The Chancellor's Outstanding Staff Awards (COSA) are presented to staff and teams who in addition to performing all their normal job duties with excellence, also take initiative and go above and beyond in their contributions to the UC Berkeley campus community.

This year the Mechanical Engineering department is happy to announce that two key staff members, Judith Sykes and Micheal (Mick) Franssen, have been recognized for their contributions. Both Judy and Mick play important roles in the successful operation of ME.

Judith Sykes, “the glue that holds the department together,” is the Department Manager in Mechanical Engineering. Judy is a mentor to staff, an advocate for students and faculty and an absolutely essential resource to the Chair. Her exceptional leadership skills allow her to envision the departmental needs of the present and future. These management skills can be seen in her ability to ensure harmony and promote camaraderie during extended periods of fiscal contraction, positively promote and orchestrate departmental completion of the first phase of the career compass initiative, and address the full spectrum of changes resulting from anticipated staff retirements in the next 2-5 years complicated by permanent budget cuts and the evolving needs of a dynamic academic program. Ms. Sykes’ professionalism, outstanding job performance, and commitment to the mission of the Department, College and University set the standards that all of us who work with or for her strive to achieve.

Micheal (Mick) Franssen, Senior Laboratory Mechanician in the ME Student Shop, embodies the mission of this campus in a very important way. A student's experience under Mick's guidance may well be what motivates that student to persist in the study of engineering and to realize ME's goal of preparing the student for life in the field. He was recognized for his key role in the ASCE/AISC Student Steel Bridge Competitions: "I truly believe that without his help and guidance, the Civil Engineering students participating in the Steel Bridge Competition would not have won the Nationals last year. Mick helped them set up fixtures and tooling to accomplish this task quicker and more accurately then previously possible. He gave them guidance on what materials to order, how to machine it and faster ways to assemble it that helped them edge out the competition." Another nominator stated that Franssen "has a wealth of knowledge and experience from the many years of working in this career. Mick is a great asset to the M.E. Department. He is a valuable employee...[who] goes above and beyond his normal duties, in some cases giving of his own free time. Mick is a great leader and role model to all of our students, teaching and giving them proper guidance in how to work together with others to keep Safety a number one priority while working in the student shop, at the same time developing good engineering practice."

These awards are among the highest honors bestowed upon staff by the Chancellor. The Chancellor's Staff Advisory Committee (CSAC) established this award program on the Chancellor's behalf and administers it. The recipients will be recognized at a ceremony with the Chancellor and other key senior administrators at a ceremony scheduled on Thursday, April 9 from 2:00-4:00 PM at the International House in the Chevron Auditorium.

Congratulations Judy and Mick, and thank you!