Several months ago, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois sent thank you cards to more than 600 faculty and staff members based upon nominations from last year’s graduating seniors. Recently, the Office of Academic Services asked the recipients about this recognition.
Joe Marinello from the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology said, “I recognize all the names (of students who nominated him), and I don’t know how to thank them—I wish I had their current email addresses. They took the time to nominate me, and I would like to reply to them.”
In examining the student names on her cards, Susan Lynch, a faculty member in the School of Nursing, said, “I worked with some of these students before they were even enrolled at UNC Charlotte, and once they were enrolled, I remember talking with them about things beyond academics. I worked with some of them on personal challenges and made sure that they knew they have someone in their corner.”
The University’s thank you card campaign was modeled after a similar program at East Carolina University. UNC Charlotte leaders decided to send the cards based upon responses to a question on the 2012-13 Senior Survey. It asked students to nominate someone who has made a positive impact to their education.
Shahar Gur, a graduate assistant working with Cynthia Wolf Johnson, associate provost for academic services, contacted thank you card recipients to gauge their reactions. She said when envelopes arrived, initially some faculty and staff members thought they were being invited to an event, while others thought they were in trouble.
Criminal justice and criminology lecturer Sue Hodge said she was unaware the University asked the students to nominate faculty and staff members. “I remember every single student who nominated me, and I was stunned and flattered to receive this recognition.”
Several individuals singled out as “the one person at UNC Charlotte who has made the most significant, positive contribution to their (the student’s) education” stated it could be they demonstrated they cared.
Roy Fielding from the Kinesiology Department explained, “They know I care. I really want them to succeed, and I show them the path to take. They know it’s their responsibility to follow the path, otherwise it will cost them more time and money.”
Elaine O’Reilly, Department of Psychology, works closely with students to make sure that they find a solution to their problems.
“I work with students holistically, so if something else is going on in their lives, we will work on it together,” said O’Reilly. “I think it’s important for students to have a positive contact with somebody in this large university, especially if they feel a little lost.”
The Belk College of Business’ Cheryl Kane said that it was an enormous joy for her to know that she has a positive influence on her students’ lives.
“It’s a combination of effort, tenacity, passion and diligence. It makes me want to keep my quality of standards high and to continue to improve my work in helping them understand their real capacity and seeing their light-bulb moments. I hope we continue sending these cards in the future,” said Kane. “This is a very tangible recognition and an extremely powerful way to show appreciation to the faculty.”