Based on the nominations and feedback you provide, all award recipients will be determined by the Staff Awards Selection Committee except for the Lori L. Stuart Memorial Awards which are selected by the Vice Presidents.
Florence Thorp Memorial Award
Florence Jill Thorp joined MICA in July, 2001 as Director of the Media Resources Collection after graduating from Syracuse University's School of Information Studies. She was promoted in June 2009 to Director of the Decker Library when the Library and Media Resources were merged into a single department. Florence began her career working in visual resources in 1993 as a Slide Librarian at her alma mater, Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. Even though Florence considered herself an Upstate New Yorker at heart she absolutely loved Baltimore, especially MICA and her Hampden neighborhood, and spoke often about how Baltimore was now her home. Florence had an extremely wry and wonderfully mischievous sense of humor, spoke highly of her colleagues, and greeted everyone with a smile.
Florence took extreme pride in her work and in her profession. This was evident in the unpretentious way she shared her expertise and the conscientious way she worked with students, faculty and staff. She approached everything with courage and an optimistic attitude. The ideals and professional sensibilities she portrayed affected everyone who had the pleasure to be associated with her. MICA has named this Staff Award in her honor to recognize an individual who shows exceptional, consistent professionalism. The recipient of this award must have a minimum of five years of continuous service to be eligible. This award is presented to one recipient a year who has not been a recipient of this award in the past.
Fred Worthington Memorial Award
Fred Worthington was a 1957 MICA grad, a long time chair of the Alumni Council and the first Alumnus to be named to the MICA Board of Trustees where he served as Vice Chair for many years. He chaired two Annual Funds and was vice chair of a Capital Campaign as well. He was the first ever Chair of the Student Affairs Committee of the Board. Fred cared deeply about the MICA community and was always looking for opportunities to improve services for students. Professionally, Fred was a graphic designer and owned his own firm which for many years specialized in marketing and branding for educational institutions and nonprofit organizations. MICA was often the beneficiary of his design expertise including the history of the Mt. Royal Station installation on Frost Plaza. In 2008, the small triangular pocket park at the top of the Mt. Royal Train Station steps on Dolphin Street was dedicated in Fred's memory to recognize his more than five decades of service and dedication to the College. MICA has named this Staff Award in his honor and today we will recognize someone who has displayed excellent service to MICA community over an extended period. The recipient of this award must have a minimum of five years of continuous service to be eligible. This award is presented to one recipient a year who has not been a recipient of this award in the past.
Douglas Frost Lifetime Achievement Award
One of the factors that distinguish MICA from other colleges and organizations are the individuals who virtually dedicate their whole careers to MICA. These individuals believe in the college's mission, the importance of artists to society, and over their lives and careers never stopped finding ways to make MICA stronger and better.
Doug Frost came to MICA in the early 1960's as a part time Development Officer, the college's first employee in the Development Office. From those first days he began a lifetime of building a support for MICA. He began the first Capital Campaign, created our first Alumni Office, the first Admissions publication and the first college mailings to friends and supporters. So much of what we know of our development and advancement program today began with Doug.
What makes Doug special to MICA is not just his long tenure here, but his ability to maintain his energy, his loyalty, and his creativity year after year. Doug loves the MICA students and loves the success of everybody else on this campus; the faculty, staff and the trustees or members of the community. MICA's success is built on individuals who steadily take the college to new levels and who can continue to grow and find ways to contribute to MICA. For Doug and others, working at MICA was an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of individuals and in the college. This award recognizes someone with 20 or more years of exceptional service to MICA and the larger community. This award is presented to one recipient a year who has not been a recipient of this award in the past.
Distinguished Service to Students Award
The Distinguished Service to Student Award is to recognize a staff member for displaying excellent service to MICA's student body. Nominations for this award are provided by students of the graduating class. The recipient is selected by the Senior Advisory Council and is recognized at Commencement. This award is presented to two recipients a year. One from the Undergraduate Class and one from the Graduate Class who have not been a recipient of the award in the past.
Lori L. Stuart Memorial Award
Lori Stuart worked for MICA for 26 years before she retired in 1992. MICA was a different place then. Lori was known to all of us for her dedication, her style, and unbelievable reliability. She was the entire payroll and personnel office combined; there was no HR Department at MICA in those days. There were not any computers and everything Lori did, she did by hand and by herself. Although she was a very no-nonsense person, she had a great sense of humor and was unbelievably dedicated to her work. In the 26 years she was here, she never missed a payroll. She took one-week vacations in order to make certain she was here for the week payroll went out. She never spoke ill of anybody and was liked by everyone too. She was mostly business, except when you asked her to talk about her grandchildren when she would always pull out pictures and you would get that wonderful radiant smile.
Lori was quite special and it is dedicated people like Lori who work quietly and diligently behind the scenes day in and day out that make MICA what it is today. The Lori L. Stuart Memorial Award is being given to three staff members who are in positions with limited visibility across campus who display extraordinary dedication and commitment to excellence. The award recipient may not have received this award in the past.
Riley Hawkins Community Service to Baltimore Award
Riley Hawkins created a foundation in Baltimore City to “rescue children from the chaos of the streets by instilling values of family, friendship, respect, honor, and responsibility in them, channeling their energy to become a positive force in their community.” The foundation that was started in the 1960's, has taught thousands of inner-city kids about martial arts, and most importantly about how to stay out of trouble, stay focused on school and become productive citizens.
Riley and his instructors volunteer long hours of their time to their students as all classes are absolutely free. In addition, they provide meals, space, and computers for kids to do homework with help from teachers who come on-site, take them on field trips, and provide friendship and mentoring. Riley may be one of the most unassuming, humble individuals you’ll ever meet, but he’s a genuine hero and icon to the thousands of kids and families who’ve benefited from his incredible selfless dedication to Baltimore City youth and his community. This award is presented to one staff member who has provided outstanding service to the Baltimore community and has not been a recipient of this award in the past.
President's Award
The President's Awards recognize individuals who exemplify MICA's emphasis on civility and the underlying core values of the College. This award is presented to two recipients a year who have not been a recipient of this award in the past.