Help recognize Excellence in Service nominees

Caring, service and dedication are among the qualities of St. Cloud State University’s six nominees for the Minnesota State Board of Trustees’ 2017 Professional Excellence in Service Award.

The award honor service faculty for exceptional individual professional accomplishments and encourages ongoing excellence.

St. Cloud State University will celebrate the nominees, including award finalist Register Sue Bayerl ’97, with an informal reception 10-11 a.m. May 1 in the Administrative Services break room.

Bayerl was among seven finalists recognized by the board at a luncheon April 19 at the St. Paul Hotel.

“Sue is a strong advocate for students on our campus,” said Mike Sharp, Administrative and Service Faculty (ASF) president. “She is quiet but strong in her beliefs about the need to keep students in the forefront of our planning.”

She has served as registrar since 2004. In her tenure as registrar, Bayerl has overseen the establishment of an effective new model for daily course scheduling and the implementation of an early registration program for students who are veterans.

She began at St. Cloud State in 1995 in a temporary position in the Office of Records and Registrar and served as assistant registrar and director of records before moving into her role as registrar.

She has worked to meet student needs by helping to restructure three separate finance-related websites into one student-focused website and to develop a tuition refund appeal process that has resulted in significantly improved responsiveness to students among other accomplishments.

“Sue consistently supports the professional development of those who work at St. Cloud State,” said Director of Financial Aid Mike Uran, in a letter of support for Bayerl. “She is a colleague who is consistently sought out for advice in responding to challenging circumstances on both a personal and institutional level. I am one of the many who have benefitted from Sue’s counsel and advice throughout our many years serving together.”

Sharp credits Bayerl with embodying the qualities ASF seeks in service to students.

“I have always been impressed with the empathy and compassion she brings to her commitment to a workplace where people are challenged and supported in helping their students stay on track and making sure staff have the resources they need to do the job,” he said. “You may not collect many direct stories from students about Sue’s work, but all of our students owe a debt of gratitude to Sue for her many hours of work in service to their success.”

Kierstin Hoven, director of Campus Recreation at Bemidji State University, was honored as the 2017 Professional Excellence in Service Award recipient. St. Cloud State’s nominees included Bayerl, Barry Kirchoff, Glen Toumaala, Kristy Modrow, Michelle Wagner and Bobbi Murphy.