George M. Dennison Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards for Distinguished Accomplishment

Every spring, the Dennison Awards recognize distinguished faculty and staff who have brought excellence, merit and distinction to The University of Montana. The Faculty Award is open to all tenure-track or full-time research faculty who have completed at least five years of employment with UM and whose accomplishments have brought significant recognition to the University at the regional and national levels. The Staff Award is presented to a staff member who has completed at least five years of employment with UM and recognizes a distinguished accomplishment within the employee's work unit.

Thanks to those who submitted nominations for the 2013 George M. Dennison Presidential Faculty and Staff Awards. This year's winners are:

Dennison Presidential Faculty Award:

Professor Joel Harper
Department of Geosciences

Professor Harper's work on the response of glaciers to climate change has made him an international leader in the field and a truly outstanding representative of The University of Montana academic community. Read more about his research projects on his website.

Dennison Presidential Staff Award:

Mary Kamensky
Administrative Associate, Graduate School

Ms. Kamensky has spent over 25 years at The University of Montana, including 16 years at the Graduate School. Her dedication to the University's graduate students is without equal, and her work truly brings "lustre" to UM. Read more about her on the departmental website.

Charter Day

The awards were presented at UM's Charter Day ceremony on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. This Charter Day celebrated the 120th anniversary of the University's 1893 chartering by the Montana Legislature. The celebration and award ceremony are always open to the public. Please visit the Alumni Relations website for more information.

Past Award Winners

Past award winners include:

Staff Award:

Jerry Ballas, Architect, Facility Services (2012)
Mona Mondava, Program Coordinator, Foreign Student and Scholar Services (2011)
Julee Stearns, Health Promotion Specialist, Curry Health Center (2010)
Jodi Johnson Moreau, Outreach Coordinator, Alumni Association (2009)
Juana Alcala, Director of Marketing and Recruitment, Admissions and New Student Services (2008)
Karen "Kelly" Chadwick, Groundkeeper III, UC Administration (2007)
Steve Wing, Stage Production Coordinator, Department of Drama/Dance (2006)
Cleo Johnson, Administrative Associate II, School of Education (2005)
Kristine Csorosz, Groundkeeper III, Facility Services (2004)
Diana Spas, Information Systems Support Specialist, Rural Institute on Disabilities (2003)
Becky Hofstad, Administrative Assistant, Department of Economics (2002)
Susie Castle, Administrative Assistant, Department of Englist (2001)

Faculty Award:

Peter Koehn, Professor, Department of Political Science (2012)
Rick Billstein, Professor, Department of Mathematics (2011)
Dan Pletscher, Professor/Program Chair, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences/Wildlife Biology (2010)
Jakki Mohr, Regent's Professor, Management and Marketing (2009)
Steven Running, Regent's Professor, College of Forestry and Conservation (2008) 
Richard Bridges, Professor, College of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2008)
David Sherman, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy (2007)
Bob Pack, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of English (2006)
Richard J. Field, Professor, Department of Chemistry (2005)
Johnny Lott, Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences (2004)
Albert Borgmann, Regent's Professor, Department of Philosophy (2003)
Kenneth Dial, Professor, Division of Biological Sciences (2002)
George D. Stanley, Professor, Department of Geosciences (2001)