UF VP Paula Fussell and graduate students recognized during Women's History Month

April 9, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida Vice President for Human Resources Paula Varnes Fussell and seven UF graduate students received awards during the 13th annual Women’s History Month Celebration at the UF Presidents Home on March 25. The University of Florida Association of Academic Women (AAW) named Fussell the 2010 Woman of Distinction, and chose graduate students Tara Creel Anderson, Yan Chen, Meggan Jordan, Noelle Sullivan, Zoe Ziliak, Zhuo Li and Deborah Wojcik to receive cash awards in recognition of their outstanding scholarship.

AAW chooses the recipient of the Woman of Distinction Award in a competitive nomination process. Recipients are outstanding female University of Florida faculty members or administrative/professionals who have made significant contributions to the quality of life of women at UF and/or in the local community, state, nation or society in general.

A 25-year veteran of higher education administration, Fussell oversees employee and labor relations, faculty and staff training, compensation and benefits, recruitment, employment, classification, retirement, employment and disciplinary action, complaints, transfers, leaves, workers’ compensation, and the HRS Service Center.

“Throughout her career, Paula has been a devoted and enthusiastic advocate for the interests of women at the University of Florida and in our community,” said AAW President Rebecca Rainer Pauly, MD, FACP, UF Health Science Center Associate Vice President for Health Affairs Equity and Diversity. “She serves on the board of a number of community service organizations, and spends much of her professional and personal time helping to meet the needs of others.”

The graduate students, who were chosen based on a competitive review of their scholarship and research, received cash awards funded through AAW, the Madelyn Lockhart Endowment and the UF President’s office. Tara Creel Anderson won the 2010 AAW Madelyn Lockhart Dissertation Fellowship and tied with Yan Chen for the AAW Emerging Scholar Award. A doctor of veterinary medicine (UF 2003), Anderson earned a master of public health from UF in 2007 and expects to complete her Ph.D. in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology in the UF College of Veterinary Medicine in December 2010. Following graduation she hopes to join the Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Service. Her research is multidisciplinary and directed toward improving both animal and public health, and she is committed to a career in infectious disease research. Yan Chen expects to complete her Ph.D. in the Department of Chemistry in the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in August 2010. Identified as one of the best overall graduate students in the department, her research focuses on cell membrane receptor studies and intracellular measurements. She is first author of five major research papers completed while a graduate student. Following graduation, she will continue her research in a post-doctoral position. Cash awards also went to five other finalists: Meggan Jordan, Noelle Sullivan and Zoe Ziliak in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Zhuo Li in the College of Education, and Deborah Wojcik in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

AAW provides opportunities for University of Florida women faculty and professional staff to network and enhance their knowledge about the university and their work environment, and co¬ordinates judging and presentation of annual awards for the AAW Woman of Distinction and selected UF graduate students during the Women’s History Month Celebration each March.