Foster receives Chancellor’s Award for Classified Service

05/08/2023 

Lori Foster, administrative assistant I in SUNY Cortland’s English Department, will receive a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service.

The Chancellor’s Awards provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and encourage the pursuit of excellence at all 64 SUNY campuses. Each campus president submits nominations, which are reviewed by the SUNY Committee on Awards.

The award for Excellence in Classified Service is given to individuals who have continuously demonstrated outstanding achievement, skill and commitment to excellence in fulfilling their job description and for their ability to go above and beyond that scope. Ideal candidates demonstrate creativity and flexibility in performing their position to meet campus needs.

Foster, who has worked in the English Department for seven years, helps serve the 40 full- and part-time faculty who teach approximately 120 classes and more than 2,000 students each semester. She is a tremendous asset to the many students, faculty and staff who interact with the department. Foster’s work in coordinating paperwork and scheduling and arranging interviews play a major role in the continued successful operation of the office. She has managed, budgeted and scheduled several programs including speaker series, annual awards and related work through the university’s Writing Programs and Writing Center initiatives.

Faculty in the English Department credited Foster for her quick thinking in being able to schedule an additional seven sections of a popular writing studies course necessitated by a large first-year class in the fall of 2022. She is also a valuable assistant to faculty as a first contact for students in advising and especially during the add/drop period.

The English Department’s prominent location in Old Main makes Foster an ambassador of the university for students and visitors who need directions and other general assistance. She has always treated all with warmth, kindness and respect.