Student Affairs

Department: School of Pharmacy

Nominator(s): 

Riane Greenwalt, Penny Raburn, and Debra Hicks, Health Services

Our Health Service Pharmacist retired in May 2021 after 20 years of service. We were unable to have a replacement in place at the time of her retirement and reached out to Dr. Wilhelm to see if she/the School of Pharmacy might be able to provide a short-term solution to our needs. Dr. Wilhelm immediately volunteered her services, worked with the outgoing Pharmacist to acclimate to our systems and agreed to become our temporary Pharmacist-In-Charge until a suitable replacement was hired. While we had no expectation of having our Pharmacy open full-time during this transitional phase, Dr. Wilhelm took it upon herself to make the Health Service Pharmacy her temporary office during this time which allowed much more Pharmacy access for our students than we could have anticipated. While our Pharmacy is not a high-volume operation, students do depend on the advice and educational counseling from our Pharmacist.

Dr. Wilhelm has actively worked with Health Service for many years in support of their annual flu shot campaign, both as a vaccine administrator as well as a supervisor to School of Pharmacy students participating in the campaign. This year, she also secured additional flu shot vaccine during a critical time when our regular supplier could not deliver their product. Dr. Wilhelm was also very supportive of the SIUE hosted COVID vaccine clinics during the past year, assisting Madison County as a vaccine administrator. She also took the time to advertise both flu and COVID vaccine clinics on her personal Facebook page..

Dr. Wilhelm assisted in our recruitment efforts and was part of the search committee for a new Pharmacist. She is currently training the chosen candidate, one of her former students, on our systems and processes. Most recently, she has brought School of Pharmacy students into our practice to gain clinical experience and has expressed a desire to continue this collaboration going forward. Dr. Wilhelm is most assuredly a high-energy, positive individual who has willingly supported, volunteered and participated in any Health Service initiative. She provides a warm, welcoming, and non-judgmental space for any student who may have questions before leaving our facility. Needless to say, it has been a pleasure to have her as part of our office this past year and we look forward to our continued partnership with Dr. Wilhelm.

Department: Undergraduate Admissions

Nominator(s):

Melinda Stitzel, Kimmel Student Involvement Center

The most obvious example of how Marissa collaborates with the division of Student Affairs is through her work with Springboard/Student Orientation and Welcome Weeks. Marissa works with dozens of Student Affairs staffs to make these colossal experiences happen. Marissa strives for efficiency with her event planning, but never takes for granted the relationships she builds through these campus-wide initiatives. Marissa always makes time to answer questions or accommodate the needs of our division’s needs. Additionally, Marissa enthusiastically served as a LeaderShape Catalyst co-facilitator during the fall semester. Through this role, she assisted in the recruitment, preparation, and most importantly execution of a day-long workshop for interested student leaders. Marissa brought her effervescence, event-planning expertise, and real-world experience to this program, providing a meaningful and memorable opportunity for SIUE students. Marissa was one of four facilitators in the fall to complete the training and actually serve as a facilitator. Marissa is always volunteering to help out where needed to be a good campus partner. Her photo is even featured on our website assisting with an “Ask Me” initiative as a part of Winter Welcome. She has also served on at least one search committee within the division as Chair. She is also serving as an evaluator for the Kimmel Awards. You can often find her at campus-wide events or grabbing coffee with a colleague in the MUC.

Collaboration is a key component of Marissa’s approach to work as is evidenced through the earlier comments about Student Orientation and the SIUE Experience as well as her eagerness to collaborate on Catalyst and other initiatives. Marissa embodies Cultural Competence through her inclusive mindset and practices. One specific example is in her work educating others about Gen Z characteristics, needs, and trends. One such presentation was for a training session with the Kimmel Student Involvement Center. This was one of the best reviewed sessions of that week, and is one staff still reference when making decisions to support SIUE students. She is also an advocate for well-being across staff and students. I have heard of her enthusiasm for lunchtime walks, taking mental health coffee breaks, and more in an effort to encourage colleagues to take care of themselves. All of the changes Marissa has made in the last year or so to student orientation also show an embodiment of the Student Affairs value Transformational Change. Everything she does to revise this program is to center students, ensuring the have the best on-boarding experience possible. Along the way, she has also been helping to shift the campus culture around orientation and how staff can best engage with her in these efforts.

Marissa serves as a role model to others both formally and informally. She is volunteering this semester to be a mentor for the Leadership Exploration and Development Program. Through this initiative she is taking time out this semester to hold multiple meetings this semester with a student looking to improve her leadership skills. I know Marissa’s personalized and enthusiastic approach to working with students is going to mean a lot to her student. Marissa has also made plans to or already has met up with a number of graduate assistants in the Kimmel, and served as a panelist in a recent CSPA course providing advice and perspective on the job search. She is excited to help others navigate their goals, professional journey, and networking skills. Finally, Marissa frequently checks in on her campus partners, and rarely just because she needs to ask a favor. She genuinely cares about the relationships she builds cross-divisionally, which makes working with her a true joy.

