Thank you for attending this year's Staff Appreciation event honoring your service to the university and celebrating your accomplishments.
I am so impressed by how many of you have stepped up and leaned into your roles and become leaders in your areas of expertise. Your energy, work ethic and ideas energize and inspire me.
Keep up the good work and thank you for all you do!
Our university thrives because of you. Your dedication fuels our success and your experience shapes our future. Today and every day, we celebrate you.
– President Reginald DesRoches
DOWNLOAD SLIDES (PDF) | DOWNLOAD PROGRAM (PDF)
CELEBRATING MILESTONES
| Years of Service | Number of Staff* |
|---|---|
| 5 | 138 |
| 10 | 77 |
| 15 | 30 |
| 20 | 29 |
| 25 | 16 |
*Staff who celebrated service milestones in calendar year 2024
- 30 YEARS OF SERVICE
-
- Mauricio Benitez, Office of the Provost
- Veronica Bernal, Facilities, Operations & Support
- Aida Bravo, Food Production
- Joseph Davidson, Office of General Counsel
- Paul Engle, Office of Information Technology
- Mina Kasrai, Rice Management Company
- Sau Mei Lees, Custodial Management Team
- Deirdre Markum, Clinical Counselor
- Eugen Radulescu, Campus Services & Sustainability
- Tracey Rhoades, Public Affairs
- Juan Sanchez, Facilities, Operations & Support
- Anne Smith, Department of English
- Frank Smith, Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
- Matthew Taylor, Office of the Provost
- 35 YEARS OF SERVICE
-
- Francine Arizmendez, Fondren Library
- Norma Cardona, Residential Colleges
- Theresa Chatman, Office of Research Development
- Debra Cosby, Fondren Library
- Pamela Howard, Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
- Claire Nelson, Rice Management Company
- Susie Schoepf, Department Administrator
- Thomas Trevino, Operations, Finance & Support
- Jan West, Public Affairs
- 40 YEARS OF SERVICE
-
- Joseph Hatfield, Facility Manager Library / Project Manager, Fondren Library
- Johnnie Thomas, Maintenance Technician, Operations, Finance & Support
- 45 YEARS OF SERVICE
-
- Serafin Valdivia , Campus Services & Sustainability Operations, Finance & Support
- 50 YEARS OF SERVICE
-
- Linda Keating, Technical Services, Fondren Library
- Adela Perez, Research & Cost Accounting, Controller’s Office
Read more about the Staff Appreciation: ‘Supporting you, celebrating you’ event on Rice News
Supporting YOU. Celebrating YOU.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE ENTIRE STAFF APPRECIATION EVENT
STAFF EXCELLENCE AWARD
In recognition of the outstanding contributions of Rice staff members, the Rice University Staff Council created the Rice Staff Excellence Award. Awardees exemplify the university’s core values of responsibility, integrity, community and excellence and make a positive impact to the Rice community.
Custodian, Residential Colleges
Department Administrator, Department of Art History
Catalog and Scheduling Assistant, Office of the Registrar
Operations Specialist, Dean of Undergraduates
Custodian II, Residential Colleges
Chemistry Course Administrator, Department of Chemistry
BOARD OF TRUSTEES STAFF RECOGNITION
MAY 2024
Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
Recipient of the 2024 Elizabeth Gillis Award
ELIZABETH GILLIS AWARD
“In recognition of her dedication, the Board of Trustees of Rice University established the Elizabeth Gillis Award for Exemplary Service to Rice University, to annually recognize the outstanding achievements and services by a staff member in support of the mission of the university. Recipients shall, like the woman for whom the award is named, show consistently outstanding performance and embody an exceptional attitude of service”.
Resolution by the Rice Board of Trustees, May 2000
Victoria Langlais
Senior Assistant Dean
Human Resources and Administration
School of Engineering and Computing
Read more about Victoria and the Gillis Award in Rice News.
Y. PING SUN AWARD
“The Y. Ping Sun Award for Outstanding Community Engagement will be established to honor members of the Rice community who have provided unusually devoted service to the city of Houston. The award is named after Y. Ping Sun to recognize and honor her service to Houston as an ambassador of Rice and as a person of thoughtful leadership and engagement with her community.”
Resolution by the Rice Board of Trustees, May 2022
Robert Stein
Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science
Professor Stein is an expert on voting and elections, urban politics, public policy emergency preparedness and severe weather mitigation. His current research, funded by the Arnold Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts and the National Science Foundation focuses on voting behavior, election administration and emergency preparedness. Since 2000, Stein has collaborated with an interdisciplinary group of researchers in computer science and civil engineering to study how individuals prepare for and respond to severe weather emergencies. He has also collaborated with several states and local governments in the design and implementation of voting systems.
Read more about Robert and the Y.Ping Sun Award in Rice News.
