Awards for Outstanding Classified Employee of the Year, Professional Staff Association Employee of the Year and Adjunct Faculty of the Year were handed out at the annual Employee Appreciation Breakfast held April 26.
Outstanding Classified Employee of the Year
Mike Sherwood, a foreman in the facilities HVAC department was awarded Outstanding Classified Employee of the Year. Sherwood has worked at Boise State for seven years and recently took over as the HVAC department leader.
“He filled the shoes of a 30-year campus veteran and stepped up to the plate as a leader,” Sherwood’s nominator said. “Sometimes these types of leadership changes result in folks leaving to find other opportunities, but this team has fully supported him and his vision. Thanks to his efforts and his endless hours of dedication his team was able to solve problems and help campus avoid several winter catastrophes this past year.”
The award honors classified employees who have displayed a deep and sincere commitment to the quality of their work. It’s an award that is earned by those who have chosen to go above and beyond the call of duty in service to everyone they meet, said Association of Classified Employees President Justin Doi.
Professional Staff Association Employee of the Year
Adriane Bang, director of the Gender Equity Center received the 2022 Professional Staff Association Employee of the Year award. Bang was honored for fostering a community of inclusion through her work at the Gender Equity Center that has helped provide belonging, empowerment, and encouragement to many students across campus.
“I was a student at Boise State University and I do not have the words to express my gratitude for this nominee and the impact she had on my college career,” one nominator wrote. “I faced challenges in my first year and she helped me feel valued at Boise State and encouraged me. I stayed at Boise State for undergrad and graduate school and now have my dream career due to the support and encouragement she provided.”
Other nominators mentioned that Bang consistently goes above and beyond her job duties to advocate for students, specifically LGBTQIA+ students and students that have experienced gender-based violence, as well as efforts to advance equity at Boise State University.
Adjunct Faculty of the Year
Amanda K. Miller was this year’s Adjunct of the Year award recipient. Miller joined Boise State in 2019 and teaches business communications and professional communications in the College of Business and Economics Department of Marketing.
Miller is the first person to be named Adjunct Faculty of the Year. The award was created by the Adjunct Advisory Committee in the fall of 2021 to honor adjunct faculty members who are demonstrating excellence in teaching, particularly by using practices and student engagement techniques to support student success, as well as through engagement with faculty development opportunities.
“From the beginning, Amanda has committed to lifelong learning and to being an adaptive and thoughtful instructor for her students,” said Department of Marketing Chair Kirk Smith. “She has completed several seminars through eCampus to improve online teaching strategies and she regularly implements her course feedback to help her adapt lessons, instructions, and/or activities to better serve her students.”