TU's Office of Graduate Studies, PAGS named Patriotic Employers

The Office of Graduate Studies and the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences (PAGS) received the designation from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

January 20, 2017

Left to right: Janet Delany, Towson University School of Graduate Studies dean; Bill Peters, Maryland ESGR volunteer; Arlene Ceribelli, assistantship office; and Robin Walczak, executive assistant.
Left to right: Janet Delany, Towson University School of Graduate Studies dean; Bill Peters, Maryland ESGR volunteer; Arlene Ceribelli, assistantship office; and Robin Walczak, executive assistant.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense-Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) recognized the Office of Graduate Studies' Janet Delany, Robin Walczak and Arlene Ceribelli, and Rajeswari Kolagani and David Schaefer of the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences (PAGS), as a Patriotic Employer for their support of TU graduate student David Houston.

Houston was the Graduate Student Association (GSA) co-president and representative of Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, pursuing a master’s degree in physics. In the fall term he received orders for deployment with the Army National Guard.

“The Patriot Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize individuals who provide outstanding patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them have answered their nation’s call to serve,” said Bill Peters, Maryland ESGR volunteer. “Supportive supervisors and colleagues like Dean Delany, Ms. Ceribelli, and Ms. Walczak are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units.”

Houston was effusive in expressing his thanks and appreciation for the support he received.

“Dean Delany, Ms. Walczak and Ms. Ceribelli were my supervisors for nearly two years,” said Houston. “Their empathy and support of my academic, professional and military goals while employed and academically enrolled as a graduate student at Towson University is infallible.

"With monthly drill weekends, emergency activations such as Operation Restore Order, an operational support mission in South Korea, and my current long-term deployment to the Middle East, they have extended themselves beyond what is required by law,” he added.

All the members of TU's staff were nominated by Houston, who paused his degree program in order to be deployed with his Guard unit to the Middle East.