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SALISBURY, MD---Three members of the ºÚÁÏÍø community have received one of the University System of Maryland’s (USM’s) highest honors: the Board of Regents’ Staff Award.

Jennifer Ellis, academic portfolio and curriculum administrator in the Academic Affairs Division, was honored for “Exceptional Contribution to the Institution and/or Unit to Which the Person Belongs.” Michelle Pryor, director of annual giving and engagement in the Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving Office, received the award for “Effectiveness and Efficiency.” Stephanie Davis, former academic program specialist in the University Writing Center, was recognized for “Outstanding Services to Students in an Academic or Residential Environment.”

“Jen has been an instrumental figure in the implementation of our University’s new general education curriculum, slated to launch at the start of the academic year this fall,” said SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre. “Her contributions have been pivotal in ensuring a smooth transition and successful education of this important and extremely large initiative.

“Michelle’s impact on SU’s fundraising landscape is exemplary. Her leadership in creating and organizing SU’s Giving Day, a pivotal 24-hour fundraising effort, has consistently produced astounding results and showcases her effectiveness in raising crucial resources for our University.

“Stephanie dedicated herself to improving the services offered by the University Writing Center (UWC), and her commitment to excellence is evident in her involvement in multiple research studies focused on a deeper understanding of the outcomes of the writing center and the enhancement of its services.”

Jennifer Ellis

Ellis has made an impact on SU’s Academic Affairs Division since coming to SU in 2018. Her efforts to fully understand SU’s curriculum and its historical context led to a change in SU’s policy regarding tracks and concentrations, culminating in a collaboration with individual faculty and department chairs to submit detailed program proposals for external review.

Because of her curricular knowledge and strong critical thinking skills, she was invited to be part of SU’s implementation team for moving the curriculum approval process fully online. Her thorough research of curriculum management tools and efforts during the selection process helped the University choose Curriculog as the best software for its needs. She also played a key role in implementing that system and continues to strive for creative ways to leverage its capabilities, so much so that she was invited to speak at the annual conference for Curriculog’s parent company, Modern Campus.

Her ability to transform the delivered technology was especially helpful during the adoption of the University’s new general education curriculum, providing training and answering questions as faculty, administrators and assistants worked to shepherd more than 365 updated course proposals through the program.

“Jen provided a smooth avenue for the work to be done,” said Dr. Melissa Granger, SU associate vice president of academic and student success. “There is no doubt that a successful general education launch in fall 2024 will be credited, in large part, to Jen’s patient training and in-depth understanding of all things curriculum.”

In addition to curriculum, which encompasses just 20% of her job, Ellis’ position includes work related to academic standing, misconduct and grievances, student success, and University policies and procedures. She also has been a member of the SU Staff Senate and was a participant in the inaugural cohort of the SU Lead program for emerging campus leaders.

“It’s clear that she is fully committed to the University and its mission,” said Granger.

Michelle Pryor

As SU’s annual giving coordinator for more than eight years, Pryor raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support University scholarships and programs through existing and new initiatives — a role she continues in her newer position as director of annual giving.

In addition to overseeing SU’s annual alumni Phonathon, faculty and staff giving, and class gift programs, Pryor established the University’s annual Giving Day event, which this year topped $500,000 for the first time. (Its nine-year total is more than $2 million.)

Her success with the program — which, in 2023, funded new microscopes for the Medical Laboratory Science Program, new headsets for Sea Gull football coaching staff, and a resident assistant training camp for the Housing and Residence Life Office to name just a few examples — led to a Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District II Silver Award and an invitation to present to other USM institutions.

Pryor used the momentum of Giving Day to propel SU’s fundraising even further through a series of flash fundraisers, which provide 24-hour challenges to excite supporters of SU causes with specific needs. These fundraisers have covered conference travel expenses for students in SU’s Glenda Chatham and Robert G. Clarke Honors College, provided new audio equipment for the Music, Theatre and Dance Department, and purchased upgraded equipment and uniforms for the men’s lacrosse team, along with funding many other initiatives.

In some cases, these purchases have allowed SU to save additional costs. For example, the new audio equipment has allowed the Music, Theatre and Dance Department to save money from audio system rentals when staging musicals. In total, the fall 2023 flash fundraisers are estimated to have saved some $145,000 in state funds.

“Michelle has illustrated time and again her passion and dedication to not only her job duties and office responsibilities, but to SU as a whole,” said Erin Smith, SU assistant director of alumni engagement. “Going above and beyond is par for the course for her.”

Stephanie Davis

As the UWC’s academic program specialist, Davis helped to ensure the center was a resource for all SU students, supporting more than 25% of the student body annually through one-on-one tutoring, workshops, peer review sessions, and other forms of outreach and engagement.

To determine best practices for writing support, Davis worked to examine the needs of SU’s students through a series of Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved studies related to the center’s use. In addition to collaborating with research studies in the UWC and in support of SU’s Writing Across the Curriculum Program, Davis launched her own IRB-approved research project and ultimately ran professional development on UWC operations for the center’s tutoring staff.

Her work led to academic presentations, scholarly articles and, with Dr. Beth Towle, UWC associate director, a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning fellowship for research on the center’s use and correlations with student demographic and academic findings. The study showed a higher retention rate, higher grade point averages and lower stop-out rates among UWC users, as well as significant statistical GPA increases for students with as few as two to three center visits per academic year.

With Dr. Melissa Bugdal, center director, she also conducted research that showed the positive impact of the center’s course-embedded writing support and how students used the UWC during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Her work impacts students who have previously, currently or will in the future utilize the services of the UWC,” said Bugdal. “It is virtually unheard of for an employee in Stephanie’s position to be this involved in presentations and publications in writing studies, making Stephine’s commitment to our students at SU all the more apparent.”

Honorees will receive their awards during the USM Board of Regents’ first meeting of the 2024-25 academic year, scheduled Friday, September 20, in Baltimore.

Learn more about SU and opportunities to Make Tomorrow Yours at the SU website.