Outstanding Professionals and Professional Faculty Administrator Award

This award recognizes a Professional or Professional Faculty member who has a record of outstanding performance and has made significant contributions towards VIMS’ mandates. Honorees have demonstrated professional excellence and a continuing record of proficiency in their area of responsibility.

The 2020 award goes to Jennifer Hay.

Jennifer, or Jen as she’s known here at VIMS, is invaluable to the Office of Academic Studies and expertly shepherds our students—and faculty—through the mazes of DocuSign forms, milestones, and classes. For students and faculty alike, Jen is the go-to person for all questions related to the Academic Program. If you’re a student and ask your advisor a question about course scheduling, registration, grading, forms, milestones, or policies, you have, at some point, heard them say, “give Jen a call."

Associate Dean Linda Schaffner, students, faculty, and I are grateful that Jen has kept our Academic program running smoothly during COVID, even while she homeschooled her own two children. Thank you, Jen. I can only imagine how difficult it must be.

VIMS students are grateful not only for her amazing work, but also for her compassion. One student wrote, “I am endlessly thankful to have such an amazing registrar to keep track of the details, particularly during this past year of emails, Zoom meetings, and remote work. No question is too small for a rapid and thoughtful answer, and no accomplishment is too small for a little email celebration with Jen.” Another writes, “Most impressive is that she personally knows and takes an interest in every single student at VIMS.”