PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 24, No. 18, April 7, 2005

Six academic professionals honored with CAPE award

By Sarah Scalia, News Bureau Student Intern
217-244-1072; slforres@uiuc.edu

Six UI employees received the 2005 Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence award at an awards ceremony and reception April 6. Now in its 17th year, the award program is designed to recognize the importance of contributions made by academic professionals on campus.

Recipients are chosen for excellence in the work, personal and professional contributions they make to their fields and the positive impact they have had on colleagues, students and the public. A committee of 12 academic professionals from units across campus reviewed the nominations and recommended this year’s award winners to Interim Chancellor Richard Herman.

Each recipient receives $2,000 and a $1,000 increase in base salary effective Aug. 16. They also will receive $1,000 in their departmental budget to be used at their discretion.

Click photo to enlarge Photo by Kwame Ross Sharon Bryan assistant dean in the College of Engineering

Sharon Bryan, assistant dean in the College of Engineering, has worked at the UI for more than 30 years and initially was hired as an accountant I in the Accounting Division. Since that time Bryan has made substantial contributions not only to the college, but also to the university.

Bryan’s main responsibilities include overseeing the budget (more than $100 million annually), human resources and financial operations of the college. However, she is most recognized for her initiative, strong work ethic and drive to work for the greater good of students and faculty members. “Through creative budget management, Sharon has kept the focus on delivery of instruction, the quality of the faculty and the viability of the units in the college,” said Myron Salamon, professor of physics and associate dean for administrative affairs in the college, in a letter of support for her nomination.

Most recently, Bryan was instrumental in making the transition to the new Banner Salary Planner. She created a plan, gathered feedback, and assigned information technology staff members from her department to create a program to assist employees in creating their budgets on the new system. This was a major accomplishment that served the entire campus, not just the College of Engineering. In a letter co-signed by Sandra Frank from the College of Business; Alison Schmulback of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; and Carol Wakefield of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Bryan’s contributions were summed up in this way: “In our view, the budget process could not have been completed accurately or on time without this tool, and it serves as the most recent example of how Sharon’s tireless efforts and willingness to help develop solutions that benefit the larger campus community.”

In addition, Bryan has mentored several colleagues, both professionally and personally. According to Kathleen Pecknold, associate chancellor, and Bill Adams, associate provost: “She is much more than a gifted financial administrator. She cares deeply about people.”

Click photo to enlarge Photo by David Riecks ACES ITCS RIchard Knipe animal systems extension educator for UI Extension

Richard Knipe works as an animal systems extension educator for UI Extension, and has served the Illinois livestock industry for more than 23 years. During this time, Knipe has pioneered a variety of programs and is often the first to tackle emerging issues facing the livestock industry. In addition, his research and programs have extended beyond the regional level to both national and international audiences, retailers and farmers.

Knipe has been elected to many prestigious positions, including chair of the Integrated Resource Management Action Team of the Five State Beef Initiative. Several of his research projects have been approved and resulted in grants. “As principal investigator or co-investigator, he has supported his programs through grants totaling several million dollars,” said Dennis R. Campion, associate dean for Extension and Outreach. These programs include a Web-based marketing resource called MarketMaker that is used in UI animal science classes, and the BioTech Camp for seventh- and eighth-grade students who excel in science that he helped develop. Robert A. Easter, dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, praised Knipe for his “Commitment to provide the educational resources that will enable Illinois livestock producers and youth to achieve their true potential.”

Easter went on to say “Dr. Knipe has been increasingly thrust into leadership duties and has used that position to create economic opportunity for the small farmers of Illinois while meeting a societal need.” This included receiving funding to define the customer market for lamb meat in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. “He used that support to facilitate the establishment of a supply chain that linked Illinois farmers to markets in ethnic neighborhoods. This was truly a win-win outcome. Struggling farmers found an opportunity for income while customers were provided with safe, locally produced, high-quality meat product,” Easter wrote.

Click photo to enlarge Photo by Kwame Ross A. Asghar Mirarefi assistant to the head and lecturer in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering

A. Asghar Mirarefi, assistant to the head and lecturer in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been working at the UI since 1987. In that time, Mirarefi has had a large impact on efforts to renovate the chemical engineering program.

ChE 2000 was an aggressive campaign that raised funds for endowed chairs, program support and renovations, as well as hiring packages for new faculty members. Mirarefi has provided critical support that has helped keep the department among the top institutions in the nation. His superb problem-solving skills, ability to analyze the budget and manage funding, and his commitment to establishing long-lasting relationships both within and outside of the UI community were critical to the success of this program. “This activity has been the single most important reason that the department was able to re-invent itself during a period of exceptional fragility,” said Richard Alkire, the department’s Charles and Dorothy Prizer Chair.

Mirarefi’s achievements extend far beyond the UI. He also has established a long-term relationship with the research community at the National University of Singapore. Through rigorous communication, which includes traveling to Singapore twice a year, Mirarefi has created a program in which students from the UI and NUS are paired and trade places for a semester before completing their degrees. In addition, he seeks out internships for students while they are studying abroad.

