Photo courtesy of John Atti
When I was younger, my parents used to put my report cards up on the fridge. I was pretty happy with my report cards back then, because I had almost all of the letters on them and I thought that was the goal. I would later find out that the first letter is what everyone is gunning for, which is kind of a bummer, but whatever.
Anyway, the point here is that my parents recognized my efforts regardless, and it felt nice to be recognized. Perhaps when you were younger, your parents hung your good test grades on the fridge. That must have felt nice, and I bet we can all agree that such a feeling is gratifying to say the least.
As we enter the final lap of our semester, I think it’s important that we all do our best to spread the cheer around, in whatever way we can. An easy way to do this, one that I think you should all take advantage of, is by filling out a nomination for President Mercer’s Staff Recognition Program.
Whether you’re a sophomore reading the paper between classes, or a 20-year veteran employee of the College who’s thumbing through the Viewpoints section over a morning coffee, you should nominate any staff member at our College that you feel has done a great job. More positivity in the world can’t be a bad thing, especially around finals!
I bet that your nomination will make whomever you’re nominating as happy as I get when enjoying the many treats at a President’s Staff event. All staff members who are nominated receive a letter from President Mercer letting them know that they’re appreciated, and a select three will receive a fancy award.
So, if a staff member at Ramapo has ever blown you away by their helpfulness or leadership, in addition to saying “thank you,” please take some time this week to nominate them for an award.
Perhaps your academic advisor helped you discover your future career path, or an administrative assistant always went out of their way to get you the answers that you were looking for. Maybe your coach really pushed you to excel as a student athlete, or one of our Facilities employees did a really great job installing one of our new hydration stations in your Residence Hall. If so, they’d be prime candidates for a heartfelt recommendation.
Nominations can be placed online at www.ramapo.edu/president/recognition/ and, not to rush you, but they’re due tomorrow, Friday, April 21. So get to nominating!
jatti@ramapo.edu
