This award was set up by Wendy McLean (former First Year Centre Academic Advisor) and recognizes exceptional advising with an award of $500 donated to the UM Food Bank in the recipient’s name.

“As an advisor, Wendy’s greatest joy was to see growth; in both the students she advised and in the staff she mentored. In fact, when I was first an academic advisor in University 1 in 2010, Wendy was instrumental in helping me to see the transformational impact academic advising has on students.”, says Ali Wood-Warren, Director, Student Transitions and Success Centre. “Now as a leader in that same academic advising unit, I know that Wendy’s influence on advising at UM is still felt.”

Nomination Process

Nominees must be current UM staff members in continuing roles which provide direct support of students through academic or student advising, within academic or support units. Any member of the UM community (Faculty, Staff or registered UM Student) can nominate an advisor for this award by submitting the following:

• a completed nomination form
• a letter of support detailing the nominee’s contributions and demonstrating how they meet the award’s eligibility criteria (1 page maximum)
• at least two letters of recommendation from staff and/or learners who can attest to the nominee’s contributions and impact as a mentor, coach, or advisor.

Criteria for Consideration

The selection committee will evaluate nominees based on several key criteria, including:

• Improvements to processes and procedures
• Advancements in collaboration and/or teamwork excellence
• Notable creativity and innovation in advising techniques
• Outstanding efforts with individual students
• High levels of student engagement resulting from innovative practices
• Creative programming for advising students
• Productive use of university or community resources

Student Affairs looks forward to celebrating the exceptional work of UM advisors and supporting their impact on students through this award, says Ali Wood-Warren. “We are so grateful to Wendy McLean as the establishment of this award allows us to both celebrate excellence in advising and provides direct support to the students that we, as advisors serve.”

Application deadline for 2025 award: December 23, 2025
Award presentation: February 2, 2026

For more information, please visit the Wendy McLean Advising Excellence Award SharePoint site.

Paul Durkin, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Sciences – Award of Excellence for Undergraduate Teaching

Dean Stephan Pflugmacher Lima (left) pictured with Teaching Award recipient Paul Durkin (right).

Paul Durkin is a hard-working and patient educator within the Riddell Faculty’s Department of Earth Sciences. He is passionate about a field-based approach to learning through the use of innovative and analytical technologies.

Dr. Durkin’s research aims to extract vital information from the sedimentary record to resolve and understand the temporal and spatial context of the significant discoveries and time periods throughout Earth’s history. 

Dr. Durkin is also the lead investigator for the Rivers to Rocks research group. They tackle projects spanning across the globe. This includes research from the “badlands” of Dinosaur Provincial Park, where they study the evolution of Late Cretaceous rivers in context to dinosaur discoveries. Rivers to Rocks also analyzes the impact of extreme flooding on the Assiniboine River in southwestern Manitoba, and the paleoenvironmental reconstructions of habitats in rift-basin sediments of Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.

“I like to be challenged, so [Paul Durkin’s] teaching strategy keeps me motivated and almost always, I would come out of our discussion with much more knowledge.” -Katrina, Honours Student

Congratulations, Paul! The Riddell Faculty is honoured to have your drive and expertise as a part of our team.

Karen Alley, Assistant Professor, Department of Environment & Geography – Award of Excellence for Graduate Teaching

Dean Stephan Pflugmacher Lima (left) pictured with Teaching Award recipient Karen Alley (right).

Karen Alley is an enthusiastic and thoughtful educator within the Riddell Faculty’s Department of Environment & Geography. In her research, she is passionate about understanding how the world’s glaciers and ice sheets are contributing to sea-level rise in a warming climate.

Dr. Alley is fascinated by the ice-ocean interactions that control the stabilization of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets. This includes many small ice caps and glaciers. Her work has focused on the nature of melting beneath the floating ice shelves surrounding the Antarctic continent, which alters the rate of ice delivery to the ocean.

Currently, Dr. Alley’s interests have expanded to include other processes from different ice-stream boundaries. Most of her work is carried out through satellite remote sensing techniques and through the collection of field data.

“Dr. Alley was one of the best instructors I’ve ever had. She is very clearly dedicated to teaching and puts a lot of time into preparing. She is passionate about the subject and more than happy to share her own experiences with different cryospheric features, whether it be Thwaites glacier or just rock rings that she found near town in Resolute.” -David Babb, Research Associate

Congratulations, Karen! It is a privilege for the Riddell Faculty to learn from you.

The annual Awards program that recognizes excellence in the work of support staff is now in its fifteenth year, and saw a record number of nominations this year.

“We were blown away by the sheer volume,” says Darlene Smith, chair of the Awards of Excellence committee.

“The many worthy nominations are a testament to the major effort required by our UM community to meet and surpass the multiple, ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic. The outstanding work done by our support staff really helped our University succeed throughout this exceptional year.”

