Student Affairs announces 2024 Staff Excellence Award recipients

Staff from the Division of Student Affairs celebrated inside of Hendrix Student Center during its annual Winter Social on Wednesday. Vice President for Student Affairs Doug Hallenbeck led a short program that included recognition of 2024 staff excellence award recipients.

"We have an incredible team in Student Affairs," Hallenbeck says. "Each of this year's award recipients are very deserving of this recognition and play an important role in contributing to the University's goal of delivering the No. 1 student experience."

Four individuals were recognized in conjunction with the division's strategic priorities: well-being; engaged learning; access and belonging; and staff experience.

Kelley Metcalfe received the individual award for well-being. She serves as associate director of alcohol and other drug initiatives for Healthy Campus. Metcalfe helped oversee the administration of Clemson's OneBox program, equipping multiple main campus facilities with Narcan® to help in the event of emergency opioid poisoning. Metcalfe also helped Clemson complete its biennial review and communication of alcohol and other drug policies to students, faculty and staff.

Adam Carlson received the individual award for engaged learning. He serves as associate director of operations for Campus Reservations and Events. In his role, he supervises student employees who assist various organizations and departments with the reservations and event management process on campus and ensures they have transferable skills after graduating from Clemson.

Delana Reynolds earned the individual award for access and belonging. She serves as associate director for suicide prevention and mental health initiatives for Healthy Campus. She coordinates Tigers Together Advocacy Training and teaches a Creative Inquiry each semester. Reynolds also helps lead the annual Out of the Darkness Walk, a spring event that raises awareness for suicide prevention.

Karen Erickson received the individual award for staff experience. She serves as assistant director of HR and payroll for Campus Recreation, as a member of the Student Affairs Business Office. She helps welcome new employees through a robust onboarding process and is known for bringing a positive attitude and strong work ethic to the office each and every day.

The Office of Advocacy and Success was named Team of the Year. Led by Jairad Hydrick, the staff of five full-time employees is responsible for managing the CARE Network, Clemson's referral system for students with concerns. In FY24, the team managed nearly 1,800 unique cases. Additionally, Advocacy and Success processed more than 33,000 notifications of absence for students and conducted more than 1,700 interactions with students, faculty and staff through a variety of outreach, education and training programs.

Taimi Olsen received the Student Affairs Partnership Award. Olsen serves as the executive director of the Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation. She has worked closely with Healthy Campus to increase the visibility of well-being and mental health initiatives at Clemson. By utilizing a blend of tools and online resources, she has helped train and equip faculty to infuse well-being and community-building into the University's academic enterprise.