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The State of the ‘Ville is an annual ceremony during which the president reflects on the past year and lists his priorities for the coming year. As part of that event, the University presents awards to recognize individuals and groups that contribute to MU’s six EPPIIC values: exploration, public mission, professionalism, inclusion, integrity and compassion.
Staff and faculty members are chosen from a pool of nominations sent in by their colleagues, students or themselves. Out of the members nominated for each category, the University selects a winner who best demonstrates the qualities of each value.
The winner of the Exploration Award is assistant professor and coordinator of the automation & robotics engineering technology program, Dr. John Haughery. Haughery was recognized for his efforts to provide students with learning opportunities within the Robotics and Automation industry. In his nomination, the nominator writes, “John is excellent at bringing people together and thinking beyond the campus to engage regional industry partners. I am very impressed with John’s skillset in seeing a need and opportunity and growing an academic-industry partnership to advance our practice. His innovative approach and collaborative style are noteworthy, and the outcome advances our core value of exploration on campus.”
The winner of the Public Mission Award is associate professor and coordinator of master’s in social work Dr. Laura Brierton Granruth. The University recognizes Granruth as a student role model who contributes to civic engagement, compassion and social justice. In her nomination, the nominator writes that she “goes above and beyond the call of duty to help students to engage in community issues that matter to them; she inspires them to change the world in good ways to promote enduring social justice.”
The winner of the Professionalism Award is the director of library operations, Andrew Welaish. Welaish was recognized for his service to the campus and for finding innovative solutions. In his nomination, the nominator writes that Welaish “always ensures that we are doing the right thing, every time. Andy Welaish is the epitome of measured servant leadership. Whether by volunteering at Library and University College events, admitting when a less-than-ideal decision has been made and ensuring its correction, or clearly communicating how and why actions are taken, Andy clearly takes immense pride in his work. In a single day, Andy switches between numerous tasks to ensure that things run as smoothly as possible for library employees and all of Millersville’s students.”
The winner of the Inclusion Award is the staff of the Visual & Performing Arts Center. Robin Zaremski leads this team, which includes Nathan Cottrell, Barry Kornhauser, Cori Jackson, Julie Pyle-Childs, Abby Imm, Wes Bullock, Emily O’Shea, Steph Witman, Chris Jackson, Brian Fetterhoff and Josh Redd. The Visual & Performing Arts Center Team was recognized for providing the community with diverse art and cultural events. In their nomination, a member of the team shares, “Our mission every day is to provide a welcoming cultural cornucopia of visual and performing arts programming for our diverse local Lancaster community and our Millersville family/students. From our Performing Arts Series to our live panel documentary series and all the community events we host, each is carefully planned and selected to share the beauty of inclusivity and individuality. Here at Ware, we celebrate differences.”
The winner of the Integrity Award is the MU electrical team. This team comprises William Rockey, Dan Trzaska, Glenn Swan, Sam Fonzi, Yousef Lundi, Anthony Hoopes and Corinne Dyer. The University acknowledged them for ensuring the campus operates successfully behind the scenes. In their nomination, the nominator recognizes the team for their hard work, “They must be able to troubleshoot one job as they are being called to another, make quick decisions, accommodate requests, assist other maintenance personnel, and practically leap over tall buildings in a single bound! The Electrical shop specifically exemplifies the EPPIIC quality of Integrity. Members of this team are most often the first ones called on to resolve a multitude of issues related to anything from fire alarms to power outages and other urgent events where they are required to make quick, resourceful, and professional decisions.”
The winner of the Compassion Award is Associate Professor Dr. Margaret Mbindyo. The University recognizes Mbindyo’s dedication to supporting students’ success in their educational, economic, social and personal challenges. In her nomination, the nominator praises her for her commitment to her students, “I have personally witnessed many students return over the years to visit Dr. Mbindyo and let her know that she was the impetus for them to aspire to more academically and to share their achievements with her. These students understood that Margaret went above and beyond her faculty role to ensure they were properly recognized, mentored, nurtured, celebrated, and appreciated as individuals and valued scholars. Margaret stays after hours to meet with students, listen to their concerns, and ensure they feel seen and heard in an unhurried manner. She listens attentively to see how she can support them.”
All full-time, part-time, and temporarily employed University faculty, staff and departments/units are eligible to be nominated by faculty, staff and students. The nomination period for next year will start in the spring of 2025. The winners of the EPPIIC awards will be selected in the fall of 2025.
Read more about the 2024 nominees here: 2024 EPPIIC Award Recipients and Nominees
To learn more about the nomination process, visit Nomination Process
