As senior instructional technology specialist at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP), George Anagnostou, MS, is tasked with many duties. The most challenging and time-consuming is providing support to faculty, staff, and students in the administration of computer-based exams.

“Exams have dominated our lives because they’re such an important part of what my team does,” says Anagnostou, a six-year UMSOP employee. “It’s one of those things where if something were to go wrong, it’s sort of, ‘Stop what you’re doing and make sure this exam is taking place as expected.’ It’s a big chunk of what we do.”

It’s clear that Anagnostou aces all his job tests, because on May 21 his efforts were recognized with the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Employee of the Month Award for May. UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, surprised him with the honor in the President’s Conference Room at the Saratoga Building, where Anagnostou thought he was attending a meeting to discuss online graduate programs with representatives of the Graduate School.

“Actually, this meeting’s about you,” Perman told him after popping into the meeting unannounced. “You do something very important for students. You make it possible for them to navigate through exams as easily as they can. I care deeply about people who improve the lives of our students, because as I often say, they’re the only ones who are paying to be here, right? So we ought to make it good for them, and you do that every day.”

Six of Anagnostou’s colleagues from UMSOP were on hand to celebrate his award, including Andrew Coop, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs, and Shannon Tucker, MS, assistant dean for instructional design and technology. They had another surprise for Anagnostou. That party scheduled for 3 o’clock back at the school? That was to celebrate this award.

It’s a well-deserved honor, Tucker says.

“Testing is a high-stress situation for all,” she says. “In George’s methodical support of our community, he always considers how our processes could be improved. He is willing to advocate for the right solution that balances accreditation, course assessment goals, and the experience of students, faculty, and staff — even if it means more work for him.”

‘Pivotal’ Player

Tucker specifically praised Anagnostou’s work with the ExamSoft software, as he manages support for students of varying technology skills who have a variety of operating systems, laptop brands, and configurations.

“His efforts to support students and strategically use vendor support has helped reduce the incidence of in-exam technology issues between academic years,” Tucker says. “His ability to balance customer experience with the organizational needs of the school makes him a pivotal part of the academic affairs team.”

ExamSoft is a secure testing platform the school uses to deliver most of its exams, with Anagnostou estimating that all but four of 40 courses use it and that the school distributed more than 50 exams using the system this past semester.

“With this software, we reduce the amount of paper we need to utilize for exams,” he says. “We’ve shortened the amount of time it takes to administer exams, so that’s been a big benefit. And the students’ feedback has been that they prefer to take electronic exams over paper exams.”

Anagnostou has other duties beyond exams, such as supporting the Blackboard course management system and consulting with faculty on the technological aspects of taking ideas from inception to implementation. It’s a difficult job involving a wide range of people, he admits, but it’s those personal interactions that fuel his efforts.

“Honestly, the favorite thing about my job is the people,” Anagnostou says. “That’s one of the reasons I got out of strictly information technology work, because that’s too much in a bubble.”

‘Wonderful Honor’

In addition to all the praise, Anagnostou received a plaque, a letter of commendation from Perman, and news that an extra $250 would be in his next paycheck. He says the money will come in handy as he and his wife, 20-month-old son, and mother are taking a vacation to Greece, his parents’ homeland.

“This is a wonderful honor,” Anagnostou says. “To be recognized for the hard work that I and my team do is really nice. It was totally unexpected, and I’m just thrilled.”

— Lou Cortina

To read about previous Employee of the Month winners, visit Human Resource Services’ employee recognition web page.

Sarah Hokenmaier, MPA, has a lot on her plate as a program director in the Department of Family and Community Health at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON). This was made crystal clear on May 15 at the Saratoga Building, where Hokenmaier was honored as the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Employee of the Month of April.

UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, surprised Hokenmaier with the award, and before he began to detail what made her such a deserving winner, he stopped and marveled, “The one thing I’ve figured out from all of these accolades is that you do a heck of a lot. You’re involved in everything!”

This came after some playful banter with Perman, who asked Hokenmaier what she was doing in the President’s Conference Room. She said she had been summoned to a meeting with Jennifer B. Litchman, MA, senior vice president for external relations and special assistant to the president, to talk about the coaching program sponsored by UMBrella, a group that works to support the success of women at the University that Litchman chairs. She is Hokenmaier’s mentor, and they did meet — “It was a real/fake meeting, and we need to finish it!” Litchman said with a laugh — but the true reason for Sarah’s presence was to be praised by the president.

“Some very wise people here put you at the head of the table, because this is all about you,” said Perman, who added that one trait in particular stood out from the nomination form sent in by Hokenmaier’s colleagues at the school, several of whom attended the ceremony, including Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Pat McLaine, DrPH, RN, director of the Community/Public Health Nursing Specialty.

“I saw a word that I really like — and I know Dean Kirschling likes it, too — and that’s ‘team,’ ” Perman said. “It says you enhanced the department’s ability to function as a team through your high-level assessment, communication, and strategic planning skills. That’s something I really value, and that advances the University’s mission. So congratulations, Sarah, and keep up the great work.”

Patient and Pleasant

Hokenmaier received a plaque, a letter of commendation, and the promise of $250 in her next paycheck, which she says she’ll save for a rainy day and is a nice reward for someone whose work brightens her colleagues’ days.

“Sarah is extremely patient, pleasant to work with, very focused on getting the job done, and has a great sense of humor,” McLaine said of Hokenmaier, who also was recognized by UMSON in December, winning the school’s Staff Excellence Award. “Her performance has been outstanding, and she gets excellent results.”

To that end, Hokenmaier works diligently with the five specialty directors in Family and Community Health and serves as a liaison to other departments and offices at the school, including admissions, communications, administrative services, and information and learning technology.

