NEWS

Local angles: Chapel Hill, Durham, Haw River, Pittsboro

Photo note: See end of story to download mug shots of winners.

By SUSAN PHILLIPS
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will honor six employees with 2004 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Awards, one of the most coveted honors bestowed by the university, on Saturday (April 24).

Recipients are Sandra Caulberg, administrative officer, Office of University Counsel, of Haw River; Dr. David R. Godschalk, professor, department of city and regional planning, College of Arts and Sciences, of Chapel Hill; Linda A. Naylor, administrative assistant, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, of Durham; David R. Perry, executive associate dean for administration, School of Medicine, of Chapel Hill; Avon Seymore, grounds crew leader, Facilities Services Division, of Pittsboro; and Elizabeth B. "Betsy" Taylor, student services manager, Academic Advising Program, General College and the College of Arts and Sciences, of Chapel Hill.

Chancellor James Moeser will host a luncheon for the at the Carolina Inn, and — in recognition of this, the 25th anniversary of the awards — past recipients also have been invited to take part in the luncheon.

Moeser selected this year’s recipients based on nominations submitted by the campus community, and each honoree will receive an award citation and a $6,000 stipend. This year, the endowment’s growth enabled an increase in award recipients from four to six, and the monetary award also increased by $1,000.

Among this year’s winners, several are described by nominators as repositories of institutional memory, and they frequently represent the face of Carolina on people’s first contact with the university. One has been at the heart of Carolina’s physical growth. Another comes behind him to make sure that growth is blended seamlessly into the landscape of the campus. One has been instrumental in setting up collaborative programs, building bridges between individuals and schools. And another practices crisis management on a daily basis as she serves on the front line between seniors and graduation day.

Nominators provided the following descriptions of this year’s honoroees:

Caulberg provides superior service and is always gracious, patient and helpful, no matter what the size, scope or seriousness of the matter. In her position with the Office of University Counsel, she is often the first point of contact with students, employees, N.C. citizens, media, state legislators and federal officials. She handles complex personnel and budget matters and consistently demonstrates unparalleled dedication and loyalty to her job and the University.

Godschalk has combined his training in architecture and planning and his academic expertise in mediation in dedicated service to the university as chair of the Chancellor’s Building and Grounds Committee. Since becoming chair of the committee in 1995, the committee has considered two master plans for central campus, two land-use plans for the Horace Williams tract and participated in dozens of designer selections and influenced the design of major new projects. His leadership style is in keeping with Carolina’s tradition of consensus building, and his contribution to the university is superior and lasting.

In her position in the Office of the Provost, Naylor retains a vast amount of institutional history that is an asset to any new administrator who enters South Building. She is extremely intelligent, service oriented and efficient and very highly regarded by her colleagues across the campus. Many people rely heavily on her for answers, and she delivers them promptly and accurately, even when it requires retrieving records from the archives. She is an excellent listener and treats everyone with compassion, understanding and fairness.

At the medical school, Perry has been instrumental in helping to develop new programs, secure financial resources and manage difficult personnel issues, including those at the faculty level. His efforts in setting up a number of collaborative programs between the public health and medical schools have benefited the University at large. He has a talent for consensus and resolution on major issues. And he has provided stability during a time of phenomenal growth in the clinical programs, research endeavors and physical facilities.

Quiet but very talented, Seymore leads his co-workers by his example, and his productive, behind-the-scenes work often is not recognized. Carolina is the only university in the state that does the difficult landscape installation work in new facilities, and it is Seymore’s assignment to restore and replant the landscapes for the capital projects. He uses his talents as an equipment operator and landscape maintenance worker, outside of his normal duties, and is always on the "A-Team" when it comes to special assignments. He has been described as one of the unsung heroes of the modern university.

As the student services manager in the Academic Advising Program, Taylor’s job title fails to fully convey the impact she has on students. Many students with whom she has contact will say she is a savior, lifesaver and mother, all rolled into one energetic, compassionate, good-natured, humorous woman. In her job of monitoring students for commencement, she has daily contact with seniors, and whether they’re nervous or upset, she puts them at ease and helps each to reach a solution to their critical problem. She’s patient, kind and knows all the answers. And no one devotes more energy to ensuring the satisfaction of the university’s undergraduates.

The late C. Knox Massey of Durham created the Massey awards in 1980 to recognize "unusual, meritorious or superior contributions" by university employees. In 1984, he joined the families of his son, Knox Massey Jr., and daughter, Kay Massey Weatherspoon, in creating the Massey-Weatherspoon fund. Income from this fund supports both the Massey Awards as well as Carolina Seminars, which promote interdisciplinary thought, study, discussion and intellectual interchange on a wide variety of topics.

Massey was a former advertising executive. He served two decades as a UNC trustee and worked without pay to promote the statewide Good Health Campaign that led to the creation of a four-year medical school and teaching hospital at Carolina. He then worked as a "dollar-a-year" special assistant to the chancellor, aiding in the development of scholarships, professorships and other awards.

Massey chaired the class of 1925 gift endowment campaign that raised the first 50-year reunion gift of more than $50,000. He was inducted into the N.C. Advertising Hall of Fame, based at UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, in 1990.

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· http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/staff/caulberg_sandra.jpg
· http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/faculty/godschalk_david.jpg
· http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/staff/naylor_linda.jpg
· http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/staff/perry_david.jpg
· http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/staff/seymore_avon.jpg
· http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/staff/taylor_elizabeth.jpg

Note: Saturday’s awards ceremony may provide an interesting feature angle with the 25^th anniversary of the recognition program for UNC employees. Reporters with an interest in following up may contact Mike McFarland in University Relations, 962-8593.