The Pillar of Excellence Award is given out each year by our department to recipients whom have done great things during the course of the year. Nominations are usually written by fellow colleagues (I wrote a winning nomination this year with other co-workers for our Associate Director Amy Martin), but my staff took it upon themselves to come together and write one with the guidance of a fellow RD Mandy Torres. However, Mandy told me today, "I want you to know that most of that nomination was written by your RAs, I had to add very little."
At the ceremony, Mandy got up and started giving her speech and in walks four of my RAs to help her present...that's when all the feels (read: tears) happened.
I wrote a post earlier about how much I love my job, but it can, admittedly, be a thankless job with students not really seeing all you put into it. That's why it was so overwhelming to hear all of the great things they were saying. Later that day, I was able to read their nomination and was even more overwhelmed and humbled by all they had written. Having written a few of these nominations before and having been on the deciding committee more than once, I've seen the quality and length of many past nomination forms...the amount of time and effort they put into this nomination in and of itself would have been enough for me. So THANK YOU THANK YOU my lovely RA staff...you all are the best and I am truly blessed to work with such a wonderful group of students!!!
Here is there nomination:
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Cory’s ability to match his individual strengths and passion for others has allowed the Denton Hall staff and Denton Community to develop this year. His genuine interest in the development of his RAs and residents, heartfelt compassion, and profound respect is evident with each of the intentional efforts that he makes. Even after hours, Cory is often found at the front desk of Denton Hall interacting with residents, socializing with Resident Assistants, and making himself present and involved in the building. Cory goes the extra mile when it comes to making others feel welcome and included, which is why he continues to be respected and loved by his staff and peers, as well as recognized by hundreds of past and present residents around campus.
Cory has demonstrated excellence in a variety of ways in the past year, including:
-Assisting Resident Assistant staff with both internal and external community development
-Incorporating multimedia tools to design staff videos, comedic bulletin boards, and informational fliers and newsletters
-Provided additional opportunities for students including awareness for the following:
• Denton Community Office Assistant positions
• Staff Assistant Positions
• Summer RA hiring process
• Campus extracurriculars
Additionally, Cory has demonstrated each pillar of excellence as detailed below.
PERSISTENCE
Cory Hibbetts demonstrates persistence on a daily basis, setting a positive example for his staff. He often incorporates the other pillars of service, leadership, achievement and creativity in his persistent efforts. Having enthusiasm about a job can make it more fun, and Cory teaches this by example on a regular basis. By showing exceptional support for his RAs and serving as a team player in the community, Cory uses persistence to greatly surpass the requirements of his position.
While supervising our events through shopping lists, the community development database, and face-to-face interactions is an expected part of Cory’s position, he has gone further by attending many of the events that RAs have planned. This has allowed him to be visible to the residents, as well as to augment staff bonding. Furthermore, his presence does not instill fear or rigidness in the residents, as Cory is a firm, but approachable leader in the building. Residents feel comfortable with Cory in the room, while still maintaining a respectful manner. It is a valuable and positive aspect of working with him.
Cory always strives to complete rounds with his Resident Assistants. He does this for many reasons, the first of which is staff bonding. Rounds present a great opportunity to catch up with Resident Assistants outside of bi-weekly one-on-one meetings. This allows Cory to get to know his RAs on a more personal level. It also presents him with an extra opportunity to learn more about the status of how his RAs are performing on their floors.
In addition to having more time for staff bonding, doing rounds with RAs allows Cory to also interact with residents. During rounds, Cory not only ensures that policy is enforced correctly, but also tries to converse with as many residents as possible. This creates an increased awareness of who Cory is in the building, and also allows residents to view him as a welcoming resident director with the residents’ well-being at top priority.
Also, if Cory hears that an RA has dealt with a stressful situation earlier in the shift, Cory has on multiple occasions offered willingly to walk the next round with the RA. Knowing that Cory always has our back makes our jobs much less stressful.
Cory also goes above and beyond when he is the Resident Director on duty for North Campus. Within his own residence hall, Cory is always willing to assist his RAs in the wake of incidents, providing guidance in confrontation and follow-up. In his one-on-one times with the Denton staff, he will not only reflect on what happened during an incident, but on how the RA dealt with it, what was comfortable, and what may require improvement in the future. When receiving a call, Cory will often go to the site of the incident, to provide any assistance he can, even when it is not required of him. This shows not only his level of persistence, but the level of dedication Cory has for his job. He is so invested in ensuring things run smoothly and are resolved in an efficient manner that it shows in all aspects of his work. By taking time out of his night to go to an incident, Cory shows he cares not only for the safety of residents but for the the development of resident assistants as well.
