Some of Memorial University’s finest employees were honoured at a special ceremony on Nov. 26, 2009 at The Fluvarium in St. John’s.

The President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service is presented each year in recognition of employees (faculty or staff) who have demonstrated outstanding community service.

Not all scientists are great storytellers, but Jeremy Hall, Department of Earth Sciences, is the exception to that rule. For more then 12 years, he's told the tale of volcanoes and fossils to thousands of people along the Manuels River. He has not only written a self-guided tour brochure but continues to volunteer as a tour leader. He has also been actively involved in the Johnson Geo Centre since the concept was born. Jeremy talks about his volunteer work in this video.

Five Memorial staff members received the President’s Awards for Exemplary Service. They were:

• David Yetman, Harris Centre;
  
• Jeff Green, Division of Marketing and Communications/Office of the Vice-President (Research);
  
• Michael Jackson, Gateway West;
  
• Karen Morris, Department of Biology;
  
• Dennis Flynn, Faculty of Business Administration.

  It's not just his skill as the manager of Information Technology that makes Dennis Flynn stand out - it's the way he goes beyond his job every day to make everyone's day a little better. Whether he's helping develop new programs within the faculty or collecting eyeglasses and cell phones to send around the world, Dennis takes on everything with a smile and a sense of purpose as you can witness in this video.

Dr. Wade Locke was the recipient of the President's Award for Exceptional Community Service in 2008.

Dr. Wade Locke, Economics, this year's recipient of the award talks about his research and why he feels it's important to enhance the understading of the citizens of this province on important policy issues in the following video. Dr. Locke generously donated the $1000.00 award to the Canadian Food Sharing Association to try and help families who need a helping hand and “to show some Christmas concern and spirit for people who are less well off”.

Five Memorial staff members received the President’s Awards for Exemplary Service in 2008. They were:

• Judy Casey, Student Affairs and Services;
• Moya Crocker, Engineering and Applied Science;
• Debbie Earles, Atlantic Computational Excellence Network (ACEnet);
• Denise Hooper, Student Affairs and Services;
• Virginia (Ginny) Ryan, The Writing Centre.

For the past 11 years Ginny Ryan has been the director of Memorial University’s Writing Centre. Since day one she has focused on making the Writing Centre as accessible and responsive to the Memorial University community as possible. She is also committed to collaborating with provincial high schools to help students better understand university expectations in regards to reading and writing. Ms. Ryan speaks to the role of the Writing Centre in this video.

A couple of the recipients of the 2007 President's Award for Exemplary Service talk about what receiving this award meant to them in the following videos:

Sonja Knutson, International Student Advisor, provides support to all international students. Sonja's day could include assisting these students with the filing of taxes, obtaining health insurance, immigration issues, the transition into Canadian culture and much more. Ms. Knutson reveals what a day in the life at the office consists of as well as what the President's Award for Exemplary Service means to her in the following video.

Zeta Murphy was responsible for purchasing all the textbooks used at Memorial. Ms. Murphy spent alot of her time talking with suppliers to ensure that these materials were available at the campus bookstore for students. Zeta has officially "hung up her phone" and retired from Memorial in February. Ms. Murphy shares her surprise over receiving the President's Award for Exemplary Service in this touching video.

The inaugural President’s Award for Exceptional Community Service was also introduced at this annual ceremony. Dr. Joan Oldford, Education, was named winner of the new award that recognizes the commitment of Memorial’s employees to helping build stronger communities in Newfoundland and Labrador.