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Claar, Ferland, and Kowal earn Perkins Awards for University service
By David J. Craig
When Megan McLaughlin saw Deborah Claar walk into her hospital room one
evening in 1997, she assumed the Sargent College undergraduate academic
advisor had come "to talk to me about completing my assignments and
missing too much class time," she says.
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| Cynthia Kowal, senior assistant director of research and proposal development at the Office of Sponsored Programs, Kathleen Ferland, director of administration at the Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and Deborah Claar, undergraduate academic counselor at Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (from left) are the winners of this year's Perkins Awards for exemplary service to the University. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky | |
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In fact, Claar was simply worried about McLaughlin, who was suffering
from renal failure. Claar sat by her side for hours. And when McLaughlin
quit school after undergoing a kidney transplant, Claar "took control
of the situation, from my student loans to housing, to ensure that one
day I could return to school," says McLaughlin (SAR'01,'03). She
now is a graduate student in SAR's master's program in health science.
"Without Debbie's guidance, I'm not sure if I would have been able
to return," she says. "At the time, I didn't see much point
in saving my place in the program."
For her dedication to helping students at Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences for the past 22 years, Claar recently was presented with a John S. Perkins Distinguished Service Award, which since 1981 has been given annually to nonfaculty members of the BU community who perform exemplary acts of service to the University. Also receiving the award this year are Kathleen Ferland, director of administration at the Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and Cynthia Kowal, senior assistant director of research and proposal development in the Office of Sponsored Programs. The awards have been funded since 1984 by an endowment from the late John S. Perkins, who served the University for more than 50 years as a faculty member, administrator, trustee, and treasurer. They bring a $500 prize and a plaque, which were presented at a ceremony at The Castle last month.
Ad-ministering guidance
As an advisor to Sargent College juniors and seniors, Deborah Claar helps
students select courses, choose a major, and deal with personal issues.
She is exceptional at her job, say colleagues and former students, because
she makes students feel that they can talk to her about anything and visit
her office as often as they need.
"When I'm visited by students who are struggling personally or are
having a difficult time figuring out what they want to study, I always
tell them that we can't figure out everything in one session," says
Claar. "So I'll give them some guiding questions, insist that they
take some time to think them over, and have them schedule another appointment.
That might mean meeting with them three or four times over a semester."
In addition to counseling students individually, Claar is Sargent's liaison
to the University Admissions Office, the Office of the Dean of Students,
the Registrar's Office, and the Student Activities Office. She also oversees
Sargent's peer counseling program, meeting weekly with students volunteers
who mentor freshmen and sophomores to help them coordinate counseling
events, which she attends on evenings and weekends.
"I put a lot of my own time into working with these students because
I'm genuinely proud of what they do and when they're volunteering their
time I feel it's very important to be there to encourage and support them,"
says Claar, who helped create Sargent's student honor society and its
freshman orientation course. She currently is working with Sargent's alumni
office to develop a network of alumni willing to visit Sargent and offer
students career advice.
"When I was young, I always wanted to be a minister," she continues,
"but it wasn't the religious part that motivated me so much as the
work of building a healthy community and identifying people's needs and
developing programs to meet them. In a way, I think that's what I'm doing
now."
Goldman's go-to
When faculty and staff at the Goldman School of Dental Medicine have questions
about administrative issues, they seek out one person more than any other
-- Kathleen Ferland. They have good reason: after more than three decades
in various administrative positions, Ferland's knowledge of the institution
is exhaustive.
As the school's director of administration, Ferland currently supervises
all staff functions, helps manage the $40 million operating budget, advises
department chairs and program directors on staffing and budgetary matters,
heads the school's faculty and staff development task force, and participates
in more than half a dozen planning committees.
"The extra something that Kathi brings to her role is that, through
her intellect, common sense, and experience, she has become a valued advisor,"
wrote Thomas Kilgore, associate dean for advanced education and a professor
of oral and maxillofacial surgery at SDM, in a letter nominating Ferland
for a Perkins Award. "I feel free to call her for advice on all manner
of issues."
Ferland, who was hired as an administrative assistant at SDM in 1971,
also is the liaison to other institutions, and according to Dean Spencer
Frankl, is involved in all of his "strategic planning activities,
ranging from organizational management to space acquisition and legal
matters." Furthermore, she is a magnet for other administrators in
need of help, wrote Marvin Cook, BU vice president of planning, budgeting,
and information, in a nomination letter, because "she has a unique
combination of patience, caring, and understanding that make people feel
comfortable in dealing with her on both complex business issues and sensitive
personal issues."
Ferland says that throughout her career at BU she constantly has had the
opportunity to take on new responsibilities. "I've been very fortunate
to work with people who have mentored me and from whom I've learned a
great deal," she says. "The most rewarding aspect of my job
is helping people solve problems, whether it be for a faculty member,
an administrative manager, or a staff member. One of the big challenges
we face right now is meeting the school's physical space needs, because
we've grown so much in recent years."
Researchers' guiding star
Professors typically receive all the glory for discoveries made by their
research teams. But groundbreaking projects are kept afloat by administrators
who work closely with faculty to develop grant proposals and keep their
work financed. In that capacity, "no other single person in a support
role in this University has had more positive influence on my professional
success than Cynthia Kowal," wrote one BU physics professor in a
letter nominating her for a Perkins Award.
As the senior assistant director of research and proposal development
at the Office of Sponsored Programs, Kowal helps professors navigate the
complicated network of funding agencies and makes sure that their research
proposals are well written and present clearly budgetary and technical
information. Annually, she reviews about 360 proposals, which can run
as long as 100 pages. Researchers say she puts an extraordinary effort
into improving their proposals, often making herself available for counsel
outside of normal business hours.
"Good administrators are knowledgeable, fast, efficient, and reliable,"
says Jelle Atema, a CAS professor of marine biology and director of BU's
Marine Program. "They know the accounting world and produce budgets
and justifications that make sense and operate within the prevailing rules
and regulations. Cynthia does all that, but what sets her apart is her
insightful advice on structuring and defending budgets. She knows what
goes on in real laboratories and among real people, and she is not shy
in communicating this to her principal investigators."
A key to working successfully with researchers, says Kowal, who's been
at BU for 12 years, is developing an amicable rapport. "I always
call myself 'Miss Picky' when I e-mail principal investigators, because
if you don't get some humor in there, people can get a little unhappy,"
she says. "Writing proposals is very difficult and even the professors
who are most confident about the importance of their work get nervous
when they're waiting to hear how their proposals fare in the review process.
I always extend myself energetically to give them the help they need,
and then I give a little more. That always gets people on your side."
16 May 2002
Boston University
Office of University Relations