Smith also notes that it was no easy task to narrow down the top nominations.

“Each nomination illustrated dedication and perseverance—everyone rose to the challenge of these unprecedented times.”

The community is encouraged to visit the Awards of Excellence website, which celebrates the full list of nominees and recipients.

PRESIDENT’S AWARD RECIPIENTS

This year, President and Vice-Chancellor Michael Benarroch awarded the prestigious President’s Award to two individuals and two teams whose extraordinary efforts supported the UM community.

The following support staff were honoured with the President’s Award of Excellence:

COLLEGE OF NURSING COVID-19 CLINICAL TEAM

Nominated by: Susan McClement

DR. PEIQING WANG

Technician, Faculty of Science

Nominated by: Dr. Robert Stamps

KAREN MEELKER

Acting Chief Risk Officer, Risk Management

Nominated by: Rachelle Ross

OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE TEAM

Nominated by: Andrew Konowalchuk, Steve Cumpsty, Sukhjinder Singh and Wayne Billing

“Thank you and congratulations to all support staff honoured by the 2021 Awards of Excellence,” says President Benarroch.  

“These nominees and awardees reflect not only the high calibre of our UM support staff, but also the incredible perseverance and positive cross-unit collaboration that helped us to fulfill our research, teaching and learning mission throughout this uniquely challenging year.  

“Your contributions are nothing less than inspiring!”

“Normally at this time of year we hold the nomination process for our annual Awards of Excellence program,” notes Darlene Smith, associate vice-president, human resources.

“In recognition of this truly extraordinary year, we have decided to do something a little a different with the program. Rather than using our traditional awards criteria, this year our focus will be on recognizing excellence in our COVID-19 response—those support staff who helped to bring out the very best in the University of Manitoba during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Support staff employees to be honoured with these awards will demonstrated extraordinary efforts to maintain critical operations, to assist faculty and students in transitioning to online classes, to support critical research or facilitate the shut-down and restart of research activities, and to ensure the safety and well-being of others—all accomplished with emphasis on effectively supporting the academic mission of UM during the pandemic.

If you know of a support staff employee or team of employees who have shown innovation and persistence to facilitate learning, maintain business operations, and/or ensure that students and employees in need or transition received support.

“Please help the University of Manitoba recognize and thank these staff members who have risen to the challenge of these unprecedented times in extraordinary ways,” says Smith.

Nomination and selection process

Nominations will be accepted until April 30. Nominators can download the nomination form directly on the 2021 Awards of Excellence website.

The selection committee will review the nominations and select the top three nominations for consideration by the President for the President’s Award. The President will select one individual or team to receive the prestigious award.

All nominees will be recognized on an online recognition platform, highlighting their achievements. The award recipient(s) will be announced mid-June.

Nominations are due April 30. For more information about the awards and the nomination process, visit the Awards of Excellence website.

Questions about the program can be directed to awardsofexcellence@umanitoba.ca

The celebration was hosted by Lynn Zapshala-Kelln, Vice-President (Administration) and the chair of the Awards of Excellence, and the President’s Award was presented by Dr. David Barnard, President and Vice-Chancellor. The event also included congratulatory remarks from the nominators.

“Support staff make a difference on a daily basis and I’m happy to celebrate their efforts and impact on our community,” said Zapshala-Kelln.

Watch the online event here (duration approx. 17 min.).

Award winners

The following support staff were honoured with an Award of Excellence:

I.H. Asper School of Business Career Development Centre

Nominated by: Dr. Subbu Sivaramakrishnan, Associate Dean, Undergraduate and International, I.H. Asper School of Business

Lisa Griffin

Career Development Coordinator, Faculty of Law

Nominated by: Marcia Kort, Manager, Administration and Dean’s Office, Faculty of Law

Margaret Smith

Administrative Assistant, Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science

Nominated by: Dr. Sandra Pereira, Data Science Nexus and Data Solutions Consulting Coordinator, Faculty of Science

Buller Building Caretaking Team

Nominated by: Dr. Ann Brassinga, Associate Professor & Associate Head (Student Experience & Outreach), Faculty of Science

Bev Lockie

Staff Relations Officer, Human Resources

Nominated by: Dr. Stefi Baum, Dean, Faculty of Science

Central Animal Care Services Technician Team

Nominated by: Robert Madziak, Director, Central Animal Care Services

Two leaders honoured with President’s Award

The President’s Award celebrates support staff who have contributed to the University in significant ways. The prestigious award recognizes individuals who encourage and assist in the growth and success of members of our community.

This year, two individuals were honoured with a President’s Award:

Raman Dhaliwal

Director of Operations & Administration, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Nominated by: Dr. Brian Postl, Dean & Vice-Provost (Health Sciences), Faculty of Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Giselle Martel

Executive Director, Financial Planning, Financial Planning Office

Nominated by: Dr. Stefi Baum, Dean, Faculty of Science

Giselle Martel’s contributions were critical to the successful implementation of the University’s new performance-based budget model.