Students from both universities gain valuable experience and increase their international marketability. Mirarefi’s efforts in this program have strengthened the international presences of both chemical and biomolecular engineering and the UI. As part of this program, Mirarefi also has negotiated with officials in Singapore to gain support and funding while tracking student progress and providing mentoring.

Click photo to enlarge Photo by Kwame Ross Charles Olson assistant dean for academic programs in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Charles Olson, assistant dean for academic programs in the College ofAgricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, has worked at the UI for more than 30 years. Friends, colleagues and students all praise Olson for his friendly, enthusiastic, yet realistic advice and mentoring.

As a mentor, Olson has taken a personal interest in all his students and sincerely tries to prepare them for the real world and assist them in career placement. In addition, Olson has a myriad of relationships and friends within the industry, and is recognized throughout the agricultural community as a true leader. His strong presence within the industry has helped him counsel students on career options. Wayne Banwart, assistant dean of the college, summarized the overall impact Olson has made on the students he passionately assists: “Many students believe, in fact, that his initials (CEO) describe his function – as they see it – as the Chief Executive Officer for the college, rather than an assistant dean for academic programs.”

Olson’s talents reach beyond assisting the college’s current students. He also has been crucial in recruiting for the college and manages scholarship programs to assist in student funding. He reaches out to students from all cultural and geographical backgrounds to ensure prospective students know about the opportunities available through the college.

In the past, Olson also has served on a variety of committees and gained a national reputation. He was chairman of the Leadership Initiative Committee, which has formed a Leadership Certificate that combines extracurricular activities with academia to help prepare students for the future. He has given presentations at several national conferences on career services, including annual conferences hosted by North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture.

Most recently, he has been chosen by the USDA to serve on the Employment Opportunities for Graduates project panel, a group committed to identifying and predicting employment needs in the food and agriculture sector. In his nomination of Olson, R. Kirby Barrick, associate dean for academic programs in ACES, said: “(Olson’s) selection to serve on the USDA panel is indicative of his national reputation. His national reputation is an asset to our college.”

Click photo to enlarge Photo by Kwame Ross Kent Reifsteck associate director of engineering services for Facilities and Services

Kent Reifsteck, associate director of engineering services for Facilities and Services, has been instrumental in the conceptualization, design and construction of the Chilled Water System on the UI campus. “Without his personal involvement, significant parts of the campus would have been without cooling,” said Jack Dempsey, executive director of Facilities and Services, in a letter of support.

Reifsteck has worked at the UI since 1994 and is currently associate director of engineering services in Facilities and Services. He leads an extraordinary team of experts, who work together to fix problems with essential services, such as heating and cooling, which are often taken for granted.

Although Reifsteck is the team leader, he takes a hands-on approach and works with his team while seeking input from everyone about the best way to solve a problem. More important, he works tirelessly to help avoid problems before the start. In his nomination of Reifsteck, Cliff Carey, campus architect/director of planning, quoted one of Reifsteck’s co-workers: “Kent rarely gets recognized because most of his work involves preventing bad things from happening with systems other people don’t want to think about. Therefore by nature his success attracts little attention and yet frees others to focus on the mission of the university.”

In addition, Reifsteck’s expertise of central chilled water system designs has gained him recognition at the national level. He has been invited to several conferences to present speeches, including the 2001 Annual College/University Conference for the International District Energy Association and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers 2003 Annual Meeting.

“Kent is always focusing on obtaining the greatest value for the university while considering initial cost, operating costs and long-term maintenance,” said Jerrold A. Schuett of Affiliated Engineers in a letter supporting Reiftsteck’s nomination.

Click photo to enlarge Photo by Kwame Ross John Rossi assistant dean for administration in the College of Law

John Rossi started at the UI in 1996 as director of information services for the College of Law. At the time, the college’s computer network was far behind those of other law schools. “John was singularly responsible for taking the College of Law from being one of the least technologically advanced law schools in the nation to being hailed as ‘The Second Most Wired Law School in America’ (National Jurist Magazine, 1998),” said Heidi Hurd, dean of the college. This achievement also has helped attract high caliber students and faculty members, improving the college and the UI’s reputation.

Rossi was promoted in 2000, and is now the assistant dean for administration. In this position, he worked tirelessly to bring better business practices to the college to help the college weather recent budget cuts without having to drastically cut staffing, class offerings or forego new programmatic opportunities. “With the transition to Banner, John had to re-do much of his early work. But he took it as an opportunity to expand and improve on the existing system, making it even more useful in guiding the college’s strategic financial planning,” Hurd wrote.

In addition, in recent years, Rossi also has served as the college’s chief financial officer and assistant dean for admissions to help smooth transitions when turnover has occurred.

Rossi also has been an active participant in several important university and campus planning processes. He has served repeated terms on the CIO’s IT Alliance, the Dean’s Budget Committee and the Facilities Planning Committee.

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