Two of them, test coordinator Anja Ronken and UM IT Functional Manager Tineke de Beaumont, are last year's winners, but there was no presentation then because of corona. Nick Bos, member of the Executive Board, praised their resilience. Thanks in part to their commitment and creativity, exams were still able to proceed after the cyber-attack and later during the pandemic.
This year, the honor went to BISS managing director Judith Kamalski, physics lecturer Chris Pawley (FSE) and management secretary Antoinette Stöcker.
Judith Kamalski builds bridges between academia and the world beyond, Bos said. Her strategic thinking, strong communication skills and empathy "that contributes to a pleasant working atmosphere" received high praise.
In her speech, Kamalski pointed out a sad result of a survey. Employees worldwide had been asked if they agreed with the following statement; ‘At work, I have the opportunity to do what I'm good at every day.’ Worldwide, 21 percent of those surveyed agreed. In the Netherlands, it was only 12 percent.
"Imagine what would happen if more people could do what they are good at. Productivity and impact would go up. Sick-leave, stress and turn-over would go down. But most importantly, we would be happier. Our well-being would increase", Kamalski argued. She herself is among that lucky 12 percent in the Netherlands, she revealed. "Managing BISS is a real pleasure."
This year's second winner was Chris Pawley, physics lecturer at the faculty of Science and Engineering, coordinator of Academic Advising, and a member of the International Classroom Taskforce. He was nominated in part because of "his outstanding contribution to the curriculum and community of the Maastricht Science Program." Separately, he is an "excellent teacher" who always makes time to answer students' questions and continues to work to improve and innovate teaching.
Finally (normally there are two winners), a dumbfounded Antoinette Stöcker was called forward. She is retiring this summer as management secretary of the Executive Board, the coordinating board of operations (which includes the directors of faculties and service centers; it was them who nominated Stöcker) and numerous committees. Apart from many other duties, she arranges the annual Christmas gifts and the presentation of the employee award. Just not this year. "You now know why," Bos said.