While Cory provides exceptional support to the RAs on his staff and others, he also challenges his own staff members to become more comfortable with confrontation and crisis management, as well as community development. While he will be especially supportive in a time of crisis, in the aftermath he focuses on the development of the resident assistant in dealing with future incidents.
Besides resident assistants on his staff, Cory has demonstrated persistence in his interactions with the entire community. This semester, he helped the entire community to adapt with a staffing change in the temporary absence of a resident director in Easton Hall. He took on the additional responsibilities for that hall, such as the judicial process, and other administrative functions. The fact that the Community Director selected Cory for this task speaks volumes about Cory’s ability to adapt successfully to change as a leader. Most impressively, Cory’s work as Resident Director of Denton Hall did not suffer during this period of time. He also assisted the new Resident Director of Easton as she transitioned into her position this March.
As the supervisor and leader of the Resident Assistant Staff it is only natural that Cory has a major role in the building and strong connection with his employees. Cory extends this connection to other staff members of Denton Hall. He strives to work cooperatively with the Customer Service Supervisor (CSS) in overseeing the Community Assistants (CA). Just as he works harmoniously with his RAs, Cory is able to make the CAs feel comfortable performing their duties and asking for assistance when needed. Denton’s CAs and CSS know that Cory will happily help whenever he can and he will not scold them for not always knowing what to do. Not only do the CAs see Cory as a resource, he is also a mentor and a friend. He spends many hours behind the front desk getting to know the CAs, and encourages his RA staff to do so as well. The time that he dedicates to the CSS and the CAs really improves the quality of service that the front desk of Denton Hall provides, and sets an example of cooperation and teamwork for his resident assistants.
On top of his work with the Denton CAs, Cory has done an exceptional job helping the Office Assistants (OAs) in the Denton Community Office perform their duties. With at least three new OAs at the beginning of this semester, Cory helped immensely by showing them the ins-and-outs of how the office runs, ranging from how to sync Resident Directors’ calendars to how assist in setting up judicial appointments correctly and efficiently.
SERVICE
Cory’s dedication to service goes beyond the walls of Denton Hall, with participation in campus organizations such as RHA. His dedication includes participating in multiple 6- to 7-hour training days, attending biweekly Senate meetings, and traveling to Rutger’s University with other student members of RHA to participate in CAACURH, the Central Atlantic Affiliate of College Universities and Residence Halls. This conference is a regional version of NACURH, a national organization that “promotes living on campus as an integral part of the college experience and strives to provide resources to help member schools create the ultimate residence hall environment and experience.”
This semester Cory has volunteered to assume an additional role as an instructor for Introduction to Student Personnel. This is not a position that is required of him, but it is one that he accepted happily during a last minute necessity for a new instructor. Despite his already busy schedule, Cory has made time to be a large part in the development of the future RAs at the University of Maryland, filling in for an instructor who had to leave the position at the last minute. This instructor role is not limited to the allotted weekly class period, but Cory seems to have adopted this role with ease.
Also, as a member of the RD search committee, Cory has dedicated a large part of his schedule to screening, phone interviews, and in-person interviews. This often times means postponing other duties. His schedule this semester has been quite full between RD search, teaching EDCP470, leading his RA staff and hall council, and taking on the Summer RD position. Meanwhile, instead of complaining about these duties, he continues to step up for the betterment of the community, truly showing others that a deep investment in his professional life can be both rewarding and enjoyable.
Cory has made it a point to be accessible and responsive with his RAs, as mentioned above. He manages this through one-on-ones, emails, and phone, both calling and texting. He is also constantly seen around the building, primarily at the front desk. This amount of exposure allows his RAs to address any issues we may have in a quick and timely manner. Moreover, these issues can be personal or RA related. This is especially beneficial when such issues arise after the Denton Community Office closes. In providing such guidance, Cory has made an investment not only in his building and community, but also in the development of his staff members as individuals and professionals. For his staff, this demonstrates the same sincere care and compassion they should have for the residents.
Cory’s accessibility benefits not only his staff, but also the residents, as he is very frequently visible around the building. His attendance at events, accompaniment on rounds, and presence at the front desk all allow for the residents of Denton Hall to be well aware of his presence in the building. This creates a natural and sincere relationship between residents and the RD, which benefits residents who need to approach Cory with an issue.
