Monday, Oct 12, 2015
Three of Rider’s finest employees received the annual Frank N. Elliott Award Oct. 8
Debbie Williamson, administrative associate for Westminster Choir College; Boris Vilic, dean of the College of Continuing Studies; and Mary Poteau-Tralie, professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, were each presented with the 2015 Frank N. Elliott Award for Distinguished Service on Oct. 8 during the Faculty & Staff Awards Ceremony in the Bart Luedeke Center Theater.
Williamson, who was the support staff recipient of the Frank N. Elliott award for Distinguished Service, has been a part of the Rider family for 14 years, providing dedicated support to faculty on the Westminster campus. In this role, she supports all of the Choir College faculty and is known a point person for students as well. No matter how busy she is, she has a reputation for making herself available to answer questions in an unfailingly kind, prompt and helpful way. President Gregory Dell'Omo, who presided over the three awards, commented on Williamson's identity as a "Westminster treasure, a consummate professional." He added, "There is no task too small or large for her to handle."
In nominating Williamson, colleagues spoke of her outstanding interpersonal skills, independence, responsibility, compassion and grace. When reviewing the nominations, the words “exceptional,” “wonderful,” and “outstanding” were used more than once.
Professor Lindsey Christenson, who was one of the people who nominated Williamson, wrote of her as someone who “literally keeps Westminster Choir College going with her extensive organizational and clerical innovation and help. She is able to make what seems impossibly complicated, documents like jury and exam schedules, teacher assignments, letters to colleagues, competition schedules, etc., workable and even easy.”
Boris Vilic, dean of the College of Continuing Studies, was this year's administrator recipient of the Frank N. Elliott Awards. An invaluable member of the Rider community for nearly 10 years, Vilic has served the University tirelessly and with distinction. His colleagues say he personifies collegiality across the campus community and that he leads with integrity, humility and a spirit of respect from students, faculty and staff. In short, his service has been more than distinguished.
Professor Kelly Bidle echoed this sentiment in her nomination, adding that “Boris worked tirelessly with my department when the University wished to introduce the RN to BSN program for online learners. My department was initially skeptical given that we did not have a school of nursing nor the appropriate faculty to guide the program. However, Boris met with us frequently and provided us with the leadership that was required to launch the program."
According to Associate Dean Jonathan Millen, “Beyond his obvious responsibilities as Dean of the College of Continuing Studies, Vilic was instrumental in spearheading the Criminal Justice Camp that brought high school students to campus this past summer for the second year in a row. At least three students applied to Rider and joined the class of 2019 from the first cohort of students.”
Finally, the faculty recipient of the Frank N. Elliott Award for Distinguished Service was Professor Mary Poteau-Tralie of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Poteau-Tralie joined Rider's faculty in 1991, with a doctorate in romance languages and literatures from Princeton University. Her research includes 19th century realist/naturalist prose fiction, specifically the short stories of Guy de Maupassant. More recently, she has presented papers and published articles and reviews on francophone literature, including works by Assia Djebar and Maryse Condé.
In addition to courses in French language, literature, composition and translation, business and culture, Poteau-Tralie teaches in the Baccalaureate Honors program and served for four years as chair of her department. She is advisor for Rider’s chapter of Pi Delta Phi, the National French Honor Society, and serves as co-director of the Central Jersey-Penn Foreign Language Academic Alliance, an organization that she co-founded. She is also a member of Rider’s Film and Media Studies Committee.
President Dell'Omo characterized her wide and abiding reach when he stated that "From freshmen to alumni, Mary’s impact has been profound and is being felt far and wide."
Established in 1991, the awards recognize Rider employees who exemplify the same spirit of dedication as Elliott, who served as president of the institution from 1969 to 1990. Members of the Rider community were deeply saddened by his recent passing, but his legacy lives on in Rider's exemplary faculty, administrator and support staff award winners.
