2007 Research Staff Recognition Awards

Distinguished Research Administrator Award

Patricia Fink, Proposal and Contracts Manager in the Institute for Social Research, has served the University of Michigan for more than 33 years.  From 1974-1978, Fink worked in the Department of Internal Medicine’s Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and moved to ISR in 1978, where she has steadily advanced to her current position.  ISR’s Proposal and Contracts Office is responsible for pre- and post-award administration, related training, as well as its database support systems and reporting.  Fink and her staff review close to 250 submissions a year to over 90 separate agencies, with requests totaling over $200M per year and funding levels of approximately $69M annually.  As manager, she has sought out assistants with complementary abilities to help the unit adapt to changes in regulations.  She is a strong proponent of training and professional development opportunities and an outstanding mentor and role model for staff.  Her team received a University of Michigan Workplace 2003 Exemplary Team Award-Honorable Mention.  Fink’s service to the University research community includes participation on the Sponsored Projects Advisory Team and the eResearch Routing and Approval Design Team.  She is credited with contributing to the success of ISR in developing and maintaining a consistently high-quality research environment.
…an amazing ambassador for the ISR…the research community has benefited from her unwavering dedication…a long-time valuable member and contributor over the entire spectrum of our research administration activities.

Distinguished Research Administrator Award

Peggy Westrick is the Research Process Senior Manager in the Dean’s Office, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.  She joined the University of Michigan in 1983 in the Division of Research Development and Administration and has been involved in research administration ever since.  Westrick works across a broad range of disciplines in LSA.  She reviews and signs approximately 800 proposals per year and has vast experience in the traditional role of a research administrator, from preparing budgets, processing proposals, negotiating cost sharing, to working directly with the PIs preparing the final proposal documents.  Westrick continues to be an active participant in new research administration initiatives, both within LSA and the UM and is credited with coordinating the development of eGIF, electronic gateway for internal funding, which will expand from handling humanities requests to include all of LSA next year.  eGIF is the prototype for the eResearch portal for the entire campus.  She served on the Research Administrators Instructional Network (RAIN) Development Committee and has recently been asked to participate in a RAIN Review Group.  Several years ago, Westrick started the LSA Research Administrators Group, which continues to meet on a regular basis and has over 30 members.
...well known across LSA for her strong customer service…has worked successfully to coordinate research administration efforts across the College…extraordinarily competent, hard working and willing to tackle anything that is thrown at her.

OVPR Exceptional Service Award

Kathleen Welch, Senior Statistician in the Center for Statistical Consultation and Research (CSCAR), joined the University of Michigan as a Research Associate in the Department of Epidemiology in 1976.  She moved to the Statistical Research Laboratory (CSCAR’s predecessor) in 1987, and was the only full time employee retained when CSCAR was established in 1989, where she provides statistical support and consultation, as well as collaborating on research projects with faculty, staff, and students from departments across the entire campus.  Welch has the ability to describe complex statistical concepts in understandable terms, always treating people and the questions they ask with the utmost respect.  She has helped to develop and teaches several CSCAR workshops to uniformly excellent reviews and has been a lecturer in the Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology since 1979.  Welch has recently co-authored “Linear Mixed Models: A Practical Guide Using Statistical Software,” which uses several statistical packages to demonstrate solving a variety of common problems.  She is also listed as a co-author on more than 30 publications.  Prior to joining the UM, she served in the United States Peace Corp from 1969-1973, as a teacher of science and mathematics and then as a co-coordinator of teacher education programs in Liberia, West Africa.
…has a superb ability to help one learn by focusing on what is important…open to new ideas…the perfect example of exceptional service to the students, staff, and faculty…she is indeed the goddess of service to the university community.