Besides excelling in the status quo, Cory has worked to make improvements in the community staff, setting precedents for more efficient use of student staff. Early in the fall, Cory made sure that staff assistants and senior RAs in the Denton Community Office received the appropriate judicial training so they could be student judicial officers for cases such as minor alcohol-related incidents and noise violations. In doing so, he not only distributed the judicial workload in a more effective manner, but he also provided an opportunity for these staff assistants to grow as individuals and as staff members. By having an understanding of the judicial process, these student staff members can provide better answers to their residents and fellow RAs about the process. By making this happen, Cory set a precedent for future years.
ACHIEVEMENT
Cory made a point this year of challenging his Senior RAs to go above and beyond the precedent set by previous years’ senior RAs. As a part of this, he used the online tool Trello to designate particular tasks for the senior RAs. He made sure that all the staff assistants learned the format of this tool. It became an effective way to facilitate communication between staff assistants and professional staff, especially on days when the professional staff are in meetings.By handing his senior RAs more accountability in the form of assigned tasks, staff leadership, and judicials, Cory has set the precedent for expanded leadership within the community and the campus. In order to keep the bar high for future years, he has encouraged his senior RAs to write a transitional manual for future senior RAs. This will facilitate future leadership and improvement in the staff assistant role that will benefit not only Denton Hall, but the entire Denton Community and possibly the campus as a whole in years to come.
LEADERSHIP
Residents can easily learn the name of their RA and become comfortable enough to say hi and have a conversation. However in Denton Hall, many residents feel this way about their RD as well. Cory makes a point of spending time at floor events, hall council events and the front service desk of the building, so residents are well aware of who he is and what he does. Oftentimes when walking around North Campus with Cory, residents acknowledge him by name. By being present at the desk and throughout the building, Cory has created more meaningful relationships with the residents than he has required to do.
Navigating the line between friend and supervisor is a tricky task for any professional. However, Cory does so with ease and grace. Cory makes sure that his staff members are comfortable approaching him about various issues, from resident issues to personal problems. Meanwhile, he maintains a level of professionalism that reminds his staff that they must adhere to the policies. It is interesting to see that the closer RAs become with Cory, the more accountable they are in their positions. By levelling with the staff, Cory has given us more incentive to perform well, not only to fulfill the requirements of the job, but to excel in our positions and care about our residents the way he cares about us.
This friendly supervisory relationship has yielded tangible results in staff performance and problem prevention. For instance, when it comes to personal obstacles like challenging school schedules or family and relationship issues, RAs feel comfortable informing Cory about their challenges because he is approachable. This has helped him to watch out for us and lend a helping hand as well as encouragement during these tough times, so that we are motivated to persevere as RAs and as people. Additionally, by being approachable, Cory has been more than a supervisor to his RAs, but a mentor. He constantly presents us with challenges based on our own personal strengths and weaknesses to help us grow as RAs, and provides guidance on a larger scale to help us grow overall as individuals.
Cory’s effective leadership does not only apply to his staff, but extends to his fellow RDs as well. As a second-year RD in Elkton, Corry has helped me realize the type of RD I want to be. Cory, is always there when I need him to answer a question, give me advice about a situation, or fill in for me whenever necessary. I personally seen Cory’s interaction with his staff, the way they admire him, look up to him, and respect him. Cory has fostered one of the most cohesive staff dynamics I have ever seen, and I think this speaks to his hands-on leadership style.
CREATIVITY
An admirable trait of Cory’s is that he incorporates teaching into his leadership style. One example of this is that when he gives his RAs a task to do - he is open and receptive to any questions that RAs may have about the task. Instead of just telling his staff members to do something because it is assigned, he is willing to listen to their concerns and give a rational response that will help them to understand the benefit of the task. Another way that Cory is a teacher, through his position as a Resident Director, is visible through the improvement of his resident assistants as leaders. Whenever RAs are having a problem, whether it involves risk management or community development, Cory provides suggestions on how they can be effective leaders. He personalizes this advice with supreme knowledge of his RAs’ strengths, weaknesses, challenges and goals. Cory is creative in the ways he motivates his RAs, tailoring advice to each individual personality. In this way, he ties together all the pillars of excellence he demonstrates, and blazes a new trail for his staff and the community.
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Aren't they the best?!
And not a single attractive picture was taken of me at the ceremony, but here they are:
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| Four of my Fifteen Staff Members that surprised me |
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| All of this year's Pillar winners |
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| Lisa caught me as soon as I sat back down |
This post gives me the feels. As does your hipster bowtie which I love :)
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