I am writing this unqualified letter of support for Dr. Kelly Meier’s nomination for the Board of Trustees Professional Excellence in Service Award. I have known Dr. Meier for more than 26 years and for many of those years, I was her direct supervisor. As her supervisor, I have seen first-hand, her exceptional work performance and the positive impact she has had on the overall Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) community. In 1989, she began her career at MSU as a graduate assistant in the department of Student Activities, and in 1991 after a national search, I hired her as the Assistant Director of Student Activities. This position was the start her 26-year career as an outstanding ASF employee at MSU. I have never regretted my hiring decision!
When I was promoted to another position, Kelly was selected to take my place as the Director of Student Activities. This promotion was one of many Kelly would earn. In this role, she brought regional and national awards to our institution for student leadership, programming and service-learning. She was such an influence on our student leaders that the programming board named a student award after her.
…show more content…
In this role, her broad skills have enabled her to oversee a large budget, 11 full-time staff and work with the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students. Two years ago, I was on medical leave and the President of MSU selected Kelly to serve as the Acting Dean of Institutional Diversity. Clearly, she is highly respected by the administration, her colleagues, and our students. Kelly earned this respect by her hard work, commitment to multi-culturalism, student advocacy, and creative