The Office of Human Resources recognized four recipients of the 2017 Appalachian Staff Excellence Awards. The awards are given annually in recognition of exemplary service, commitment, collegiality and leadership to the university community.
James Burniston, Daniel Bryan, Haley Childers and Mary Beth McKee were recognized by Director of Human Resources Mark Bachmeier at the Fall 2017 opening meeting for faculty and staff.
“These awards reaffirm for us the exceptional quality of people who make up our campus community, people who model our organizational values, support one another and support the academic mission of our university through excellence,” Bachmeier said.
Daniel Bryan
Bryan is an employee relations consultant for the Office of Human Resources. He has been with Appalachian since 1995. Bryan was praised for serving many employees university-wide, on a daily basis, always with the goal of reaching the best possible outcome for everyone concerned.
One nominator praised Bryan’s willingness to go above and beyond to help when serious illness struck: “I suspect there are many, many employees who have reaped the benefits of Daniel's attention, compassion and dedication to assisting the Appalachian employee.”
James Burniston
Burniston is the office associate in the Department of English, and has been with Appalachian for four years. He serves as the public face of the department.
“His genuine warmth and lightheartedness are matched by his competence and professionalism, and he sets a positive tone each day,” one nominator said. “As countless students pass through the building each day, Jim is always there earlier than expected, making sure all of the classrooms are unlocked and heated/cooled and with a smile on his face.”
Haley Childers
Haley Childers is the communications director for the Walker College of Business. She joined the university in 2006. Haley creates and distributes communications and publications for the college, including electronic and print publications, serves as marketing liaison to University Communications and provides oversight of event management for the Walker College.
“She has created an organized process for gathering information from within the college and disseminating the information to external constituents,” one nominator said.
Mary Beth McKee
McKee has worked as an instructional technology consultant in the Learning Technology Services area since coming to Appalachian 15 years ago. In her current position within the Center for Academic Excellence, she consults with faculty members who wish to integrate technology into their teaching. As a co-chair of the Academic and Research Services Technology Portfolio Committee, she has also taken a lead role in piloting the online evaluation of courses.
Nominators praised McKee for her diligence in bringing new ideas and technologies to campus. “Under her mentorship faculty members have successfully designed and built two graduate online courses for the new Master of Health Administration and revised and enhanced many undergraduate courses,” one nominator said.
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About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
