June 8, 2005 :: No. 234

Cal State Fullerton recognized the extraordinary performance and achievements of its staff members June 3 during Staff Appreciation and Recognition Day.

From among the year’s Titan Excellence Award recipients, three were selected to receive the university’s highest staff honor for 2005: Lisa Jones of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Larry Martin of the Dean of Students Office and Edith Wilkins of Physical Plant.

“All three of our honorees receiving the prestigious Outstanding Staff Employee Award have truly exhibited extraordinary performance,” said President Milton A. Gordon.

Lisa Jones
Lisa Jones, assistant dean of student services in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was recognized for her support, guidance and willingness to assist or coordinate new projects and special events, such as a regional conference of the American Society of Civil Engineers held on campus and the annual Engineering and Computer Science Weeks, as well as developing 25 corporate sponsorships.

Jones “played a critical role in reaching out to prospective students and achieving a 13 percent increase in fall 2004 student enrollment for the college,” noted Gordon, who added that she also established partnership relationships with major corporations and organizations in the community, worked to create employment opportunities for ECS graduates and “even presented an award-winning presentation on how educators and employers can work together to prepare students for the challenges of employment.”

A member of the campus community since 2002, Jones previously worked with technical and engineering students at both the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Florida Institute of Technology. She is a resident of Whittier.

Larry Martin
Larry Martin, acting senior program coordinator, New Student Programs, was honored for “creative professionalism and enthusiasm” and his work to transform the university’s New Student and Student Life orientation programs.

“On campus, one is likely to see this recipient working with the Greek organizations, collaborating on the University Leadership Conference, and working with staff and faculty across campus to bring new, innovative ideas to University 100 courses and other first-year programs,” noted Gordon. Martin, as a team teacher for first-year students, “has won the praise of collaborating faculty colleagues, one of whom noted that ‘if my younger son were a student here, I would want you to be among the first people that he met.’”

Martin, a resident of Fullerton, joined the university in July 2000 after completing a master’s degree in education at Azusa Pacific University.

Edith Wilkins
The third recipient of the 2005 Cal State Fullerton Outstanding Staff Employee Award is Edith Wilkins of Fullerton. The campus custodian joined CSUF in 1999 and since that time “has come to be recognized by units and individuals across campus for her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty and for her contagious enthusiasm,” noted Gordon.

“Because of her dedication to keeping the university clean and shining, this individual has never missed a scheduled shift … and regularly calls in advance to find out if any of her team is out ill and if she is needed to come in early,” he said. When recently scheduled for surgery, Wilkins called her supervisor and asked about adapting her co-workers’ schedules to provide more evenly distributed coverage during her absence, Gordon noted.

“As a valued member of committees, panels and department meetings, this honoree makes significant contributions, offering innovative ideas and recommendations to committees, supervisors and even to other units,” Gordon added.

Other members of the university staff were recognized for completing academic degrees and certificates and for their years of campus service, ranging from five to 35 years.

« back to News Front