Crystal Andrezze wins STRIVE Award
Crystal Andrezze, secretary for the department of exceptionality programs, has been presented with the STRIVE (Staff and Team Recognized in their Valuable Efforts) award for both her technical expertise and strong interpersonal skills.
Shown from left are Crystal Andrezze and President David Soltz
Tim Knoster, Darlene Perner and Nancy Edwards: from the department of exceptionality programs wrote the following nomination letter for Andrezze.
It is with the greatest of pleasure that we nominate Crystal Andrezze, Secretary in the Exceptionality Programs Department, for the STRIVE Award. Crystal is indeed the "glue" that holds the department together and personifies the attributes highlighted by this prestigious award. She works extremely well with all of the department faculty and BU staff. In her role as Department Secretary she provides guidance to both faculty and staff, initiates contacts with relevant parties when needed, and helps maintain the integrity for which the department is well known.
Throughout all of her endeavors Crystal consistently goes well above and beyond the call of duty. Crystal excels at the many challenging responsibilities associated with her position. Examples of some of her extraordinary endeavors in her work include:
- Providing extensive support to students regarding issues/problems they are having regarding scheduling of classes and certification
- Supporting given faculty regarding course materials, instruction and advisement matters.
- Managing the Bloomsburg University Inclusion Institute on an annual basis. This institute helps provide much needed information for area teachers in regard to Special Education.
- Providing technical support to scholarly endeavors by faculty ... thus enabling faculty to engage in various scholarly activities including activities at an international level (e.g. Drs. Knoster and Perner respectively in their endeavors with Association for Positive Behavior Support and Council for Exceptional Children).
- Managing the budget for summer enrollment funds for each program area (as our department has four distinct program areas which is unusual at Bloomsburg University).
- Budgeting across program areas.
- Voluntarily putting in extra hours as necessary (often well beyond working after 4:30 P.M. and on weekends when needed in addition to the work she takes home in the evening).
- Managing all student teaching agreements and communications.
- Annually updating the student teacher handbook.
- Verifying student program completion for graduation and certification.
- Updating packets for admission, monitoring and exiting of teacher education programs.
- Arranging for perspective students to meet with the chair and/or coordinators of various programs and schedules class observations for prospective students.
- Processing and transitioning al large number of temporary faculty has required Crystal to through the temporary faculty pool, developing additional contracts, as well efficiently handling the paperwork needed for screening and hiring purposes.
Beyond faculty and staff, Crystal works with directly with student workers providing schedules and encouragement. However, even more importantly, she acts as a true role model as well as mentor by consistently demonstrating professionalism as well as an outstanding work ethic. The service that she provides in this regard to our Undergraduate Student Workers and Graduate Assistants has been invaluable as professionalism and work ethic is often times aspects of professional dispositions that young professionals struggle with in the field. Crystal excels at multi-tasking in that she is never idle and always appears to be successfully balancing two, three or more projects at one time ... each consistently being completed to perfection.
In her position Crystal is most often the first contact many prospective students (as well as parents) have with the department. Her knowledge of Bloomsburg University, the Department of Exceptionality Programs with its offerings and faculty enhance the truly positive impressions that these "newcomers" have as a result of interacting to her. She always puts "our best foot forward" and serves as a phenomenal ambassador for Bloomsburg University.It is therefore, with the highest recommendation, that we nominate Crystal Andrezze for the STRIVE Award in recognition of her many years of outstanding service to the Department of Exceptionality Programs and the entire community at Bloomsburg University.
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.
Employees can find nomination forms for STRIVE can be found on the university's network on the "S" drive in the "BU Documents" folder. Questions and nominations can be sent to Kim Schmitz.