Hanson, Pickles receive 2017 Staff Excellence Awards
Nancy Hanson and Jane Pickles each received a 2017 Carol and Blair Brown Staff Excellence Award at a presentation May 4. Hanson is the Hampshire College Farm CSA program manager; Pickles is a technical services assistant for acquisitions in the Harold F. Johnson Library.
The awards recognize staff who, individually or as members of a team, have made an exceptional contribution to Hampshire College. Any member of the campus community may make a nomination.
Nomination letters for Hanson, said Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash, repeatedly mentioned her “work ethic, generosity, warmth, and dedication to the farm.
“In many ways, she’s the soul of the farm,” he said, noting that she both keeps the farm running smoothly and makes it a welcoming place for students, faculty, and staff. “She’s a role model for young women in a historically male-dominated field. Go to any farm in the Pioneer Valley, and you’ll instantly find one of Nancy’s protégés,” he said.
Those who submitted nominations for Pickles, says Lash, talked about the impact she has made at the library. From celebrating student milestones, to collaborating on library exhibits, to the research achieved for such projects as cataloging the Robert Seydel collection, her work has made a difference for countless people in the Hampshire community.
“She’s a wonderfully thoughtful resource for those she works with, especially students,” says Lash.
Former chair and longtime member of the Hampshire College Board of Trustees Blair Brown and his wife, Carol, established the awards program to recognize and provide encouragement for staff: “No school or college can function, let alone flourish, without the dedication of staff,” they said. “We recognize their dedication that has contributed to the growth of Hampshire College."
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