ASU Graduate College announces 2024 Staff Awards for Excellence recipients

Four exceptional staff members who have displayed an unwavering commitment to enhancing graduate education at Arizona State University were recently recognized with the Graduate College Staff Awards for Excellence.

Their innovative approaches and tireless efforts testify to the profound influence staff members can have in shaping student success.

The Graduate College recognizes the contributions of staff members who support graduate students, uphold the mission of the Graduate College and fulfill ASU’s charter at their annual Graduate Support Staff Appreciation Luncheon each May. 

Nominations open during the spring semester, and this year hundreds of nominations were received across four categories: Going the Extra Mile, Outstanding New Staff, Supporting Student Success and Outstanding Collaboration.

Outstanding New Staff: Fernanda Quiroz

Quiroz has significantly impacted the university in just one year. She was honored for guiding graduate students through their academic journey and coordinating various advising services to ensure students stayed on course until graduation.

"I am deeply honored. ... I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Daoqin Tong and the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning for her unwavering support and nomination," Quiroz said. "My commitment remains steadfast in supporting our school's graduate students, ensuring their academic success, and enhancing their overall experience at ASU. This recognition further motivates me to continue striving for excellence in our community."

Many unit members recognized Quiroz's importance in creating a supportive and engaging environment. One is nominator Daoqin Tong, a professor and associate director of graduate studies at the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning. 

“Overall, Fernanda’s ongoing commitment towards proactive support and educational excellence warrants commendation,” Tong said.

Recognizing areas for improvement within the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Quiroz initiated the unit’s iPOS (interactive plan of study) information session for graduate students, simplifying the iPOS process. Her efforts established a new, replicable process extended to incoming online students. Quiroz also organized a highly successful PhD Visit Day, showcasing the unit and ASU’s offerings to prospective doctoral students. Additionally, she led a comprehensive orientation for all graduate programs, providing a solid foundation for new students.

Outstanding Collaboration: Lily Liang 

In her 25 years of dedicated service, Liang has been an invaluable asset to ASU. As senior PeopleSoft developer for Enterprise Technology, her contributions have significantly advanced the student experience and fostered innovation in graduate education. 

“I am grateful to be part of the team to work on several graduate PeopleSoft projects. The successful completion of each project was truly a team effort,” Liang said.

Liang’s nominator, Steve Yena, director of data and technology at the Graduate College, said that she "consistently approaches projects with a student-centric mindset, focusing on efficiency and enhancing the overall experience for students and ASU staff. Her humility is evident as she does not seek personal recognition but rather the advancement of these systems at ASU.” 

Liang was pivotal in the Gportal Admissions project, which aimed to create a centralized platform for managing and accessing admission requirements. While responsible for concurrent projects, she demonstrated creativity and innovation. According to Yena, Liang still took on additional projects despite being involved in other high-priority tasks, like integrating Workday. 

Liang’s coding skills have enhanced various applications and systems and were instrumental in advancing several graduate college initiatives. Certain milestones within the Enterprise Technology unit would not have been achievable without her tireless efforts.

Going the Extra Mile: Aaron Falvey

Falvey, a graduate support coordinator at the College of Health Solutions, has been an integral part of the Sun Devil community for the past eight years. 

“I am very gratified to represent the College of Health Solutions, a unit that contains many student success-centered faculty and staff, with this award from the ASU Graduate College, which contributes important leadership to the success of graduate students at university departments," Falvey said.

Shu Wang, a professor at the College of Health Solutions, was Falvey's nominator.

“I can confidently assert that Aaron stands out as the most exemplary and is truly deserving of this award,” Wang said. 

Falvey's meticulous attention to detail is evident in his coordination of four PhD programs, where he knows each student personally; he ensures they are well-informed through his popular "Falvey’s Friday Followup" emails. His assistance doesn’t end when a student applies to a program; Falvey actively lends insight into the admissions process, helps select courses and supports their research aspirations. Additionally, he worked closely with faculty advisors to ensure students met academic milestones.

Other ways Falvey became known as a treasured support system were by helping students address challenges outside of the classroom, like looking into visas and work permits, navigating financial aid, helping them adjust to language barriers and other cultural differences or addressing matters concerning diversity and inclusion.

Supporting Student Success: Heather Freireich

Freireich, the senior student support specialist at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, has been an invaluable asset to the department for the past four years. She is a crucial link between the PhD program director and graduate students, ensuring they meet graduation requirements and important milestones. 

“I am grateful to all of the doctoral students from the Hugh Downs School who nominated me," Freireich said. "... I truly value working with graduate students and helping them navigate various processes during their academic journeys at ASU."

Marco Dehnert, a communications PhD student and one of Freireich's four nominators, called her his "guiding light" and thanked her for her "unwavering support."

"Her wealth of departmental knowledge and proactive approach has been instrumental in my success in clarifying program guidelines and navigating complex internal processes,” Dehnert said. 

Freireich’s strengths include compassionate support, vast departmental knowledge, a clear vision for long-term planning, and outstanding organizational skills. Her organizational prowess is evident in the seamless execution of the annual welcome weekend for prospective graduate students. She is also known for exceptional administrative support.

Students frequently cite Freireich as the key reason for completing their programs on time, but her dedication extends beyond tasks. Freireich often explains institutional policies and processes, ensuring students understand their options and recommends next steps that align with their goals.