Alfred State recognizes Pioneer Award recipients

President Dr. Skip Sullivan recently presented five employees with the college’s Pioneer Award.

Recognized at the annual employee recognition banquet were: Gina Boyd, Pam Brandes, Dr. Hollie Hall, Deb Markham, and KathyAnn Sager. Each received a certificate and a monetary gift.

The Pioneer Award acknowledges those who have demonstrated commitment and dedication to the college’s mission and goals, have made contributions that have had a measurable positive impact on college operations, are seen as positive role models that show creativity and initiative, and have shown a consistent level of exceptional performance throughout their employment.

For more than 25 years, Boyd, the head women’s basketball coach, has been a dedicated Alfred State employee, an outstanding coach, and a role model for her student-athletes. She has coached many student-athletes throughout her career, and has developed outstanding relationships with these individuals.

Boyd is always looking out for the best interests of the students, and continues to look for new and interesting classes to implement with regards to physical education. She is also heavily involved in the community, and runs the summer youth program on campus.

As secretary for the School of Applied Technology, Brandes has demonstrated commitment to Alfred State College in many ways. In fact, her daily responsibilities could not be more diverse, ranging from maintaining the duties of the dean’s office, to managing purchases and tracks receivables of grants, to acting as a guide to others in both the administrative and academic areas.

One of the biggest ways that Brandes has been a role model is through serving on the Leadership Executive Board of the SkillsUSA Club. While the club had been struggling for many years to grow and be organizationally sound in leadership, she worked with the members to strengthen and build each of their respective roles. Even amidst positional resignations within the club, she worked with the replacement to assure continuance of the work that was started.

As director of counseling in the Health and Wellness Services Office, Hollie Hall’s attention and dedication to students’ well-being, mental health, and stability are beyond comparison. She is working 24/7 to take calls, triage crises, transport students, and assist Residence Life and University Police. It is a level of care that is always consistent and dependable.

Hall is a role model to so many on campus. She constantly strives to increase services for students, whether it’s through the MindSpa, Oasis, or CARE Team programming, and does so with the intention of being creative in an effort to serve as many as possible.

Markham, a cleaner in Facilities Services, provides excellent service to those in the Agriculture Science Building, service that does not go unnoticed and is greatly appreciated. She is a very conscientious cleaner, and takes her responsibilities to the next level.

Whether it’s making sure the floors are waxed, desks are positioned in straight lines, chalkboards are wiped clean, or carpets are vacuumed, Markham performs each task to perfection daily.

Sager, an assistant professor in the Nursing Department, has a strong commitment to the nursing program at all levels, and has served in several roles. These include lecturer on many of the various units in the nursing curriculum, skills coordinator, BSN online instructor, and she has also been involved with the Nursing Living Learning Community (NLLC).

Sager has also served as a senator for the Nursing Department, the interim chair of the E-Learning Committee, a member of the Emergency Response Planning Committee, and chair of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. She has been a champion in reviewing and revising the current RN to BSN curriculum to better meets the needs of the students. This effort was a great help in ensuring the program received a positive accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Recipients are nominated by their peers and selected by the Reward and Recognition Committee.