Dear Colleagues:
As you all know, our Faculty, Staff and Retirees Awards ceremony is tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. I hope to see you there.
One award will not be presented as planned. Noreen Gaubatz, executive director for institutional effectiveness, is this year's recipient of the Mary Spann Richardson Award. This award goes to a faculty or staff member who has provided Winthrop University with positive visibility throughout South Carolina, the United States, and the world.
I am sad to share that Noreen’s husband of 40 years, Tom Gaubatz, passed away this weekend, and she will not be in attendance at tomorrow’s event. She was informed of the award earlier today and is grateful for the kindness reflected in her selection.
I think we all know that Noreen has had a very large and important job over the last several years, which was getting every area of campus prepared for our SACSCOC reaccreditation process, a process that culminated in our on-site visit last month. We heard nothing but positive things from the on-site team, and a large part of that is because of the way Noreen effectively prepared the campus and her efficient organization of the process, all of which were exemplary. We thank Noreen for her steadfast leadership throughout this very important process.
The family will have a private gathering to honor Tom's life. But today, while we celebrate Noreen's significant contributions to our campus community, we also extend our condolences and support to her and her family during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
George
George W. Hynd
