Kim Schmitz wins STRIVE Award

Kim Schmitz, PC systems analyst in technology support services, has been presented with a STRIVE (Staff and Team Recognized in their Valuable Efforts) award for her professionalism on the job and leadership in the community.

Kim Schmitz is presented the STRIVE Award by president David Soltz.

Mass communications professor Walter Brasch wrote the following nomination letter:

Without reservation or hesitation, I nominate Kim Schmitz for a Strive Award.

It is unusual for anyone involved in an organization that presents an award to be nominated for the award; it is virtually unheard of for a person who is in charge of the award itself or is a supervisor of that organization to be nominated. The reasons for this have everything to do with ethics and trust. In this case, the contributions of Ms. Schmitz to the college and community are so strong that a nomination is not only proper, but can be viewed as an extraordinary exception. For this reason, the nomination and voting must be done in secret, without her the nominee's knowledge, until after the award is presented.

As every person on the Roundtable is aware, Ms. Schmitz is an extraordinary individual who goes well beyond her job description. I don't know all that she does-what I do know is enough to justify her receiving the Strive Award in January 2008, to be the first Strive Award recipient to be honored by the Roundtable and President David Soltz.

In her primary university job, as a computer systems analyst, Ms. Schmitz goes well beyond the job description. I can always count on her not only to know the solutions to problems, but to improve the system to enable effective teaching and research. What she doesn't know, she finds out. I also know that she is often overburdened with work assignments, but is prompt when required, and shows a confidence and pleasantness when responding to myriad tasks for faculty.

In her quest for knowledge, she did not stop at a B.A., but went on to earn an M.B.A. Degrees don't always reflect a person's ability to think nor a person's broad knowledge. In Kim's case this is true. Her overall knowledge of BU, of computer systems, and of social issues in our community is much greater than her degrees. She is an active learner who would seek out knowledge even if there were no such things as degrees.

For the Supervisory Roundtable, I do know that she has done just about everything possible to make this organization a viable part of the university and community. She has done everything from participating in homecoming parades . . . to selling food to get funds to assist the organization's mission . . . to organizing and being the lead person in numerous programs. She is treasurer of the organization; this is a tremendous responsibility, since she is a primary source of accurately recording and disbursing funds to several community organizations, including Camp Victory and the Children's Museum. But, more than just handling the funds, she actively works with these organizations. As part of the Roundtable, and because she believes in clean streets and the improvement of the environment, she works on the Highway clean-up near I-80/Lightstreet. No one tells her to do this; she does it because it's important. Her work is done not with the expectation of people knowing she's doing it, but with a greater reward-knowing that she is helping others, and what she does matters. For this reason, much of what she does is not known to others, for she just does her work without expectations of recognition.

I am well aware that Ms. Schmitz is an active member of the executive board of the Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance Against Homelessness, She comes to all meetings, participates in all activities, and has a genuine concern for helping people who at the moment don't have the advantages most of us have. She works not for recognition, but because there is a need.

She is the primary person for Toys for Tots, making sure there are boxes on campus, making sure there are toys that can be distributed to innumerable children during the winter holidays.

She helps in the university's food drive; she has organized retirement dinners for others; she makes those of us on campus proud to know that she is a colleague.

Ms. Schmitz doesn't have to do any of this. She is not tenured or promoted on the basis of service. Unlike some who rack up "service points" because they think it will help their careers, Ms. Schmitz does service because she genuinely wishes to help people. She cares about people. She believes in people, and especially those not as fortunate as most of us.

In summary, in the five criteria for the award itself, Ms. Schmitz (1) performs at an exceptional level of her on-campus job, with both a high productivity and creative level; this is fact that is not disputed by those she works with nor by her supervisor; (2) her superior performance level doesn't exist just now and then, nor for a short period of time, but over her entire career at BU; again, this is easily verified by her performance reports; (3) she has increased productivity of faculty by her enthusiasm for solving problems, and solving them to enhance the academic mission of the university; (4) the work she does in her job, in her concern for others, is significant and substantial; and (5) her service to others is well known and well documented.

Whether it is her job or her concern for others, she performs at an extraordinary level, worthy of a STRIVE Award and worthy of being the first person that President Soltz honors.

Recipients of the STRIVE Award, which is supported by the BU Foundation, receive tickets for the Celebrity Artist Series as well as other donated gifts.