Szabo
Michelle Szabo, the Department of Geoscience's academic department manager, is one of four UW-Madison employees to receive the inaugural Administrative Achievement Award.
The award recognizes excellence in administrative roles supporting student services, research, academics or administration. The recipients will be honored at a ceremony on Monday, June 24, at the Fluno Center.
Nominator Brad Singer, chair of the geoscience department, says Szabo holds a triple role of business manager, chief of staff and building manager. Szabo has "dramatically improved the department’s ability to satisfy its research mission," Singer writes.
Singer noted Szabo’s participation in a "ground-up" construction of budgets for three five-year federal grant proposals that brought in more than $16 million to the department and involve more than a dozen faculty.
Szabo has also helped to draft and track budgets for more than 100 extramural grant proposals since Singer became department chair in July 2011.
"There is no doubt that Michelle’s effectiveness at this level of research support has made a real difference in our faculty’s ability to compete often, and successfully, for scarce external resources," Singer writes.
Szabo says she is "always looking for a better way to do things, the most efficient and effective means to the ends."
"I feel honored that my department would nominate me for this award. It's very satisfying to know that your contributions are appreciated by the people you work with," Szabo says. "And it's humbling to be chosen to win this award when there are so many people on this campus doing great work."
For more information about the award and to see the full list of recipients, read the story from University Communications.