Celebrating our Faculty and Staff with Annual Awards

One keeps our international students in-line, one keeps our facilities in tip-top shape and another was a beloved professor. On August 19, 2019, Rosen College recognized three members of the Rosen College family with the annual Staff – , Associate –  and Faculty of the Year awards.  Sheryl Goins who manages our Asian academic programs received the Staff Member of the Year award. David Maldonado, who can be counted on to maintain the air conditioning, paint the building or install needed furnishings as well as other tasks was recognized as the Associate of the Year, and Dr. Mathilda van Niekerk was named Faculty Member of the Year.

You can learn more about the qualities that led to these three exemplary people receiving these awards in the nominating summaries below:

Sheryl Goins, Staff Member of the Year 
Sheryl is a program coordinator at the Rosen College and she assist with all Continuing Education programs, the finance office, and various events and conferences throughout the year. Sheryl always presents herself in a very professional manner and makes her personal mission is that every student has the very best experience while they are here at Rosen College. She repeatedly goes above and beyond to make sure that everything is perfect when the groups arrive. She personally welcomes and visits students, she adopts these students for the time they are here and calls them “her kids”. She makes their experience here a human experience, not just an educational one. Sheryl is always willing to assist with any task asked of her, no matter how large or small. She comes in every day with a positive attitude even when things are stressful or she has had a bad day. At the college we all appreciate and recognize her hard work and willingness to take on tasks as assigned. She is a true asset to the College and we are lucky to have her here.

David Maldonado, Associate of the Year
David Maldonado is a truly wonderful person, coworker and peer, much deserving of this honor. While at Rosen College David has become an invaluable asset to the successful operation of the campus. His high level of performance is evident by the exceptional manner in which he conducts himself and demonstration of professionalism. He has excelled, well beyond the scope of his job. His leadership helped in the successful refurbishment of our HVAC Chill Water system, he works incessantly to make sure our facilities are always “top notch”. He expertise has contributed to a significant  reduction in maintenance cost, which impacted the overall budget. David is constantly improving himself by developing his leadership skills as well as his communication and time management skills. David doesn’t stop at the mechanics, he is the go to person his fellow coworkers look to when problems need solving. We thanks David for his commitment to provide his expertise to allocate resources to the Rosen College.

Dr. Mathilda van Niekerk, Faculty Member of the Year 
Dr. van Niekerk, fondly known as Dr. Mathilda is one of the most dedicated faculty members in our college committed to furthering our pedagogical and professional mission. She has embraced loyalty, hard work and dedication to everything she does. She has the ability to connect with faculty and bring together people with a respectful and refreshing positive attitude. She is seen as a powerhouse by her females colleagues, serving as a mentor and role model. Her unwavering guidance and encouragement of her colleagues and staff, demonstrate that the climb to the top is not an easy one, but if we persevere we can see positive results. She exemplifies the very essence of the award, as she has helped to build the fine reputation of Rosen College by active involvement and sincere concern for the students, fellow professors, staff, and visitors to the campus.  She sets the standard for engagement, dedication, selfless contributions, and professionalism, and has an outstanding record showing that she has gone above and beyond in her call of duties.

Note: Mathilda’s sister, Erna van der Nest accepted the award on behalf of Mathilda, who was in hospice at the time of the presentation. Sadly, Mathilda passed away on August 23, 2019, just four days after receiving the award. We will miss her.