Francis
PIQUA — Edison State Community College recognized outstanding employee performance during the President’s Spring Address.
Each semester, the college recognizes a faculty or adjunct faculty member, a staff member, and a team with an Employee of the Semester award.
Laura Larger, Instructor of criminal justice; Andrea Francis, assistant director of Marketing and Communication; Melissa Eve, office manager of Regional Campuses; and Rhonda Rich, coordinator of Regional Campuses and Career Pathways adviser, were named the fall 2022 employees of the semester. The honorees were invited to enjoy a Dayton Dragons game from the Edison State suite at Fifth Third Field.
Recognized for her initiative as an instructor, Larger has worked hard to create new goals for the criminal justice program and form new partnerships with the Upper Valley Career Center.
“She not only devised ideas on how to improve the program, but she also immediately worked to put them in motion,” a nominator said. “Her work with the program will help produce better-prepared criminal justice students and build the school’s partnerships within the community.”
“Laura takes a positive approach to what can she learn and how can she help. She attended the assessment committee meetings her first year, even though she didn’t have to, to become better informed. After joining, she immediately became an active participant to help take the committee to the next step. Her dedication to learning and providing different perspectives is helping Edison State pave the way in our dedication to quality.”
Larger has been an employee of Edison State for a year and a half and holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Francis was nominated for her commitment to the college and consistently producing quality work that positively reflects Edison State’s image to the public.
“Andrea does such a great job supporting multiple departments on campus and promoting a positive image for the college,” one nominator said. “She serves a large role in promoting branding and helping our staff create quality materials to serve our current and prospective students.”
“She has such a positive attitude and is always respectful in her communication with others. She’s very flexible as well, as her job demands many different spinning plates, or projects, at once, and she’s always up for juggling more to help the college shine. Andrea is extremely dependable, and I greatly appreciate her cooperation and friendly nature!”
Francis has been an employee of Edison State for 12 years and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration: Marketing from the University of Toledo.
Eve and Rich were honored for their work at Edison State’s regional campuses and their dedication to meeting all students’ needs. To help meet those needs, they’ve created a textbook reserve program and built an extensive library and digital access code reserve.
“Their commitment to students led them to start the textbook reserve project at the Greenville campus,” said a nominator. “Through grant funding and donations, they’ve provided nearly 40 textbooks for students to check out. Students need their textbooks to be successful, and money is often a barrier. Removing that barrier gives students the opportunity to succeed where they might not otherwise.”
“While both Melissa and Rhonda embody all of the employee values, the way they embrace the attitude/joy value is unmatched. A positive environment has to start with having basic needs fulfilled. Students can’t find joy in campus activities if they’re struggling with the basics. Their tireless efforts to do what’s best for our students don’t go unnoticed and overall make the regional campuses a more positive place to work.”
Eve has been an employee of Edison State for six years and holds a Bachelor of Arts: Liberal Studies: Culture & Media Studies from Chapman University; Rich has been an employee of Edison State for 30 years and holds a bachelor’s degree.
All Edison State employees who demonstrate a commitment to performance excellence goals, core values, and continued growth are eligible to be nominated for the award. Those eligible for the award are nominated by their peers and then selected by the Valuing People Committee.
