The UNC System Office officially honored the first two recipients of the recently established President’s Award for Excellence.
The President’s Award for Excellence recognizes two System Office staff members, not only for their hard work, but also for their pursuit of excellence in the achievement of the System’s Strategic Plan. Each year, one manager and one staff member receive this honor. The honorees each receive $1,000 and a glass trophy.
Eric Fotheringham, from Academic Affairs, is this year’s staff recipient. The award recognizes his work to support, engage, and re-enroll students who are close to graduating but have dropped out of school due to academic, financial, or personal barriers.
Thanks to Eric’s enthusiasm and dedication, the UNC System received a grant to support adults who want to earn their degrees. He also hosted a symposium that brought stakeholders from across the UNC System, the Community College System, and other state and national organizations together to discuss promising practices and opportunities to support adult students.
Aaron Meyer, from Information Technology, is this year’s manager recipient. The award recognizes Aaron for his expertise, team building, and customer service skills in leading the first System Office managed-services IT contract with Elizabeth City State University.
This contract offers subscribing campuses both service and support for their enterprise resource planning systems. Aaron implemented tools that allowed the team to operate effectively and efficiently and deliver the highest quality of support. His team-oriented approach fostered a work environment that encouraged everyone to contribute. By nurturing a healthy team attitude, Aaron helped ensure the success of this inaugural endeavor. Two other institutions have been so impressed by the resulting achievements at ECSU Managed Services that they have also signed managed services contracts.