“I feel honoured to be chosen and recognized for my work,” says Martel. “I want to thank the great team of individuals that I work with. This award really belongs to them.”

“I have worked at the university for two and a half years, and I feel as though I’ve been part of the UM community from day one. One of the most satisfying aspects of my work is engaging with colleagues across the institution.”

Raman Dhaliwal was instrumental in driving innovation and streamlining processes in the amalgamation of the professional colleges at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

“I am extremely honoured to receive the President’s Award of Excellence,” says Dhaliwal.

“Throughout these years, I have been motivated, inspired and empowered by leadership and colleagues to excel in this role. I sincerely thank Dean Postl for nominating me for this award and for his unwavering support and mentorship. I also want to thank my staff for their dedication to their work and their support.”

“I am very thankful to work in an organization that has provided me the opportunity to work in a demanding leadership role while allowing me the flexibility that I need at home as a mom of a three year old. I could not have been successful in this role without the supports provided to me at the University of Manitoba.”

Congratulations to the 2020 Awards of Excellence Recipients!

Find out more about the Awards of Excellence.

Everyone is invited to watch the 2020 Awards of Excellence celebration on Thursday, June 25 at 2:00 p.m. Access the video below (approx. 17 min.).

It can also be viewed after the premiere showing.

The Awards of Excellence is a special awards program that recognizes the dedicated service of support staff who make outstanding contribution to the university—individuals and teams who are making a difference in our community.

This year the Awards of Excellence recipients have been honoured with a celebratory video in lieu of the reception event, which had to be cancelled due to COVID-19.

Tune in on June 25 to find out the winners of this year’s awards. The online event will feature remarks from the nominators about the recipients and their accomplishments.

The celebration is hosted by Lynn Zapshala-Kelln, Vice-President (Administration) and the chair of the Awards of Excellence, and the President’s Award is presented by Dr. David Barnard, President and Vice-Chancellor.

Congratulations to the 2020 Awards of Excellence Recipients. Let’s celebrate our community together!

Find out more about the Awards of Excellence.

All staff in service, support and administrative roles are eligible for an award to recognize excellence in their work; nominations are due February 11.

Any faculty and staff member can nominate a peer, colleague, or team who provides exceptional service.

There is one award category titled the Award of Excellence, with multiple opportunities to celebrate the wide range of accomplishments of UM support staff. The President’s Award is presented to an individual or team that deserves a special recognition. All nominees will automatically be considered for this award.

Recipients and nominators will be invited to a fun celebration held on April 20.

Each year the Awards of Excellence showcases the achievements of UM support staff, says Darlene Smith, associate vice-president, human resources.

“The university is a special place to work and learn thanks to the many staff who go above and beyond,” adds Smith. “The Awards of Excellence recognizes the unique stories of hard work and dedication at the university.”

“We encourage you to nominate a staff member who puts in the extra effort to create an outstanding learning and working environment.”

Nominations are due February 11. For more information about the awards and the nomination process, visit the Awards of Excellence website.

If you plan on nominating, please email Kayli Steinhilber, human resources specialist, engagement and reach at  kayli.steinhilber@umanitoba.ca

“With clarity of purpose and a sense of mission,” he added, “we can continue to develop these capabilities throughout our lives, deepening our understanding of what leadership can be.”

Seven individuals and two teams have embodied this sense of leadership and learning described by President Barnard, and have been formally recognized by senior leadership and the U of M community through the annual Awards of Excellence.  The recognition program was created to celebrate the wide-range of accomplishments of support staff at the university.

Each year members of the university are given the opportunity to nominate individuals and teams whose efforts go above and beyond. This year’s selection committee received 25 nominations, documenting the successes of over 40 support staff.

“It is wonderful to see that recognition continues to play such an important role in our culture,” said Lynn Zapshala-Kelln, Vice-President (Administration).

“The great work, dedication and passion demonstrated in an environment that is constantly and rapidly evolving are integral to the university’s progress and success. We thank you for your contributions to enhancing the university,” she said.

Outstanding individual presented with distinguished President’s Award

This year, Natasha Hollett was presented the President’s Award for demonstrating outstanding leadership within the department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. The award is given out at the President’s discretion. 

President Barnard noted Hollett’s unique perspective, enthusiasm, confidence and leadership skills have inspired not only her academic colleagues but also PhD students from the U of M and three international sites in Colombia, India and Kenya.

She was recognized for driving discovery and insight through excellence in high quality, innovative research and increasing education and training opportunities for graduate students across the globe, noted Barnard.

In accepting the award, Hollett remarked how honoured she was to be chosen.

“I love my job, and everyday I try to do it well. It feels amazing to have your efforts recognized.”

A list of the 2019 Award of Excellence recipients can be found on the learning and organizational development website.