Hart and Nygaard Honored with President's Outstanding Staff Awards
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March 02, 2015
Two UT PGE staff members were announced as recipients of the prestigious 2015 President’s Outstanding Staff Award earlier this week. Graduate Program Coordinator, Frankie Hart, and Scientific Instrument Maker, Daryl Nygaard, who is also a part of the Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering.
Hart and Nygaard were chosen from 200 nominees “in recognition of the positive effect” they have had within the department and campus-wide, according to the announcement letter sent to each recipient from President Bill Powers.
The award, given to 30 of the 21,000 staff members campus-wide, honors staff who actively demonstrate a significant impact on the university, contribute to the university’s core purpose and values, foster collaboration and communication, and perform at a level beyond normal job requirements.
Hart works persistently as the main point of contact for admitted and current graduate students. She is responsible for coordinating all phases of the UT PGE graduate program activities, including assisting graduate students with registration, creating a meaningful orientation for incoming students and contributing her graduate student expertise to the UT PGE graduate admissions and recruiting committees.
“As a faculty member, I can attest to how indispensable Frankie is for the smooth running of the graduate program,” said UT PGE Chair Jon Olson.
Daryl Nygaard is responsible for providing skilled fabrication and repair of complicated instruments and machines for both the classroom and lab. In addition, he supervises faculty, staff and graduate research assistants operating in the machine shop to ensure it is functioning at its highest level.
"Daryl came to us through a nationwide search, bringing to the department and UT Austin a level of skill and dedication rarely seen,” said Glen Baum, Nygaard’s supervisor. “I have never been stopped so frequently in the hallways by faculty and students, telling me how they just came from the machine shop, and Daryl dropped what he was doing, solved their problem, and got them back on track with a pleasant, friendly and cooperative nature."
Both Hart and Nygaard along with all of the winners of the Outstanding Staff Award will receive individual recognition and $1,500 during the 54th Annual President’s Staff Awards ceremony on Thursday, May 7 at 10 a.m. in the LBJ Auditorium.
