UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Jane McCandless, academic adviser in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS), has been named the 2024 Staff Excellence Award winner.
Established in 1993, the award recognizes the consistently outstanding performance of a staff member who has demonstrated and practiced the philosophy of continuous quality improvement, team spirit, managerial excellence in the performance of assigned duties, and leadership in establishing a quality service orientation, so as to benefit his or her unit and the University.
Nominators said McCandless is a professional who cares about the success of her students, colleagues and the Penn State community. They said she creates a climate of support, collaboration and excellence. She’s someone who always sees opportunities to improve traditional ways of doing things.
“McCandless is the best kind of colleague and campus partner. She’s open-minded, creative, self-aware and student-centered,” a nominator said. “She promotes a spirit of collegiality and collaboration within — but especially beyond — her work unit and represents the college in a positive way within the entire University.”
One nominator described an email from McCandless inquiring about New Student Orientation. McCandless wanted to meet to discuss the program for students.
“Imagine my surprise when her questions were all about what she could do to be a better partner, be more helpful in planning NSO, and how did I think she was doing as a committee member,” a nominator said. “I’ll be honest that I was totally taken aback and totally impressed by the questions. She’s the first and only campus partner to engage in such a conversation.”
Nominators said McCandless has an incredible super-power to put herself in the shoes of others. That approach, they said, leads to sage advice for her students and effective changes to Penn State programs.
One nominator said McCandless puts her advisees above all else. When a graduate wanted to return to Penn State to get a second degree, McCandless worked with them to secure a spot in EMS. After several more meetings, they determined another institution was the best fit for that student.
Nominators said McCandless’ response was no surprise: “While this student took many hours of our time, we helped him to find a professional and personal best next step — and I wanted to thank you all. We did the right thing for one of our graduates.”
This statement epitomizes McCandless’ commitment to students and excellent customer service, the nominator said.
“In addition to Jane’s professional accomplishments and strengths, she is a colleague whose boundless energy, enthusiasm and positive attitude uplifts the entire team, even on a challenging day,” a nominator said. Her catchphrase is always, ‘we got this,’ and with Jane leading the way, I know we do! Jane is truly a professional, supportive and collaborative colleague.”