Last week, the 黑料吃瓜网Professional & Managerial Group聽(DPMG) 鈥� the association that includes the university鈥檚 managers and professional employees 鈥� held its annual conference under the theme of "200 and Beyond: Faces, Places, Spaces." And when it comes to going beyond, this year's DPMG award honourees certainly fit the bill.
The DPMG honoured four of its members at the conference, as well as at a special luncheon in late May. Three of them received the DPMG Award recognizing exemplary contributions to the university, while a fourth received聽 the DPMG Early Career Award for Outstanding Achievement celebrates employees with less than four years of service in the DPMG.
Below are excerpts from the citations for each of the recipients.
John Hope
Assistant General Counsel
Legal Counsel Office
Hidden, yet seen, is an apt way to describe John Hope鈥檚 contributions to 黑料吃瓜网. While the particulars of his contributions must, by their nature, remain undisclosed, the impacts of his commitment and leadership pervade the university.
John (pictured with聽nominator Alison Shea) began working at the university鈥檚 legal counsel office about ten years ago. He has since risen to become the assistant general counsel, and with the retirement of the general counsel earlier this year, he assumed the leadership of the university鈥檚 legal team.
The reach of John鈥檚 impacts is simply limitless. Ian Wagschal, assistant director of minor projects, notes that 鈥渁 good portion of Dalhousie鈥檚 success can be attributed to John鈥檚 behind-the-scenes influence and judgment.鈥� And Vice President Finance and Administration Ian Nason concludes that 鈥渆very major construction project at 黑料吃瓜网in the last ten years owes something of its success to John鈥檚 careful legal guidance and ability to work with diverse stakeholders.鈥� Whether it is in his extensive relationships across the university; his approach to sensitive and high-stakes projects; or his engagement with students, John鈥檚 thoughtfulness and ingenuity are always evident. The complex IDEA project is just one example of John鈥檚 practical and solution-focused nature: he developed a unique Contractor Safety Management Process widely acclaimed by safety experts as the 鈥済old standard鈥� in institutional safety practices.
John鈥檚 penchant for refining processes is impossible to miss, and his humour and capacity to forge lasting relationships have been of immense advantage to Dal. In the words of Privacy Officer Alison Shea, these strategic relationships allow John to transform 鈥渁 potential week-long discussion into a ten-minute phone call.鈥�
Said Msabaha
Program Coordinator
Global Health Office, Faculty of Medicine
鈥淎 human being with a big heart, and strong intelligence; someone who manages everything with a big smile and an easy nature,鈥� is how Jacquie Thilaye describes 鈥榯he mayor of Dalhousie鈥�. No, not Mayor Mike Savage or President Richard Florizone, but Said Msabaha, program manager at the Global Health Office (GHO), Faculty of Medicine.
While Said served as an evening supervisor at the Killam Library between 2005 and 2011, he joined the GHO as a program coordinator in 2011. His initial responsibility was limited to supporting international students from Malaysia admitted into the medical school. In no time, the diligence and dedication that stood him out as a supervisor at the Killam Library became obvious at the GHO. He soon began supporting International Medical Graduates entering into clerkships and managing other programs involving students in health studies to participate in exchange programs.
Said has not only fulfilled the mandate of his office 鈥� he has gone over and beyond. He has successfully managed the Link Program, an intensive 15-week orientation for international students transitioning into clerkship. He also coordinates a program which deals with the identification and posting of students in Health Studies to undertake courses in Tanzania and the Gambia, even travelling to Tanzania on his vacation to get a first-hand appreciation of students鈥� experience in the country.
In case you are wondering how Said came to be known as 鈥渢he mayor of Dalhousie,鈥� all you need to do is to take a walk with him from the Henry Hicks Building to the Carleton campus and see everyone who stops to say 鈥渉i.鈥� Shawna O鈥橦earn, Said鈥檚 nominator, notes that while 鈥満诹铣怨贤鴆ampuses can feel disconnected ... (Said) demonstrates how interconnected we are.鈥�
Kim Thomson
Chief of Staff and Executive Director
Provost Office
Kim Thomson personifies professionalism, exudes competence and inspires confidence. While her official position as the chief of staff, Provost Office, might suggest a singular mandate, in fact Kim is many things rolled into one. She coordinates the day-to-day activities of the Provost Office; manages the Provost Committee, the Deans鈥� Council and the Provost鈥檚 Executive; serves as the university contact and resident expert with the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission, and acts as the university liaison with the Education Advisory Board.
Kim played a pivotal role in Dalhousie鈥檚 adoption of and transition to the Provost Model. Since the model鈥檚 rollout, Kim has dedicated herself to its smooth operation and constant improvement. For example, upon realising the need for an effective and efficient internal review process, Kim undertook a process of ensuring that executive assistants and managers were trained in the six-sigma method for process analysis. Approval processes for new and modified academic programs are now conducted more effectively and efficiently.
Kim鈥檚 nominator, Associate Vice President Academic Fiona Black, notes that Kim 鈥渆mploys all her formal learning and continued professional development with a deep wisdom.鈥� These words were reaffirmed by Provost Carolyn Watters, saying that Kim, 鈥渢hinks strategically and leads from behind the scenes, through candid and open relationships across the university.鈥�
If you need to get a job done, Kim is your go-to-person. Her peers and others who report to her attest to her availability, geniality and candour. Andrea Heyer, executive assistant and project coordinator said: 鈥淲hat is most notable about Kim as a leader is her accessibility. Kim has been my team lead on several projects over the years, and she has always been willing to offer consistent and valuable insight, and if necessary role up her sleeves and work jointly to 鈥榞et the job done鈥�.鈥�
Beverly Zinck (Early Career Award)
Coordinator of Access Supports/Academic Accommodations
Agricultural Campus
Students, colleagues and faculty all agree: Beverly Zinck, or 鈥楤ev鈥� as she is fondly called, has a heart of gold. She gives willingly, unreservedly and unconditionally. She gives her drive, vision and passion to the cause of the Accommodation Office at the Agricultural Campus.
Her deeper appreciation of and connection to the demands of her office is evident in the reforms Bev has enacted and the immense success she has recorded in less than four years. To make access to accommodations services quicker and easier, Bev (pictured with DPMG President Kate Somers) developed a Test Request Form, sends electronic test and examinations notifications to students, and is currently revamping the outdated accommodations database at Truro.
One of the many areas where Bev鈥檚 engaging, personable, proactive and collaborative attributes came to the fore was in her reform of the scheduling system of examinations and tests. 鈥淏ev built the present efficient, trusted system, and excellent collegial interaction with instructional colleagues from scratch,鈥� writes faculty member Nancy Pitts. 鈥淔or this vision of 鈥榯eam-ship鈥� alone, Bev would be deserving of recognition鈥�.
Whether it is in her scanning and emailing of class notes to students, her last-minute adjustments of her personal schedule to accommodate a student who forgot the time for a test or examination, or spending late nights, early mornings and weekends to work with students, Bev is always available with refreshing calmness and assuring demeanour.
鈥淩espect is at the core of Bev鈥檚 leadership style,鈥� writes nominator Carolyn Bartlett. 鈥淚t is ingrained into her personality and it becomes pervasive with students and colleagues she interacts with daily.鈥