National Winner |
Month: June 2010 |
|
Faculty/Staff of the Month |
|
| School: |
University of Akron |
Region: |
CAACURH |
| Nominee: |
Matthew Richardson |
Nominator: |
Zachary Rospert |
|
|
| On-Campus Population: 3100 |
Chapter Size: 31 |
|
|
| Please explain the outstanding contributions of the nominee during the month of nomination |
|
|
At the University of Akron, we are anxiously awaiting the opening of
our newest Residence Hall, Spicer Hall, this fall. Located right next
to our new football stadium, Spicer Hall was designed with Living
Learning Communities (LLC’s) in mind. The new building will house 450
freshmen students, allowing us to increase the number of LLC’s on
campus from 7 to 17. This, however, is easier said than done. One of
the dedicated master-minds behind the development of these 10 new
communities was Matthew Richardson, Graduate Coordinator for Living
Learning Communities. This, as you can imagine, was no small
undertaking. All LLC’s must have an RA, Peer Mentor, Faculty Advisor
and of course, students to fill them. Matthew worked hard with other
professional staff to place RA’s with experience in the community, and
interviewed countless peer mentoring candidates in an attempt to find
the best role models for these incoming freshmen. Perhaps the most
important aspect of linking the students to their area of interest is
the faculty advisor. Matt works hard to develop relationships with
these faculty members and incorporates them into the decisions that
are made for each individual community. As Akron has a strong
reputation for strong LLC’s, a number of the communities were quick to
fill up. With so many new communities, however, the word of mouth
from former students in that community was not there. To make sure
each community was full, allowing students the maximum opportunity to
get to know others in their field, Matthew has been representing
Residence Life and Housing during New Student Orientations. Here,
Matthew uses his enthusiasm to promote his program and answer any
questions about them, or campus in general. New students see the
pride he has in the program and are instantly more interested. With
well over a month to go until school begins, the communities are
already 94 percent full! On top of all that he does with the LLC’s,
Matthew is also one of the most helpful and kind individuals in the
office. With different conferences going on and candidates coming in
to interview, Matthew made countless trips to the airport in June. On
a personal level, I really appreciate Matthew accommodating to my
situation while attempting to return from NACURH. Throughout my
travels to and from Cleveland to San Diego, I did not have the best
luck with flight cancellations and delays. Due to a class, I had to
return from the conference earlier than the rest of my delegation.
While I thought it would be whoever drew the short straw would pick me
up from the airport at midnight, Matthew gladly volunteered to pick me
up. Of course, things couldn’t be that easy. With tornado warnings
at my connecting flight, I was delayed for an undetermined amount of
time. Not only was I frustrated myself, I did not want to tell
Matthew that he may have to stay up even later. After calling
Matthew, not only did he have no problem picking me up from the
airport at 2:30 in the morning, but he also eased my frustrations of
living in the airport throughout my travels. While we sometimes take
Matthew’s personality for granted, it is great to see him interact
with potential hires during their interviews on campus. Matthew is
always willing to pick them up from the airport, take them to lunch,
and explain to them all the benefits of The University of Akron. His
pride in our school is up there with the dedication that he puts into
his job-allowing everyone in the department feed off of his positive
attitude and enthusiasm. Word Count: 600
|
|