SMC Honors Outstanding Employees
Dr. Judy Mirick, Pam Ponder, and the SMCX Community Life team were recently honored by Spartanburg Methodist College for their contributions and efforts over the past year.
Each year, SMC recognizes two employees with the Dr. James S. Barrett Memorial Award and the J.L. Geddis Award. This year, the college also added the One House Award to recognize the efforts of a department or team on campus.
Dr. Mirick received the Dr. James S. Barrett Memorial Award in recognition of h
er commitment to giving and support of fundraising for the college. Dr. Mirick was noted for her continual financial donations to the school as well as her tremendous support of the events and efforts of Institutional Advancement at SMC.
The award bears the name of SMC’s fourth president, who was an early believer in organized professional fundraising. Dr. Barrett was responsible for launching the first major fundraising campaign in the College’s history. His efforts over the years helped provide the funding for several major developments, including the chapel, Kingman Hall and the Barrett Learning Center.
The J.L. Geddis Award winner, who is selected by staff peers, is Pam Ponder, human resource and payroll specialist for SMC. Ponder’s years of service to the school were a major factor in her
selection this year, along with her commitment to helping advance the campus, her colleagues, and the students in any way she can. She is an SMC alum and has worked in various positions in her 38 years with the school.
The Geddis Award recognizes an outstanding SMC staff member each year and is named in honor of J.L. Geddis, a long-time employee of the College. He worked at SMC for 41 years, serving in a number of functions, including business manager, vice president of business affairs, faculty member, and men’s golf coach. Geddis is a member of the SMC Athletics Hall of Honor and a graduate of SMC.
This year, SMC added a new staff recognition with the One House Award, recognizing the efforts of a department or team. The inaugural winner is the SMCX Community Life team. The team was honored for their efforts to maintain safety, security, and stability for students throughout the pandemic. The team focuses on housing, wellness, diversity and inclusion, security, and more. Team members recognized include:
• Corey Bell, director of community life
• Allyson Brown, director of diversity, equity, inclusion
• Chris Carter, director of campus safety
• Keith James, director of Title IX & equal opportunity
• Dr. Mindy Bliss, director of health and wellness.
The One House Award is based on the original efforts of SMC Founder Dr. David English Camak to provide a stable and enriching environment to help students achieve their highest potential both in and out of classroom. A mission he started in a single house.
Congratulations to the 2022 recipients!