Chancellor’s Award for Excellence winners recognized at fall 2020 faculty meeting

September 14, 2020 Christina Williams

Recipients of the 2019 and 2020 SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence were celebrated at the virtual fall 2020 faculty meeting on Sept. 11, 2020.

Given social distancing requirements, awards were uniquely presented by President Donald P. Christian near the College’s “Wings” mural on campus.

The Chancellor’s Awards are presented annually to employees who demonstrate exceptional teaching, scholarship and service to the campus community. They receive a medallion and certificate commemorating the achievement, as well as a permanent stipend.

Maria Cathcart (Excellence in Classified Service)Cathcart has established a reputation as a welcoming ambassador for SUNY New Paltz during her nearly two decades of service. She joined the College in 2002 and has held roles as a calculations clerk, payroll clerk, keyboard specialist and secretary.

Valerie McAllister (Excellence in Professional Service)As Academic Program Specialist, McAllister sits at the intersection of SUNY system administration and the curricular life of the College. Her dedication, patience and overwhelming generosity have earned her high regard from academic and professional faculty colleagues alike.

Heather Morrison (Excellence in Faculty Service)Since joining the Department of History in 2005, Morrison has established a record of exceptional service to her department, her discipline and the academic culture and operation of the College as a whole, even as she maintains a full-time teaching schedule and an impressive publication record in her field.

Narcyz Roztocki (Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity)Professor of Business Roztocki is an influential and widely respected scholar in the area of management information systems, whose prolific research and publication record since his 1999 arrival at New Paltz includes 35 peer-reviewed journal articles, 63 refereed conference papers and more than 2,000 citations.

Vika Shock (Excellence in Professional Service)Vika Shock ’95 (French) ’01g (Second Language Education) is a New Paltz alumna who has served in multiple roles since joining the College as an employee in 1997. She transferred to the Graduate School (now the Office of Graduate & Extended Learning) in 2002 and has consistently demonstrated a propensity for learning new skills and assuming new responsibilities.

Matt Skillman (Excellence in Professional Service)Skillman joined the College’s web team in 2006 and currently serves as director of digital media in the Office of Communication & Marketing. He has continuously pushed the campus website and digital media assets to new heights, in the process bolstering the College’s reputation as an innovative institution of higher education.