Two Staff Members Awarded Whalen Scholarships

Kathy Besemer, a medical technologist in the J. David Hammond Center for Student Health Services, and Peggy Termina, faculty information specialist in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, are the recipients of the 2001-2 JJ Staff Scholar Awards. Established in 1997 to honor president emeritus James J. Whalen, the annual awards give $200 to eligible staff members enrolled in a degree program at the College. The money can be used to pay for books and defray other educational costs.

"Taking classes while working full-time with a family isn’t easy," says Besemer, who has been taking classes for credit since 1994. "Receiving this kind of public recognition for all your hard work really means a lot."

Besemer has been working in the lab at the health center since 1992. A licensed medical technologist, she knew a bachelor’s degree would be the key to advancing in her career. She is currently enrolled in the health sciences program.

"It started out as a professional decision, but it evolved into a personal goal," she says. "I’ve found that going to classes gets me beyond my work space and into a setting where I can develop a rapport with students. Since I’m the parent of two teenagers, it’s good to know what’s on young people’s minds and how to relate to them. Also, I’ve always felt that if you work in an academic setting, you’d be crazy not to take classes and keep your creative juices flowing. Even after I’m done with this program, I still plan on taking classes."

Besemer has six more classes to take before receiving her degree. The same number of classes remains for Termina, who is working toward a bachelor’s in sociology.

"I decided on sociology as a major because it gave me a chance to explore a broad area of knowledge," she says. "Getting a degree has always been a personal goal. While I don’t expect to start a new career once I graduate, my degree will be useful should I decide to do counseling or work volunteer hot lines."

Termina began working at the College in 1982 as a secretary in the provost’s office. She now acts as liaison for various faculty committees and special projects, and she coordinates the annual revision of the undergraduate catalog. She started working on her degree in 1988.

"My first class was Hugh Egan’s Introduction to American Literature," she says. "He was very supportive, understanding, and patient. Hugh was a major reason why I decided to continue pursuing a degree. Receiving the award is a nice recognition of the hard work that goes into being a student while raising a family and working full-time."

Candidates for a JJ Staff Scholar Award must be full-time staff members of the College working at grades 2 to 16. They must also be matriculating seniors who have completed at least 90 hours toward graduation and are maintaining a grade point average of 3.2 or higher.

The JJ Staff Scholar Award Committee is chaired by Sue Vrzal. The members are Carol Bradley, Marcia Burgess, Rosalie Fitzgerald, Karen Johnson, Deb Merriman, Pat Phelps, Sandy Pyhtila, and Joy Stanton.

Previous recipients of the award are Donna Wray, William Weeks, Denise Benjamin, Lola Schissel, Deborah Emnett, and Jacalyn Spoon.

photos by Keith Davis