CMU Woman of the Year Awards

An inspiring trio of women with a broad professional reach stretching from Central Michigan University to international service organizations will be honored at the 2013 Woman of the Year Luncheon, Thursday, March 28.

 

The luncheon, which commemorates March as Women’s History Month, will honor Joan M. Schmidt of Mount Pleasant who has been selected as Woman of the Year by the CMU American Council on Education. Schmidt has served CMU for 35 years in increasingly responsible roles within residence life.

 

She began her career at CMU managing 584 campus apartments and today is director of residence life, which provides housing, meals and support services for more than 6,000 students.

 

Schmidt holds M.A. and B.S. degrees from CMU, both in recreation, parks and leisure services administration. Schmidt has served in several capacities with the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International, including as president and foundation chair. One of her submissions to ACUHO-I’s journal, titled “Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places,” won article of the year in 2008. Also that year, Schmidt won the ACUHO-I Foundation’s Parthenon award that recognizes supreme achievement in the profession, outstanding leadership and contributions to the field of campus housing.

 

Schmidt is being honored for demonstrating strong leadership for college women in her career as well as her personal life.

 

“I have three simple statements I attempt to follow each and every day of my life,” Schmidt said. “One says education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. The second seeks to live our lives with great memories and few regrets. Last, but not least, treat others with kindness and compassion.”

 

Also being honored by CMU ACE as Women of Excellence are Holly Hoffman and Marcie Otteman.

 

Hoffman is associate professor in the counseling and special education department, where for 17 years she has been an award-winning teacher in courses on special education, inclusion and educational practices for special-needs students. She is currently on a yearlong leadership fellowship in the dean’s office of the College of Education and Human Services, where she is focused on developing mentor networks for women and new faculty. She is a prolific scholar with many publications, grants and presentations, and a history of local service in programs addressing early childhood development and support of single mothers at CMU.

 

Otteman serves as executive director of alumni relations for CMU and is responsible for the university’s engagement with 214,000 alumni worldwide, in part through the 200 events she and her staff coordinate annually. In her 15 years at CMU, Otteman has served in various capacities in the admissions office, including as senior associate director of admissions. Apart from her demanding career, Otteman is particularly dedicated to seeing girls and women mature in their thinking and self-esteem. To that end, she has coached Girls on the Run, volunteered with Special Olympics and been a long-time chapter adviser to Alpha Sigma Tau.

 

The Woman of the Year luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. on March 28 in the Rotunda of CMU’s Bovee University Center. Tickets are $11 per person with a registration deadline of noon on March 26.  Registration is available here.