2021 Paul and Frances Duff Pursuit of Excellence Award

May 12, 2021

The Paul and Frances Duff Pursuit of Excellence award is given annually to the person who demonstrates extraordinary commitment to improving our institutional quality, who constantly seeks to actualize talents and gifts, who displays integrity by committing personal energy to the fullest development of her or his God-given gifts, who recognizes the importance of faith and unselfish service, and who is a great credit to Briar Cliff University. 

The 2021 recipient of this award is tireless. They dedicate an immense amount of time to our students and are often the first call when a student has a need or question. 

Over this last year of the pandemic, her work has elevated to serve our students and campus with unrivaled dedication. She helped students understand the gravity of the situation and provided them constant reassurance that they would be okay.

She has been a hub of student communication and care. She worked in tandem with campus health, counseling, Compass, athletics, and other departments to ensure students were completing their health checks, complying with mitigation measures, and supported when faced with quarantine and illness.

She personally delivered meals to quarantined students multiple times a day and consistently advocated for their needs. She visited the residence halls daily helping students to stay connected. 

When many of us were adjusting and, at times, working from home across this past year, she was present on campus: day in and day out, weekdays, weekends, evenings, and nights. 

She contributed incredibly to our institution's success in handling this unprecedented year. She has used her God-given talents to their utmost and has acted with great selflessness, providing incredible support and care to our campus and its students. 

It is our pleasure to present the 2021 Paul and Frances Duff Pursuit of Excellence Award to Ashley Pawlowski.