The Administrative/Professional (AP) Council announced those who will be honored at the Founders Day celebration on February 15. Stephanie Duquenne, Ryan Gray, Jan Paterson, and Bruce Stoffel will receive the A/P Distinguished Service Award; Katherine Birdsall and Yimin Wang will be honored with the A/P Emerging Leader Award; and Melanie Schaafsma will receive the A/P Council Esprit De Corps Award.
A/P Distinguished Service Award
Duquenne, Alumni Relations, is a director who has been with the University since 2009. Duquenne’s role focuses on executing Illinois State University’s longest standing tradition, Homecoming, along with being the Alumni Relations liaison for the student-to-alumni transition and affinity and class-based reunions. She works with the different colleges and departments on collaborative events and reunions, including the University’s Sibling Weekend events, Family Weekend events, and the Children’s Holiday Party. Three years ago, she developed the Legacy Program for current students and their family members who are alumni of Illinois State. She has also dedicated herself to Illinois State’s Traditions Committee, making the University’s culture and customs better known throughout the campus community.
Gray, Sociology and Anthropology, began his academic advising career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2000. In 2005, he became the coordinator for the Illinois Articulation Initiative, itransfer.org, working with advisors, admissions representatives, and faculty from over 120 institutions throughout Illinois. In 2007, he returned to advising in the Department of English at Illinois State, where he advised a diverse population of English majors and minors. In 2014, he moved to his present position in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology where he is the undergraduate advisor, internship coordinator, and assistant to the department chair. He has served as a department and school representative on the Academic Advising Council, has served on the AAC Technology Committee since 2007, and the AAC Assessment Committee since 2012.
Paterson, Community Engagement and Service Learning, began her current position as interim director for civic engagement in August 2015 and is responsible for establishing the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning. Prior to this role, she worked with a team of colleagues to create the Dean of Students Office and then served as the dean of students from 2004-2014. In that position, she counts among her accomplishments the establishment of the Dean on Duty program and the Redbird Book Memorial. Jan started her career at Illinois State in 2001 as associate director of student life. Concurrent with these administrative positions, Jan has taught in the College Student Personnel Administration program.
Stoffel, Office of Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, joined the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost in January 2012 as coordinator of academic programs and policy. In that role, Stoffel assists the associate provost with the academic program review process, new program planning, federal and state compliance issues, and university accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission. Stoffel also assists the associate vice president for academic administration, policy, and faculty affairs with two shared governance committees associated with the appointment, salary, promotion, and tenure (ASPT) system at the University. Stoffel began service at Illinois State University in July 2001 as a faculty member in Milner Library, and earned the rank of associate professor in 2008.
A/P Emerging Leader Awards
Birdsall, Campus Recreation, joined the department at Illinois State in 2014, and currently serves as the assistant director of facilities, overseeing the Student Fitness Center, McCormick Hall, and Gregory Street Fields. She has spearheaded such projects as the designation of all-gender locker room facilities and the addition of ADA accessible spaces in aquatics facilities. Birdsall has initiated diversity leadership trainings for student team members in Campus Recreation, as well as led a seven-week course called Voices of Discovery in partnership with the Dean of Students Office and Student Counseling Services. She has also previously sat on the Professional Development Committee and the Student Learning Outcomes Network for the Division of Student Affairs.
Wang, Office of International Studies and Programs, is currently associate director of the Office of International Studies and Programs (OISP). In this position, her direct reports include the English Language Institute, International Students and Scholars Services, Study Abroad Office, International House, and OISP Administrative Office. Since she joined Illinois State in January 2016, Wang has significantly expanded the enrollment of the American Studies Program, which hosts international short-term visiting students for experiential learning programs. Wang has also been instrumental in the establishment of an undergraduate dual degree program in graphic design in collaboration with Shanghai Normal University Tianhua College in China as well as other important international collaborations that ISU has established during the past two years.
A/P Council Esprit de Corps Award
Schaafsma, Human Resources, has been part of the Redbird family for 14 years. She has held her current position as director of academic employment in Human Resources since June 2013. In this role, she serves as a member of the Human Resources Leadership Team and HR liaison to the Administrative Professional Council. She has operational responsibility for the Academic Employment unit to ensure it is a strategic partner with all areas of the University for the purpose of coordinating, integrating, and implementing HR services and programs that have an impact on talent acquisition, university diversity goals, retention, and their impact on client organizational goals and strategies. She was a staff mentor to an HR undergraduate student as part of the ISULeads leadership program and served as a staff advisor to Gamma Phi Beta sorority.
