Employees Receive Awards for Excellence at Division Level

On Thursday, April 18, faculty and staff from across the Division of Academic and Student Affairs gathered in Stewart Theatre for the annual State of the Division Address and end-of-year event to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2023-24 school year. 

As part of this celebration, employees were honored for their outstanding work throughout the year, and, in particular, 17 faculty and staff were nominated for Awards for Excellence, with four winners selected by a committee of previous winners from the division. 

The University Awards for Excellence program is designed to reward the accomplishments and achievements of permanent NC State employees. Across the NC State campus, up to 50 employees (32 SHRA and 18 non-faculty EHRA) are selected as college/unit awardees. These awardees are then submitted to a University Award for Excellence selection committee to determine 12 university-level winners. Winners of college/unit awards receive 8 hours of time off and a $250 cash award provided by the college/unit. University-level winners get an additional 8 hours of time off and a $1,000 cash award provided by the university.

The university-wide ceremony will be held June 4.

Meet the Winners

Abinadi Ehrisman, Housing Facilities 

Abinadi Ehrisman is an assistant director of facilities for University Housing. 

He manages the day-to-day operations of multiple trades teams, and also plans and manages projects for University Housing and other DASA Units. 

Ehrisman’s nominator, University Housing Engineering/Architectural Supervisor Scott Wallace, has worked with him in different capacities for over 15 years, and said that Ehrisman is “a public servant to not only University Housing but the NC State community as a whole.”

“These projects range from small to large, from simple to complex, but they all have one thing in common, lasting impact on the NC State community,” Ehrisman said. “Abinadi takes the same thoughtful approach whether he is managing a small apartment renovation that allows Housing to accommodate the needs of a live-on staff member or working with campus partners and contractors to build a multi-million dollar community that serves hundreds of residents.”

Ehrisman works closely with stakeholders, trade teams, campus partners and contractors to make sure everyone understands the impact of projects and that they are completed successfully, and on time. 

Ehrisman has done extensive work creating Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible spaces within university housing. Each summer for the last few years, he has brainstormed with teams to find underutilized spaces that can be converted to be ADA-accessible, making it possible for more students to live and learn in these communities. 

Ehrisman was also critical in the creation of the Pack Essentials Hub in North Hall’s lobby. 

“In the project that brought the Pack Essentials Hub to life, Abinadi was a standout figure,” wrote Associate Director of Student Leadership and Engagement Brian Mathis. “His work on the facilities team was more than just getting the project done; his work was crucial in addressing food insecurity among NC State’s students and staff.”

Jeffrey Fay, Prevention Services

Jeffrey Fay is the alcohol and other drug prevention coordinator for prevention services. 

Fay has increased campus access to Narcan, a life-saving medication for opioid overdose reversal, as well as providing resources and training about its use to individuals on campus, and spreading community awareness of its availability. 

Laurie Bolster, a Prevention Services CARES coordinator, nominated Fay in the safety and heroism category. 

Bolster wrote, “Jeffrey has demonstrated patience and dedication by overcoming systemic barriers to create a safer campus and community.” 

Fay collaborated with other partners through campus health to bring Narcan to campus in a safe, legal and ethical way. Thanks to these efforts, students can now pick up Narcan kits for free at Prevention Services. 

He also created an Overdose Prevention and Response Training that allows community members to be trained on how to appropriately use Narcan, intervene in a medical emergency and know the importance of contacting emergency services. 

“Attending trainings on stigmatized and heavy topics can be uncomfortable for participants, but Jeffrey creates an environment that fosters meaningful discussion and feedback,” Bolster wrote. 

As of February 2024, over 1,000 community members had taken the Opioid Overdose and Prevention and Response training, over 745 Narcan kits had been distributed and, via anonymous reports, at least four kits were used in potentially life-threatening situations. 

Fay has also championed the Collegiate Recovery Community, facilitated additional alcohol and other drug training and brought additional harm reduction resources to campus. 

“This is a person who shines through what they do without asking for credit or expecting any,” Bolster wrote. “His work at NC State has been incredible by virtue of who he is.”

Maurice Mathis, TRIO Programs

Mathis serves as the senior director for NC State TRIO’s Pre-College Programs. TRIO is dedicated to helping low-income Americans access higher education, succeed in college, and succeed after graduation. 

He also serves as the president of the North Carolina TRIO Association and is a board member of the Southeastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel. 

DASA Senior Associate Vice Chancellor Carrie Zelna nominated Mathis for the Spirit of North Carolina award.

“Maurice Mathis is an extraordinary individual who embodies the state motto, ‘To be, rather than to seem,’ Zelna wrote. “His exceptional contributions to North Carolina, particularly through his dedicated work with TRIO programs at local, state and regional levels, make him an outstanding candidate for this esteemed recognition.”

Zelna went on to write that Mathis goes “above and beyond” in his role with TRIO, applying for additional Upward Bound, Talent Search, and NAF grants to help low-income, pre-college students in North Carolina. 

Mathis’ efforts have allowed NC State to support over 1,500 under-resourced children in North Carolina, and he has secured $9.6 million every five years to sustain these programs. 

“Maurice Mathis’s commitment to education, leadership and community service encapsulates the essence of the Spirit of North Carolina, recognized by his staff, colleagues, and the Federal TRIO program,” Zelna wrote. “His accomplishments reflect a dedication to excellence that surpasses expectations. I wholeheartedly endorse Dr. Maurice Mathis for the Spirit of North Carolina award, and am confident that his contributions have significantly impacted the well-being and educational opportunities of countless individuals in our state.”

Trang Noyes, Housing Facilities 

Trang Noyes, a facility maintenance technician for University Housing Facilities, has been upholstering furniture at NC State since 1999. 

University Housing Purchasing Specialist Sac McGuire, who has been Noyes’ supervisor since 2013, noted that while English is her second language, her “outstanding customer service skills shine in her adopted tongue or her native Vietnamese.”

“She has a knowledge and mastery of upholstery tools, techniques, hardware, fabric and framing that you’d be hard-pressed to find in two or three upholsters,” McGuire wrote. “And Trang has a pride in her work and a pride in how her work reflects on the university. That Wolfpack pride is evident in the various projects she completes through the year.”

Noyes was instrumental in upholstering the new Pack Essentials Hub furniture in North Hall last summer, allowing it to be ready for a ribbon-cutting ceremony with NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson in September. 

Summer is a busy time for furniture upholstering, and Noyes was hard at work covering furniture in student and staff apartments when the request for North Hall came in. 

McGuire expressed concerns about finishing the North Hall project on time, but Noyes was confident in her ability to do so, and that’s exactly what she did, with no delays to her existing projects. 

“Trang is an exemplary craftsperson in a trade that she practices at a major university,” McGuire wrote. “She has opened her shop to textile students, answering questions and giving space for them to finish term projects. She is proud of her work, and proud to have it be a part of what makes this university special. All of these reasons are why I am nominating My Trang Noyes for the NC State Award for Excellence.”

Other Nominees for DASA’s 2024 Awards for Excellence

Adam Culley, Student Leadership and Engagement

Amy Sawyers-Williams, Arts NC State

Annika Fairbanks, ROTC

Donna Burton, Academic Advising Programs and Services

Jamie Gilbert, Student Media

Jason Byrd, University Housing Facilities

Karina Espinoza, Health and Exercise Studies

Lindsay Veros, Career Development Center

Liza Green, NC State LIVE

Lynn Gupton, Counseling Services

Morgan Proctor, University Housing

Rebecca Brown, Prevention Services

Tyrone Jenkins, Wellness and Recreation