November CEHS Employee Recognition Award Recipients

On November 3, 2021, the College of Education and Human Services college meeting began with the announcement of our Employee Recognition Awards! Our community is dedicated to creating a healthier, better educated, just society and we are grateful to work with so many exceptional employees.

Academic Advisor Hanan Atiyat is a tireless advocate for students and social justice. She served on the University’s Planning Group for Advancing Equity and Justice and also engaged the campus community in critical discussions about Palestine, encouraging faculty, staff, and students to learn more about and advocate to end human rights abuses in Palestine. She began a research project looking at female Muslim students, as Montclair State University has a large Muslim student population but very little data on their student experience. She advocates for policies to support struggling students and oversees outreach to students on academic action. Additionally, she is involved with the peer mentor program, University Fellows, which pairs upperclassman students with first-year students. She is dedicated to championing opportunities for international and undocumented students on campus and seeks tangible solutions to support their challenges. Hanan is generous and kind, and advocates for opportunities to help others better themselves.

Claudia Guy, the Department Secretary for Public Health, received recognition for her work. It is noted that she “is incredibly modest about her value, but everyone else who interacts with her sees it. She is a problem-solver who goes out of her way to help her colleagues.” Claudia “boosts your ego, gives you some sage advice, and sends you back into the fray with a smile on your face. [She] has strong relationships throughout the college and the university because she takes the time to truly listen to others – not just about their work, but about themselves and their lives and to offer her wisdom…and encouragement.”

Rebecca Haddock, Assistant Director of Promotion and Prevention Programming, and Jennifer Faasse, Assistant Director for School Age Clinical Services, received joint appreciation for their collective work in the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health (CAECMH).

In response to the recent global awareness of the long-standing issues related to equity and social justice in this country, Rebecca and Jennifer co-developed an Affinity Task Force for CAECMH. This task force provides ongoing information and resources related to equity and social justice for our staff, bi-monthly voluntary staff reflective groups to review specific topics and promote engagement with issues related to equity and social justice, and monthly presentations for mandatory staff meetings to ensure that all staff regularly engage in the consumption of information that promotes equity and social justice. These groups/presentations promote the health and wellness of the team and significantly inform the work they do and their engagement within the community.

Congratulations to Hanan Atiyat, Claudia Guy, Rebecca Haddock, and Jennifer Faasse!