Janice Watkins Award Winners 1979 Article
Honor Civil Service Employees with First Janice Watkins Award
Lucy Gotugno, Mary Grosch, and John Wolski were honored early last month with the first awards in memory of Janice Watkins. The Janice Watkins Award for Distinguished Civil Service was established by the Nonacademic Employees’ Council as a memorial to Janice Watkins, a supervisor in the Insurance Office, past president of the campus community. She was killed leaving work December 19, 1974.
Lucy Cotugno is an administrative clerk in the accounting division of Business Affairs. Mary Grosch, who is retired, was a chief clerk in the Office of Admissions and Records. John Wolski is a purchasing assistant II in the purchasing division of the Office of Business Affairs. Mr.Wolski was not able to attend the ceremonies because of a death in the family. Robin Hughes, a coworker, accepted the award for him.
Presentations were made December 7 in Chicago Circle Center. Luncheon in the Cardinal Room followed a reception in the faculty lounge. Participants included Donald H Riddle, chancellor; Richard M. Johnson, vice chancellor for academic affairs; Richard Ward, vice chancellor for administration; Jane Rae Buckwalter, associate vice chancellor for urban and governmental affairs; Richard Hanneman, director of personnel services, and Patrick T.Hughes, representative to the Civil Service Merit Board, Members of the Nonacademic Employees’ Council, the screening committee and the Watkins family also participated.
Barbara Munro, president of the Council, welcomed everyone and thanked the administration for its support of the award program. She introduced the Chancellor Riddle, who spoke about the importance of the nonacademic community to the University. He gave each award recipient a certificate and a gold pin designed for the Watkins Award. The women also received white orchids.
This year’s review committee included Rita Bell, Barbara Burman, Sally Dineen, Edward Dryja, William Guse, Jenne Jasen, Vivian Miller, Diane Nishimura, Thomas Rettker, Julian Sloane (chairperson), and David Warwick.
Nomination forms for the 1980 awards are available in the office of the director of personnel services, 701 UH, and from Nonacademic Council representatives. Deadline for returning forms to the director of personnel services is February 22.
The objectives of the award are:
1. To bring to the attention of the University the achievements of one of its basic but often unnoticed groups;
2. To show that nonacademic employees-who often perform mechanical tasks-can demonstrate dedication to people as well as to paper;
3. To give exceptional nonacademic employees the gratitude of the University and the recognition of their peers in the form of the Janice Watkins Award for Distinguished Civil Service.
Design of pin for Janice Watkins Award for Distinguished Civil Service is based on three interlocking components signifying the unit of faculty, staff and students who make up the whole of the University of Illinois. Each is an individual yet integral part of UIC as symbolized in the design of Susan Misch of OIRD.