For 29 years, College of Charleston faculty and staff have kicked off the fall semester with a back-to-school picnic and presentation of service awards. Even so, this year’s event marked the first time the annual event has been held since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022 back-to-school picnic

The 29th annual back-to-school picnic was held on Aug. 17, 2022.

On Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, around 475 employees gathered in TD Arena to enjoy each other’s company face to face over a buffet-style lunch – and 25 more faculty and staff members joined in over Zoom to celebrate those employees who have served the state of South Carolina for 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years.

After welcoming employees to the zero-waste event, Jonathan Ray, director of institutional events, handed the mic over to CofC President Andrew T. Hsu, who thanked the crowd for attending – and for all of their hard work over the summer.BTS Picnic Buffet

“During the summer, our campus hums with activity – as every division, every department, every office and every team does a lot of work to get the campus ready for our students,” he said. “I want to thank everyone for their efforts this summer and for putting the College in a position for another successful academic year. Let’s give ourselves a round of applause!”

Hsu went on to recognize the recipients of the 2022 Distinguished Faculty Awards and the 2022 Staff Awards, celebrations for which were held in April and June, respectively.

2022 back-to-school picnic

Jonathan Ray (left) and President Andrew T. Hsu (center) look on as Ed Pope presents the 2022 years of service awards.

“The College of Charleston is extraordinary because we are made up of extraordinary people,” said Hsu. “And today, we will get a chance to recognize a few of our extraordinary faculty and staff.”

With that, he turned things over to Ed Pope, vice president of human resources, for the presentation of state service awards.

2022 back-to-school picnic“It’s wonderful to see you all in person and not through a computer,” said Pope, noting a special thanks to the staff from Dining Services, Facilities Management and HR who made the event possible. “Our employees serve our students, our state and our community day in and day out, and it is great to be able to thank them in person.”

Pope recognized the employees who have joined the College since the last picnic in 2019; the faculty joining the College this semester; and all those who have celebrated their 10, 20, 30, 40 and even 50 years of service since the last time the event was held in person three years ago. And then, without further ado, the 2022 service awardees were recognized one by one.

A big thank you and congratulations to all of the following faculty and staff members who have big anniversaries this year:

40 Years of Service

Barbara Duval, Studio Art

30 Years of Service

Roger Daniels, Accounting and Business Law
Mark Del Mastro, Provost
Julia Eichelberger, English
Jannette Finch, Library
Catherine Holmes, English
Joseph Kelly, English
Kristin Krantzman, Chemistry
Cathryn Mahon, Development
Pamela Mauldin, Human Resources
Brian Scholtens, Biology
Sandra Shields, Mathematics
Meta Van Sickle, Teacher Education
Cynthia Washington, Procurement

20 Years of Service

Elizabeth Baker, English
Mark Berry, President’s Office
Martha (Denise) Ciccarelli, Development
Melinda Coleman, Center for Student Learning
LaVerne Cordes, Student Life
Meredith English Perrone, Campus Services
Valerie Frazier, English
Margaret Hagood, Teacher Education
Enid Idelsohn, Jewish Studies
Ashley (Page) Keller, Peer Education and Support Programs
Peter Lee, Biology
Robert Lewis, Music
Mark Long, Political Science
Elizabeth Meyer-Bernstein, Honors College
Ashleigh Parr, Campus Services
William (Scott) Poole, History
Gorka Sancho, Biology
Christopher True, Physics
James Walker, Library
Jennifer Wells, Career Center
Robert Westerfelhaus, Communication
Earl Wright, Facilities Management

10 Years of Service

Andrew Alwine, Classics
David Aurich, Student Affairs
Leah Barron, Institutional Advancement
Andrew Bettis, Human Resources
Walter Bonifay, Facilities Management
Amanda Castellone, Music
David Chadwick, Geology
Lisa Covert, History
Christopher Day, Political Science
Shanon Dooley, Biology
Cheryl Drum, Budgeting and Payroll Services
Jennifer Fox, Chemistry
Anthony Greene, African American Studies
Erica Harrison-Jones, Financial Assistance and Veterans Affairs
Stacy Haynes, Library
Jonathan Heinen, English
Syndia Hill, Accounting and Business Law
Tracey Hunter-Doniger, Teacher Education
Patrick Kelsey, Athletics
Heyward (Gibbs) Knotts, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Brandon Lewter, Library
Chris Mahoney, Grounds
Beatriz Maldonado, Economics
Jennifer Marshall, Enterprise Systems
Donald Merckle, Procurement
Ryan Milner, Communication
Joshua Minor, Library
Laura Moses, Hispanic Studies
Thomas Nadelhoffer, Philosophy
Kate Pfile, Health and Human Performance
Fedelia Rivers, Classics
Ashley Robinson, Upward Bound
Jessica Rodgers, Athletics
Christine Rodgers, Management and Marketing
James (Cam) Saleeby, Admissions
Cristina Schultz, Facilities Management
Sharon Scott, President
David Sexton, Enterprise Systems
Jacob Steere-Williams, History
Beth Sundstrom, Communication
Tracey Vernon, Athletics
Hung Vo, Procurement
Lisa Waller, Registrar
Jennifer Wilhelm, Psychology
Meredith Wilson, Chemistry
Claire Wofford, Political Science