Four ESF employees were honored this spring with SUNY Chancellor’s Awards. Honorees were Dr. Paul Crovella ’16, Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching; Dr. Lee Newman, Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service; Debbie Caviness, SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service; and Debbie Faust, Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Classified Service.
The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are system-level honors conferred to acknowledge and provide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence.
Crovella, assistant professor in the Department of Sustainable Resources Management, was recognized by colleagues and students as an exceptional teacher who brings years of industry experience to the classroom and incorporates his research in his teaching. He is known for helping to provide support for graduate students and mentoring them to graduation and the publishing of their theses/dissertations.
Newman, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Biology, has received recognition for her service at multiple levels, including ESF’s Presidential Service Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the International Phytotechnology Society.
In 2014, Newman took on the role of coordinator for the environmental health Bachelor of Science program, as well as serving as faculty leader for the health in the
environment option area in the environmental science program. She led the process toward full accreditation from the Environmental Health Accreditation Council, making ESF’s the only accredited program in the northeastern United States.
Caviness took over as director of ESF Alumni Relations in 2013 and has been instrumental in implementing several valuable services that benefit not only alumni but also current ESF students and the campus as a whole. Caviness has been with ESF since 1996, serving as the assistant director of Alumni Relations before being promoted to director.
Caviness initiated the Alumni/Admissions Ambassador Program. In conjunction with the Admissions Office, she recruited alumni to attend college and high school fairs throughout the country to forge a personal connection with prospective students. She developed an online training program for the Alumni Ambassadors, which she administered during non-business hours and weekends so working ESF alumni could more easily participate. During the pandemic, she instituted an initiative whereby the Alumni Ambassadors sent handwritten postcards to prospective students, still forging that essential personal connection despite the circumstances.
Faust has been with ESF for 30 years, beginning her career as a cleaner and progressing to her current position of supervising janitor, in which she manages a team of 19 people. Faust is known for her attention to detail in coordinating with other Facilities Department supervisors to ensure campus work requests are completed and that all divisions are working together. She breaks down complex and often stressful topics to members of her staff. She is empathetic and truly wants to help those who report through her to improve and have a positive workplace experience. Faust personally trains each new member of the custodial team on their first day and frequently checks in with other members of the training team during an employee’s first few weeks of employment.