At last week's Fall Convocation, Distinguished Service Awards and Golden Key Faculty Awards were presented and Emeritus recipients were recognized.

2003 Distinguished Service Awards

Administrator
Tom Gray, Registrar
Tom Gray has been with Metro State for 31 years and has had a number of titles. In 1979 he developed and managed the first Metro ID card system, implemented and managed the first Metro Orientation Program and wrote and published the first Student Handbook. He introduced the voice response system and created a Community Outreach Program that placed Metro State in the community through events such as the People's Fair, NEWS4 Education Expo, Juneteenth, Cinco de Mayo and others.

Administrator
Tara Tull, Interim Assistant Dean of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Tara Tull came to Metro State in 1990 as coordinator of women's services and was named associate director of the Institute of Women's Studies and Services in 1996. In July 2002, she was named interim assistant dean of the School of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Tull is involved with the statewide Women of Color Conference and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Peace Breakfast, helped establish the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Office and has advocated for physical accessibility to the National Historic Register houses on campus. She also created to the Students to Watch awards program, which recognizes students who have overcome major obstacles to get an education.

Faculty
Adolph Grundman, Professor of History
Adolph Grundman has been with Metro State for 26 years and has directed the Honors Program since 1996. For the past three years he has organized summer semester travel-study programs in Ireland and Scotland. Grundman is also the creator of the Honors Program Conference, which helps students learn and appreciate the historic complexities of the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the United States. In 1985, he chaired the Athletic Council, which provided leadership that eventually guided the college to compete at the NCAA Division II level.

Classified
John Arntz, Systems Analyst, Information Technology
A 23-year Metro State employee, John Arntz started his career in Institutional Research before transferring to Information Technology. He currently provides technical support to payroll and human resources staff. In his spare time, Arntz maintains the Roadrunner Café, a snack shop in the Administration Building, which sells pop and candy and donates the proceeds to charity. For 13 years, Arntz volunteered his time coaching the intercollegiate tennis team. He also has volunteered his time with the Human Performance, Sport and Leisure Studies Department, developing and teaching an introductory level tennis class for four years.

Golden Key Faculty Awards

Excellence In Teaching

Antonio Ledesma, Associate Professor of Human Services
Tony Ledesma, a graduate of Metro State, has two master's degrees, one in social work and one in counseling psychology, and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver. His professional interests are focused on mental health issues, interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution, while his teaching includes courses such as introduction to human services, psychotherapy, couples therapy, counseling theory, conflict resolution and multicultural issues.

Cheryl Sanders, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Cheryl Sanders holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State University, where she conducted research on mathematically precocious youth. As a developmental psychologist, Sanders teaches courses in research methodology as well as core content courses including the psychology of the exceptional child. She mentors advanced students who work with her researching children's moral development; her students have been accepted into prestigious Ph.D. programs in developmental psychology across the country. Sanders received a Provost Award for an innovative teaching technique in 2002.

Outstanding Researcher/Scholar

Akbarali Thobhani, Professor of African American Studies and Director of the Institute for International and Intercultural Studies and Services
During his long and distinguished career at Metro State, Ali Thobhani has continually brought his research into the classroom and to the campus community. A recipient of a series of Fulbright and Metro State travel grants, Thobhani has pursued his research directly in Africa, the Middle East, India, Spain and London. Among his 17 publications are three books, scholarly articles and book chapters. The United Nations Association of the U.S., the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and UNICEF have honored his work. Thobhani's most recent research investigated the social, economic and political changes in the Western Sahara since 1975.

Adjunct Faculty Recognition Awards

Larry Botnick, Department of Social Work
Larry Botnick has been a Metro State adjunct faculty member for the past three years. As manager of outpatient aftercare and Latino services at Adams County Mental Health, Botnick brings the outside world into the classroom. He has converted three courses in social work to online offerings, and his technological skills, including Powerpoint and use of Web-based materials, enhance his on-campus courses as well. Botnick is also known for working individually with at-risk students to increase their chances of success in a college environment.

Kelly Felice, Department of Human Services
Kelly Felice is completing her 10th year of teaching at Metro State. During this time she has taught both part-time and as a temporary full-time faculty member, and her student evaluations consistently rank at the top of the department. Felice also directs the Center for Nonprofit Organization Administration within Human Services. In the past two and a half years, the number of students in the nonprofit program has increased from seven to 65. A graduate of Metro State, Felice has more than 20 years experience in nonprofit management and is executive director of Community Resources, Inc.