6/15/24

Each year, the Universities at Shady Grove recognizes outstanding staff and faculty at the campus, in four categories, with the USG Board of Advisors’ Kendall Service Awards, which are named for longtime USG benefactors Clifford and Camille Kendall. The 2024 award recipients are as follows and highlights of their nominations by colleagues and/or students are noted below:

Excellence in Teaching Award

Ilse Genovese
Lecturer, Communication Studies, University of Maryland, College Park 

“Professor Genovese knows how to make sure her students feel supported. She encourages growth through specific feedback and shows compassion to every single person she interacts with. One of my favorite memories at USG is with her. She took our entire photography class off campus to shoot pictures. During our trip she invited us all to a cup of coffee and sat down with all of us. She shared about her life and asked us about ours. This is a very precious memory for me. Professor Genovese approaches teaching with empathy, passion, and creativity and I feel very blessed to have been instructed by her.”
 

Chathurika Weerasinghe, RDH, MSDH
Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Dental Hygiene Leadership, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland Baltimore

“Ms. Weerasinghe goes above and beyond to engage students actively in their learning journey, creating an environment where every student feels motivated and supported to achieve their academic goals. What sets Ms. Weerasinghe apart is her genuine interest in our career aspirations. She tailors her teaching to help us reach our goals, whether it's through extra support, innovative teaching methods, or opening doors to opportunities. Ms. Weerasinghe is not just a teacher but a mentor, advocate, and cheerleader for her students’ success. Her commitment to going above and beyond to support us in our goals is truly commendable and makes her a deserving candidate for the Kendall Excellence in Teaching Award.”

 

Outstanding Academic Program Leadership

Luke Glasgow
Director, University of Maryland’s R.H. Smith School of Business Undergraduate Programs at USG

"Luke has successfully led the undergraduate business programs at USG since 2000, demonstrating outstanding leadership and devotion. He has proven to be an exceptional and cherished employee of UMD, who people look up to and seek out for advice. Throughout our time at USG, we've observed Luke's unwavering support for students, his dedication to their academic and professional growth, and his efforts to create an engaging and supportive academic environment. He consistently goes above and beyond to help students achieve their goals and navigate challenges, guiding them toward successful and meaningful careers. Thanks to his tireless commitment, the UMD business programs at USG have been able to maintain high retention and job placement rates."

 

Outstanding Service to Students

Andrew Yager
Access Services Manager, Priddy Library, USG

"Andrew has introduced innovative ideas to the library that not only enrich his area of expertise but also significantly influence how the library caters to its students, faculty, and staff. Since assuming leadership of the Access Services unit, staff members have noted an increased sense of support and encouragement to share their ideas for both the unit and the library as a whole. His management style is characterized by informality and approachability, which aligns seamlessly with the library's philosophy and our institutional culture. Demonstrating unwavering confidence, integrity, and kindness, Andrew has earned a reputation as a dependable and trustworthy individual. His genuine passion for assisting others underscores his commitment to serving the community. In addition, Andrew engenders high-quality work from library student employees through effective training and thoughtful performance evaluations.”

 

Outstanding Service to the USG Community

Jane Briggs
Director of Facilities and Planning, USG

"Jane always puts the needs of USG, UMD, and USM at the forefront of her work each and every day. She serves the institution with her whole self and spends countless hours ensuring that all aspects of facilities management, facilities planning, and public safety are carefully planned and executed. Jane’s customer service perspective and business acumen is unmatched. Moreover, Jane’s contributions exceed her immediate areas of responsibilities. She can always be counted on for creative, problem solving across the entire enterprise, bridging the needs of our students, USG staff, and the nine academic partners to ensure that there is success in what USG delivers. What is also remarkable about Jane, is that she inspires her perspective and approach in others. She is an exemplary mentor to both her own direct reports and also staff that do not work directly for her; these individuals look up to Jane as they work on and hone their own contributions at USG that make a difference in the lives of the students that we serve. Her ability to impact people broadly is what sets her apart from others because she does not stop at the boundaries of her own office, but rather asks how she can help to bring along others in the organization with challenging concepts that solve collective problems and advance the organization.
 

In addition to monetary rewards, each of the recipients and their families will be invited to a year-end Board of Advisors recognition reception, where they will be celebrated and awarded a plaque.