Kasey Urquidez, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Director of Undergraduate Recruitment

Kasey sets the bar for other universities on how to achieve greater access for ethnic minority students; increased interest among the most gifted students; and steady gains in enrollment of students from 100 nations and all 50 states, according to her nominators. After a reorganization in the Office of Admissions, Urquidez's leadership and vision created new collaborations with units across campus. During her tenure in the Office of Admissions, the University's new student enrollments have increased every fall, with substantial gains in ethnic diversity, nonresident and international students, and student quality.

Ashley Bartholomew, Administrative Assistant in the Department of Pediatrics

Ashley is described by her colleagues, co-workers and supervisors as someone who demonstrates unusual initiative, an extraordinary work ethic, strong organizational skills and dedication. Called "the consummate professional in every aspect of her job and a great humanitarian in every aspect of her life," Bartholomew has a compassion that extends beyond the campus to her volunteer work with hospice patients at Carondelet Hospice and impoverished citizens at The Giving Tree, a nonprofit organization that works with Tucson's homeless and needy.

Pamela S. Bridgmon, Faculty Center Senior Program Coordinator in the Office of Academic Affairs

Pamela is praised by her colleagues as the "glue that holds the system together," and it's said that her upcoming retirement is causing "quite a stir" at the Faculty Center. One professor said, "In a word, without Pam, faculty shared governance at the University of Arizona would simply not exist. Pam is the cornerstone of everything faculty have built in terms of shared governance: the Faculty Senate, Faculty Senate Executive Committee, SPBAC (Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee), the various faculty committees, CAFT (Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure) and hearings for faculty with grievances, the Faculty Constitution and Bylaws, and on and on."

Luis Castillo, Office Specialist in the Center for English as a Second Language

Luis recruits and works with new CESL students, ensuring that they receive their identification cards, make vaccination arrangements and that they know about housing options and other logistics for their stay on campus. He also takes an interest in learning the languages and cultures of international students, studying Chinese and other languages. Castillo has helped make CESL one of the premier English language learning centers in the world through his contributions, nominators say.

Daniel Ferguson, Program Manager in the Institute of the Environment

Daniel is praised by his nominators as a leader on campus and beyond. As project manager for CLIMAS, Climate Assessment for the Southwest, a major research and outreach center based in the Institute of the Environment, Ferguson works closely with stakeholders to understand and respond to the impact of climate variability and change. His work on what began as a simple presentation to Hopi tribal leaders has grown into UA-led efforts to revise the Hopi tribe's drought plan and improve the tribe's abilities to monitor drought and climate change, his nominator says.

Limell' Lawson, Senior Director of Frontline Services at University of Information Technology Services

Limell' focuses on how technological resources can serve the University, improve the student experience, support faculty in teaching and research and impact the staff delivering it. Before the 24/7 IT Support Center was opened in 2008, Lawson identified the need for the facility and helped it come to fruition. She also was a driving force behind the creation of the Multimedia Learning Lab, the Multimedia Zone, the Virtual Reality Annex and the Office of Student Computing Resources.

Kory McCaw, Maintenance Supervisor at UA South

Kory manages the entire branch campus and its instruction sites, including grounds maintenance on the Sierra Vista campus, with the help of one custodian. Although his workload has doubled in the last two years, as budget cuts have forced the elimination of positions, he's never complained or missed a day, other than a few planned vacation days, his nominators say. McCaw is known as UA South's resident rattlesnake removal expert. He also raises the American and Arizona flags over the campus every morning, even when he is on vacation.

Andrea "Andi" Mitchell, Assurance Coordinator for the Office of Animal Welfare Assurance in the Office for the Responsible Conduct of Research

Andrea oversees the humane care and treatment of animals involved in research at the UA. When assigned the task of bringing the UA into compliance with various institutional and federal regulations, she worked to find ways to meet the regulatory requirements in meaningful, efficient and user-friendly ways. Mitchell is a member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and the Animal Hazards Committee.

Amy Morris, Administrative Associate and Associate Editor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Amy is described by her nominators as a "can-do people person" who treats all faculty and students she works with as extended family. Morris provides administrative support for the teaching, research and service activities of approximately 25 faculty, research staff and graduate students on the third floor of the Carl S. Marvel Laboratories of Chemistry building. As part of her work, she has created a system of completely electronic records, saving reams of paper. In addition, she provides administrative support for Organometallics, an internationally acclaimed journal of the American Chemical Society.

Celia O'Brien Senior Academic Adviser in the Psychology Department

In addition to meeting one on one with students, psychology advisers teach multiple sections of three different types of success courses. It is normal for new advisers to observe courses before they teach them on their own, but O'Brien was so eager to take on the challenge she offered to both observe and teach during her first semester on the job. In spring 2008, she offered to coordinate the Promoting Academic Success for Students, or PASS, program. She also has trained to teach the graduate school preparations course. O'Brien created and maintains an updated advising Web site for students.

Ricardo "Richard" Saldivar, Of the Facilities Management Custodial Area

Ricardo shows such enthusiasm and dedication in his work as day custodian on the eight floor of the Arizona Health Sciences Center that he's considered a "member" of the obstetrics and gynecology department. One nominator said, "In the 18 years that I have worked on the eighth floor of the Health Sciences Center, many custodians have pushed their mops down my hallway but Richard stands out from all of them. He demonstrates how all workers can interact as members of a community, by reaching out to others in a positive way