Meet the TU staff members honored by the USM Board of Regents

By Rebecca Kirkman on August 1, 2022

TU’s Felicity Knox and Jackie Gabrielian are among the seven people honored by the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents as recipients of the 2022 USM Regents’ Staff Awards—the highest honor bestowed upon staff across the system.

Knox, a library associate in the Special Collections and University Archives at Albert S. Cook Library, was awarded for exceptional contribution to the institution. Gabrielian, the academic adviser coordinator with the Academic Renewal Program in the Academic Advising, Retention & Completion Office, was awarded for contributions to effectiveness and efficiency.

TU, as part of its strategic plan, is committed to a student-centered culture and support services as well as building facilities and resources in Cook Library to support scholarly activity.

“Our staff and faculty share in our university-wide mission centered around student success, and I am grateful to Felicity and Jackie for all they do to support our students and our colleagues,” says President Kim Schatzel. “Congratulations to them on this well-deserved honor!”

Knox and Gabrielian are among four TU staff members nominated earlier this year.

The awards honor excellence in the following categories: contribution to the institution; service to students in an academic or residential environment; public service to the university or the greater community; effectiveness and efficiency; and inclusion, multiculturalism and social justice.

Institutional nominating committees make recommendations to their presidents, who forward recommendations to USM Chancellor Dr. Jay A. Perman. The Regents Staff Review Committee makes the final recommendations.

Each award carries a $2,000 prize provided by the institutions and the USM Foundation. Perman and Board of Regents Chair Linda Gooden will honor the award recipients on Sept. 16 during the board’s first regularly scheduled meeting of the 2022–23 academic year, at the University of Maryland, College Park.

“I’m always struck by the dedication of our staff throughout the system. Bringing together this select group means we’ll be able to salute the outstanding efforts that our staff members bring to their work,” Perman says. “I look forward to being together at our flagship campus in mid-September to honor these special colleagues.”

About the winners

 

Felicity Knox '94

Exceptional Contribution to the Institution

For more than a decade, Felicity Knox has developed and promoted one of Towson University’s most distinctive resources, its Special Collections and University Archives. In fact, her commitment to expanding access to the university’s collective history and memory—as a research resource and a community touchstone—has earned her the nickname of unofficial university historian. She was co-author of TU’s 150th anniversary commemorative book and has written about the history of facilities, women’s athletics and accessibility on campus. Knox provides outstanding archival research support, a commitment to incorporating diversity into Towson University’s collections and a passion for sharing the university’s story.

 

Jackie Gabrielian

Effectiveness and Efficiency

Towson University initiated the Academic Renewal Program (ARP) as a pilot program to allow suspended students to remain enrolled, provided they met certain requirements. Jackie Gabrielian had a significant role in launching ARP and developing its requirements, which included meetings with academic advisers, online learning modules and academic coaching. The program was so successful that in 2013 ARP became a permanent option for students to take classes in lieu of suspension. This is a true win-win solution. Students receive the encouragement and support they need to continue their academic career. Meanwhile, the university has preserved tens of millions of dollars in tuition revenue that would have been lost if those students had not returned to TU.