MALTA — Kishwaukee College announced the annual Award of Excellence recipients at the End of Year Employee Event held at the Terrace Room at Hopkins Park on May 5. The Awards of Excellence program is sponsored by the Kishwaukee College Board of Trustees to recognize outstanding employees and their contributions to the College. Awards are given in four categories: Full-Time Faculty, Professional Staff, Support Staff, and Adjunct Faculty. College faculty and staff members were nominated by community members, faculty/staff of the College, students and alumni.
The nominees for Full-Time Faculty (includes faculty, counselors, and reference library personnel) were Pernevlon Ellis, Sociology; Nadine Franklin, Theatre; Janet Gallagher, Horticulture – Floral Design; and Ami Irmen, English. The recipient of the 2017 Award of Excellence was Pernevlon Ellis. Ellis was recognized for his commitment to engaging and challenging students. Ellis holds brown bag lunch seminars on Sociology topics, is the advisor of the Sociology Club, and is a member of the Sexual Assault Awareness Task Force, Black Student Caucus, and the KCEA negotiating team.
The nominees for Professional Staff were: Joe Dahm, Coordinator of Truck Driver Training; Allison von Ende, Coordinator of Student Activities; and Connie Kessen, Manager of the Copy Center/Printing Services. The recipient of the 2017 Award of Excellence was Joe Dahm. Under Dahm’s leadership the CDL/Truck Driver Training program has had an increase in both contractual and non-contractual enrollment. Dahm has done a great job in anticipating changes in circumstances and business needs. Dahm is regularly at community events spreading the word about the program and recruiting students.
The nominees for Support Staff were: Tracy Komadina, Information Center Receptionist; Richard Fenton, Copy Center Operator; Kim Jordal, Admissions Assistant; and Linda Smith, Administrative Assistant - Enrollment Services. The recipient of the 2017 Award of Excellence was Tracy Komadina. In her role as Information Center receptionist, Tracy is often the first person who greets visitors to campus. She was recognized for her professionalism, excellent customer service, and willingness to step up to assist wherever extra help is needed on campus.

The nominees for the Adjunct Faculty Award were Dr. David Paulson, Modern Languages; Samantha Arbogast, Office Systems; and Jim Robar, Criminal Justice Sciences. The recipient of the 2017 Award of Excellence was Dr. David Paulson. Dr. Paulson teaches Spanish language courses for the College and also serves as an instructor and translator in the Adult Education department.  He has worked on aligning curricula for Spanish, French and German to the new sequencing at Northern Illinois University and other universities in Illinois and also serves as recruitment and retention specialist for the Adult Education department.        
In addition to certificates, each recipient received a monetary award and will have their names added to the BOT Award of Excellence plaque permanently on display at Kishwaukee College.