OSU Institute of Technology announced the recipients of the 2022 Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards during the annual employee banquet.

Howard Licht, Information Technologies instructor, was awarded Outstanding Faculty Award, Darrin Arnold, Purchasing Specialist, was awarded Outstanding Professional Staff Award and Cornelius Edwards, Jr., Custodian, was awarded Outstanding Classified Staff.

Sponsored by the OSU Institute of Technology Faculty/Staff Council, the awards are given to recognize and celebrate OSUIT employees who go above and beyond, inspire those around them, and live out the Cowboy Code.

Nominations for these awards are submitted by peers who believe their colleagues deserve to be honored for their 'outstanding' performance and campus contributions that positively impact those around them.

Mark Pranger, IT instructor at OSUIT, has had the pleasure of working with Howard Licht for 13 years at two different universities and stated that Howard's focus has always been his students.

"Howard's students love him; they are his focus. He responds to them, makes time for them and ensures that he delivers quality instructional content with them in mind. He holds town halls for his classes and maintains flexible office hours to accommodate students' busy schedules," said Pranger. "Howard makes sure that the quality of work and what he puts into his instruction is with his student's best interest in mind. He advises students on what is available to them so they understand what options are available so they can cater their classes around their goals and interests for the best result."

"I am both honored and humbled to receive this award. It's nice to be recognized. This type of affirmation tells me I'm on the right track with my teaching and my engagement with the people and program at OSUIT," said Licht. "I'm constantly challenged to be at the top of my game as I instruct, and when I witness my students succeed in the industry, I feel like I've succeeded, too."

Darrin Arnold has been with OSUIT since 2011 in Purchasing and has been working other job duties in addition to his assigned tasks for the last few months. This came while his department was preparing for the annual auction, a big responsibility for his department that took months of preparation. Arnold's willingness to take on extra duties ensured that his department could maintain regular operations.

"Darrin goes above and beyond to ensure all purchasing activities align with policy and procedure, even when that means having difficult conversations. His experience and knowledge benefit the OSUIT campus by sharing his expertise to make purchasing easy to understand. His efforts have a direct impact by upholding university and board policies and state law," said Jalynda Bailey, purchasing director at OSUIT. "Darrin leads by example and is a valuable asset to the university."

As for Arnold, he said, "It feels great just to be nominated for this award, and I never expected to win it. I enjoy coming to work every day to help students, not to be recognized, but because I love my job. It is an honor to be recognized with this award."

Cornelius Edwards, Jr., is a custodial staff member and has been employed by OSUIT since 2008. He is known for his friendly disposition and kind attitude towards all and is described as a joy to have as a colleague.

"His character is reflective of the Cowboy Code through his willingness to take on any task without hesitation or complaining. He completes them with excellence and is committed to serving OSUIT to the best of his abilities," said Tim Hughes, custodial manager. "He provides a friendly steadiness to the team. Custodial work is hard and not very glamorous, but Cornelius is a humble and true example of high integrity and excellence, which sets a positive tone for all that have the opportunity to interact with him."