of a yellow Oglethorpe backdrop. — Heather Neal received the Excellence in Service Award.

Mirroring the Excellence in Teaching awards presented at commencement to two faculty members, the Excellence in Service award recognizes two staff members who consistently deliver high-quality service, often “beyond the call of duty,” and inspire others with their commitment to learning and professionalism. This year’s recipients were Heather Neal, web specialist, and Dr. Vivian Medrano, director of the Center for Student Success.

The Community Builder award is presented to two individuals and two teams. The individual awards recognize one faculty and one staff member who foster cooperation and open communication, and create partnership opportunities. The team award is presented to a department, area, committee or other group that works to improve life at the university through collaboration, commitment and direct engagement in service to the community.

Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Dr. Anna Ziering received the faculty award, and Director of the Intercultural Center Sol Zacarias received the staff award.

Faculty and staff award recipients pose for a group photo with their certificates. — Faculty and staff members who were recognized at the Community Celebration Luncheon.

This year, two team awards were presented. Described as “overwhelmingly positive in their approach to serving students,” the Center for Student Success, which includes Dr. Vivian Medrano, Lauren Richardson, Anthony Laporte, Helen Bond, Mary Beth Newlin, and Tenisha Tinsley, received the first team award. The second team award went to the Residence Life team of Blake Petty, Ansley Radosta, Mya Sedwick, and Elliot Vande Velde.

The Senior Administrative Leadership Team and previous winners selected recipients from many peer nominations across campus.

“We are a community by choice, and we show up for each other. One of the things about Oglethorpe I appreciate most is its people,” said President Kathryn McClymond. “Even for a small university, days like today are rare. We are grateful for all you do and for joining the celebration to recognize each other.”

The celebration also recognized the faculty and staff who received awards earlier in the semester:

Men’s Coach of the Year: Kari Elliott, Head Coach for Men’s Cross Country
Women’s Coach of the Year: Jim Owen, Head Coach for Women’s Golf
Athletics Teams of the Year: Women’s Golf (Coached by Jim Owen, Assistant Coach, Mark Random) and Men’s Soccer (Coached by Jon Akin and Richard Quegan)
Champion of Inclusive Excellence (Faculty) – Dr. Maura Dudley
Champion of Inclusive Excellence (Staff) – Dr. Vivian Medrano
Core Instructor Award – Dr. Cornelia Lambert
Core Teaching Award – Dr. Glenn Sharfman
Omicron Delta Kappa Outstanding Faculty Member Award – Dr. Seema Shrikhande
Omicron Delta Kappa Outstanding Staff Member Award – Karlie Burrell
Student Government Association Community Appreciation Award – Al Douglas
Lu Thomasson Garrett ’52 Award for Meritorious Teaching– Dr. Allison Roessler
Vulcan Materials Company Award for Teaching Excellence and Leadership– Dr. Cassandra Copeland