2008 McQuaid Medal for Distinguished Service Recipients
McQuaid Medals are awarded to members of the University community who have shown outstanding service to the University. This year's McQuaid Medal for Distinguished Service recipients are:
George P. Browne, Ph.D. Associate Professor of History College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Athletics Representative George P. Browne, Associate Professor of History, has demonstrated unparalleled servant leadership since he arrived on a much different Seton Hall campus in September 1968. Over these forty years, he has dedicated himself to the betterment of all around him. For the History Department, he has chaired committees on curriculum development, joint courses, and other teaching and technology initiatives. He organized a state-wide conference for high school teachers of history on the use of multi-media in classrooms. He advised the history honors society, Phi Alpha Theta, and chaired and served on the department’s Scholarship Committee and served as its liaison with the University Libraries for many years.
His commitment to the College of Arts and Sciences is also extensive. In the early 1990s, he was chair pro tem of the faculty. He served as an assistant, later associate dean for academic affairs for several years. In the 1980s, he spearheaded curriculum reform as a member, then chair of the Educational Policy Committee, chairing its special subcommittee on a new college core curriculum. He later chaired the College Planning Committee.
At the University level, Dr. Browne continued his superlative record of dedication. He was acting dean of Freshmen Studies. Well known to the athletics community, he has served with distinction as the University’s Faculty Athletics Representative for eighteen years and has participated in various activities for the NCAA as a result. He has also been highly active in the Faculty Senate where he was the founding chair of the Admissions Committee. He chaired the Nominations and Elections Committee and the Calendar Committee for several years. In recent years, his contributions have come full circle as George has again been called into service to help with the development of the new University-wide core curriculum.
Terry De Almeida, M.A.E. Assistant Dean for Administration and Finance Seton Hall University School of Law Terry De Almeida, Assistant Dean for Administration and Finance, is a long-time employee and administrator at the Law School. Over her 26 years of service to our University, she has been an exemplar of professionalism. More importantly, Terry is a true embodiment of the ideals of service and self-sacrifice that we hold so dear at Seton Hall.
Because the Law School is physically separated from the rest of the University, Terry is required to perform a large number of tasks for the Law School that would be performed by entire departments on the main campus. She is the primary person who handles human resource issues for the Law School and she also is in charge of all of the finances. In addition, she oversees security operations and the vendors for the cafeteria and the bookstore.
Her efforts on behalf of Seton Hall are by no means limited to the Law School. She spends many days a month on the South Orange campus, serving on various committees related to human resources and financial issues. She does all of these things with absolutely no complaint and with a large dose of self-effacement.
Ms. De Almeida’s service has not been limited to serving our most natural constituents, faculty and students. She has also worked hard on behalf of other administrators and employees. She strongly encourages other employees to seek to better their education and experience so that they can take on more responsibilities. Her hard work with a number of our employees over the years has meant that we have often been able to promote people to positions that they never could have performed when they arrived at the Law School. Terry earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996, and her Master of Arts in Education in 1998—both degrees from Seton Hall University. As well as encouraging others to pursue their educational goals, Terry has served as a role model for her colleagues.
Salvatore Palma Assistant Chief Engineer Department of Facilities Engineering Salvatore Palma, Assistant Chief Engineer, began his association with Seton Hall University in 1981 when he was hired as a shift engineer to operate the large boilers in the central heating plant. He later became a refrigeration mechanic and was responsible for maintaining and repairing the central heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, and ventilation units throughout the campus. He worked for 15 years in the HVAC shop before becoming the supervisor of that shop in 1995. In 2004, he was promoted to his current position, Assistant Chief Engineer, in the Department of Facilities Engineering.
Mr. Palma’s primary responsibilities involve supervising 56 skilled tradesmen in the department and coordinating their day-to-day activities in support of the University and its mission. He establishes work priorities, assigns workers to the tasks, and inspects their on-going and completed work to ensure the jobs are done correctly, safely, and efficiently. There are many urgent and critical tasks begging for the same scarce resources and Sal adjusts hourly to the changing demands and requirements to keep the University’s facilities in a good working condition.
Over the past few years, Sal has been the central figure for Seton Hall University in two important areas: sustainability and management of the State of New Jersey operating permits for all fuel-burning equipment at the University, the Title V Operating Permit. The goal is to reduce the pollution of the environment by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide, sulfur, and other gases into the air. Sal attends meetings and seminars to learn more about the latest trends and techniques of making Seton Hall University a greener campus.
He has also assumed the responsibility of reporting the annual use of carbon-based fuel on campus and submitting the amounts of gases discharged into the atmosphere by the burning of these fuels. The annual emissions report is required by the N.J. State Department of Environmental Protection and it takes many weeks to review the data, calculate the amount of emissions, and prepare the report in the very detailed format that is mandated.
Mr. Palma has been a key member of the department and puts the needs of the University first and foremost in everything he does. As a supervisor of the tradesmen, he takes great pride in serving the student population in their residential rooms and in the classrooms. He will mix humor with a fast response to make the students feel that they are truly special and that they deserve the best of treatment. His loyalty, dedication, and professionalism are in keeping with the highest traditions of Seton Hall University.