“Her work with the Office of Admissions has streamlined processes, improved communication with the specialty directors, and resulted in higher-quality applicants to our graduate programs,” McLaine said. “Sarah’s work has enabled us to think bigger and focus on how to grow our programs.”

Asked to describe her duties in a nutshell, Hokenmaier said, “I do a wide variety of things, but I would say that I help faculty achieve their goals — related to all different activities. Because of my background in public health, I’m able to work on all sorts of different things — grants, marketing, anything related to the goals the faculty are trying to achieve.”

Hokenmaier has a passion for improving community health outcomes and says this is what drives her to succeed. Before joining UMSON in October 2016, she worked nearly eight years for the Center for Cancer Prevention and Control at the Maryland Department of Health, including the last three as deputy director.

“My master’s degree in public administration focused on nonprofit administration and management, so I’ve always had a heart for community work and community service,” Hokenmaier said. “I love that I have the opportunity to make a difference in public health through my work at the School of Nursing.”

Giving Thanks

Hokenmaier was thrilled to be rewarded – “I really do work hard, and I try to achieve my goals every day,” she said — and honored to be recognized. She thanked Kirschling and McLaine; Susan M. Wozenski, JD, MPH, assistant professor and interim chair of her department; and the specialty directors as a group. “And I can’t forget my co-workers Terria McClain and Phyllis Lovito, who work alongside me in everything I do.”

These colleagues all add to the depth of talent at UMSON, which Hokenmaier says is a great place to work.

“I am impressed every time I am involved in a new project with different staff in other departments,” she said. “I am impressed with how dedicated the staff are, how knowledgeable they are, how creative they are. I have never seen so many people dedicated to doing things right.”

As for herself, Hokenmaier remains dedicated to family and community health.

“I care about the mission. That’s always been important to me, and it makes whatever work I’m doing matter,” she said. “So it means everything to me that the mission is being recognized with this award.”

— Lou Cortina

To read about previous Employee of the Month winners, visit Human Resource Services’ employee recognition web page.

Party in the Park lived up to half its billing on May 18. The University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) annual student celebration between the morning school convocations and the afternoon Universitywide commencement had to be moved indoors from Plaza Park because of intermittent rain.

But it indeed was still a party, as graduates and their families headed over from morning convocations to the SMC Campus Center and up its commencement-themed stairway to the Elm Ballrooms for free food and drink and camaraderie. On the first floor near the Fireplace Lounge, attendees danced as a DJ cranked out tunes while others took turns taking pictures in a photo booth. (See photo gallery.)

“I’m so glad that we had this party,” said Sheena Patel, who graduated from the School of Medicine with a Master’s in Public Health. “I’m so glad it wasn’t canceled altogether, because I know in between our ceremonies we have a couple of hours to kill, so it’s a good way to bring people together and give them something to do. I definitely like the photo booth. It’s a lot of fun. The music is upbeat, so that’s cool.”

The weather did rain on one literal parade, however, as the annual academic procession from Plaza Park to Royal Farms Arena was called off. But that didn’t dampen the graduates’ enthusiasm while they enjoyed the party that has been a UMB commencement staple since 2015.

“This is great, especially because all my family is here to see my graduation,” said Dooah Almarzoog, who was celebrating her Master’s in Community Public Health from the School of Nursing. “It’s nice that UMB was prepared to have our guests and show them a good time. I love the DJ and the music. And especially the booth for the photos. Me and my sisters took a lot of nice pictures, so it’s really a good idea.”

As graduates arrived, they could start their visit by writing notes on a large vinyl banner spread across two tables that eventually will be displayed in the campus center. A few themes emerged: gratitude (Thanks, Mom and Dad); celebration and relief (We did it — we’re done!); reflection (What a journey it’s been!); and a little humor (Thanks, FAFSA!).

Up in the Elm Ballrooms, graduates, their families, and guests had their choice of hot dogs, sliders, potato salad, and cookies provided by CulinArt. The ballroom tables were filled to the brim, with the overflow sitting on couches in the area outside near the food trays. The Oriole Bird and Ravens’ Poe mascots worked the room, posing for photos and delivering fist-bumps, high-fives, and hugs.

Brandy Cumberland, who graduated from the School of Nursing’s RN-to-BSN Program, was sitting at a table with her husband and three young children, who were munching on potato chips and enjoying their mom’s special day. The family had made a three-hour drive from Wingate, Md., in southern Dorchester County, to attend all the day’s ceremonies.

“This party is a very, very nice event,” Cumberland said. “We appreciate the University doing this. We’re having a great time.”

Downstairs, the party started cranking up as more graduates arrived between noon and 12:30 p.m. With music provided by Marvin “DJ Marvalous” Ganthier, the dancing continued, with graduates, parents, and even campus center employees taking their turns bopping and swaying. The DJ announced that it was time for graduates to start heading over to the arena for the Universitywide commencement, but first a line dance formed for the song “Cupid Shuffle.”

“This is so much fun,” said Rhiya Dave, who earned a Master’s in Public Health from the School of Medicine and was about to head over to the arena, where she would carry the MPH banner into the ceremony. “It’s a really nice way for all of us to just celebrate and be together one last time.”

School of Pharmacy graduate Mudit Verma was enjoying the music and photo ops, too, and said he was excited to get to the arena to celebrate beside his classmates and all the graduates of the UMB schools. He thought Party in the Park — wherever it was held — was an enjoyable part of the daylong festivities.

“I’m out here with my family, and we’re eating good food and drinks and having a dance party,” he said. “This is such a great time. This has been a great event.”

— Lou Cortina

Visit the commencement website for pictures, video, and more information.