WSU Selects Five for 2006 Employee Excellence Awards

PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University will honor five staff members with 2006 WSU President’s Employee Excellence Awards March 24 at the Celebrating Excellence recognition banquet, a feature of the annual WSU World Class Face to Face Showcase, which celebrates the achievements of WSU faculty and staff.

Those receiving the awards this year are Keith Bloom, assistant director, Capital Planning and Development; Don Frame, systems specialist, Information and Technology Services; Charii Higgins, coordinator of Veterans Affairs, Registrar’s Office; Tom G. Johnson, scientific instructional technician supervisor, Department of Physics and Astronomy; and Dana Torgeson, administrative manager, Department of Philosophy.

The awards are given annually to employees who have made outstanding contributions in areas of productivity, innovative problem solving, community service and fostering positive working relations with students.

Each of the employees selected for the honor receive a plaque and a cash award provided by the WSU Foundation. Names of all winners are displayed on a plaque in a showcase on the third floor of WSU’s French Administration Building in Pullman.

Bloom, who joined WSU in 1993, was described by those nominating him for the award as a consummate ‘team player’  who  has successfully managed a number of major capital construction projects on campus and devoted much of his free time to local civic activities.

Responsible for telephone and computer support services at WSU Tri-Cities, Frame was nominated for his untiring commitment to customer service and his role in the recent replacement of the Tri-Cities campus phone system, for which he was credited with saving the university thousands of dollars.

Cited for her passionate and untiring support of military students and student veterans, Higgins was credited with helping numerous veterans successfully transition from military service back to the university, as well as for her support of student reservists called up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Johnson, credited with improving the quality of education for many students taking physics and astronomy courses, was lauded for his outreach efforts in providing physics demonstrations shows to local schools and visitors to campus.

Torgeson, the sole office professional in the WSU Philosophy Department, was cited for her ability to manage a wide range of office responsibilities with compassion and integrity and for taking the initiative in updating the department’s fiscal procedures using electronic technologies.

This year’s employee awards are being presented in conjunction with Showcase 2006, WSU’s daylong celebration of faculty and staff achievement. Events will include an Academic Showcase, a luncheon presentation featuring the 2006 Distinguished Faculty Address, a reception for WSU retirees, and “Celebrating Excellence,” the university’s recognition banquet for faculty and staff.

Reservations for the luncheon and banquet may be made at https://www.showcase.wsu.edu.