Hughes and Pigeau earn Staff Award

Given Nipissing’s commitment to providing an exceptional post-secondary experience for its students, it’s no wonder the Staff Award recipients cite helping students at the top of their list when discussing the most rewarding parts of their respective jobs.

While they may work with students in different capacities, Crystal Pigeau, academic advisor, and Jane Hughes, secretary to the registrar, share many similarities in how they approach their roles.  Both also excel in those roles, as evidenced by their receipt of the 2012 Staff Awards.

Some other commonalities between the two include keeping a positive attitude and a sense of humour.  When asked what keeps them grounded, Hughes and Pigeau both immediately listed their fantastic coworkers and their kids.

Hughes, whose work with the Undergraduate Studies Committee (USC) and Aboriginal Summer Programs puts her in frequent contact with students, takes pride in her attention to detail.

“The work with USC directly impacts students.  I may work behind the scenes, but that committee does important work that affects students so I make a point to ensure accuracy,” she said.

She also enjoys seeing the students in the Aboriginal Summer Programs reach their goals. “When I see them cross the stage after earning their diploma or certificate, I know how hard they’ve worked, how far some of them have travelled and what they’ve sacrificed. To me, that’s the most rewarding part of the job.”

For Pigeau, her nomination was based on her secondment to assist in implementing a new degree structure, a vital service to the university, even if it meant giving up academic advising for a few years. Still, Pigeau kept her focus on students.

“I had the best interests of students on my mind the whole time. I would constantly ask myself ‘what would be the most beneficial option for students.’” she said.

While the secondment was an enjoyable challenge, Pigeau is happy to be returning to her role as an academic advisor.

“I like helping to make students aware of their choices. It’s very rewarding when a student says they are staying at Nipissing because of some information that I’ve provided. The academic advisors at Nipissing make a big difference in terms of student retention,” she said.

Pigeau will be presented the Staff Award during the Thursday, June 14, 9:30 a.m., convocation ceremony; Hughes will be presented her Staff Award during the Friday, June 15, convocation ceremony.

Nipissing University created the Staff Awards to recognize the importance of exceptional performance and/or service to the university by non-faculty employees. It highlights the key role that employees play and serves to encourage employees to provide high quality service on a consistent basis.

The award helps employees identify with the university’s mission and, especially, with the principles of excellence endorsed by the administration.