Department: School of Pharmacy

Nominator(s):

Ashley Jeffers, School of Pharmacy

Jessica Kerr, School of Pharmacy

Denyse had been cross-trained in many areas to be able to provide a triaged experience for all students she interacts with on a daily basis. She always explores the answer before telling a student "no", wanting only to provide the student with the best option for their wants/needs, and it has significantly increased the ability of the Office of Professional and Student Affairs to provide superior student support. She is an integral part of the team.

Denyse has worked in the Office of Professional and Student Affairs in the School of Pharmacy for over 7 years. She has been the most constant in that office over last 5 years due to job transitions of other staff members and Deans within that department. She has trained and mentored all faculty, professional staff members to learn their jobs within that office. She is in charge of organizing many professional events within the School of Pharmacy from White Coat, Scholarships and Awards Banquets, Diversity Healthcare Camp, Pinning Ceremony, Commencement, alumni events, Conditional Entry Program student candidate interviews and admission interviews for prospective students. She is able to motive faculty members to help with with many of these events. She is highly respected by all in her department. Her personality traits allow students to trust her and to be open with her. She helps to shape the students in Student Representative Council (Student shared governance representing all of the SOP student organization) to have enhanced communication, organizational and delegating skills. She works with the ASSET students (SOP student ambassadors) to create an experience for prospective students so those prospective students can see the culture that the SOP truly embraces. She works with the Director and Coordinator and Student Services through the admissions process as Serving as the lead navigator for our admissions portal, PharmCAS. She expands the SOP outreach with the career center, writing center, financial aid, housing, experiential departments, Events Services and Marketing & Communication through any given month to create lasting and respectful relationships across campus. Faculty come to her many times throughout the day to ask for assistance in student service options for our enrolled students. She is well respected with her staff peers and others within the school of pharmacy.

Denyse goes far beyond her job descriptions to help out within the Office of Professional and Student Affairs. She takes pride in her work and has high expectation of others to do what is right for the students. She is a forward thinker with historical perspectives that is so valuable in student affairs to provide continuity while still not accepting status quo. She is a forward thinker that keeps her ear to the ground about upcoming options for recruitment. She is vocal in the AACP Connect Forum, which has pharmacy schools around the country asking about processes. She has extended beyond her duties of the OPSA and served as a valuable committee member of the Faculty Senate. She is an excellent resource for staff members within the School of Pharmacy. She created a weekly check-in zoom forum with all of the staff in the School of Pharmacy during the pandemic years to provided an outlet to share experiences during this tough time. I believe this forum helped staff member cope with the changes the school was asking of them.

Denyse comes to work and is ready to make it productive and fun. Her laugh is infectious and people gravitate to her! She is invaluable to the school for all staff, faculty and students!

Nominator(s):

Melinda Stitzel, Kimmel Student Involvement Center

The ACCESS staff is always available to help staff work through how to make their programs and initiatives as accessible as possible. They are fantastic collaborators and problem solvers who strive to help every student have an equitable and meaningful experience at SIUE. When ACCESS left the division, their collaboration with staff in the division did not miss a beat.

As listed above, all the staff of ACCESS are enthusiastic collaborators, working with various departments on campus and in Student Affairs to improve the student experience. Collaboration in academics and co-curricularly is key in their work. ACCESS uses multiple modalities to educate the campus about equity, inclusion, and social justice. One such way is in their social media presence and email communication. From their new Sunflower Project to posts about various disabilities, ACCESS is always finding new ways to raise awareness and be visible on campus. This demonstrates Cultural Competence, Community, and Social Justice. ACCESS also creates a vibrant community for all students, but especially students with disabilities. I always hear from my students how ACCESS helped them feel more at home, seen, and valued at SIUE. One example of how this looks in practice is in the celebratory nature of their operations. Both the Gateway Graduation ceremonies and the Ed Roberts Champions of Accessibility Celebration support and highlight our amazing students at SIUE. Well-being is also integral to ACCESS’s practices. From implementing accommodating solutions to barriers for our students with disabilities to bringing therapy dogs to campus, ACCESS seeks to promote well-being at SIUE. ACCESS also role models Transformational Action for campus. It is astounding how many student-centric resources and initiatives come from this office. From note takers to scholarships to student groups to disability permits, ACCESS works to minimize or remove as many barriers as possible.

As stated previously, ACCESS is always collaborating with campus partners to ensure events and initiatives are accessible and equitable. One small example was in assisting Student Leadership Council in coming up with the best way to produce an informational video and accompanying information to all LEAD participants. ACCESS was also present at Fresh Check in February, promoting self-care and wellness. They also frequently partner with Campus Activities Board on general student activities. ACCESS’s BUILD mentorship program features a number of Student Affairs staff members as well, growing the community of allies and support for student with disabilities on campus.