The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee has announced this year’s Unsung Hero Award winners. The awards are presented annually to people who, in the spirit of King’s “beloved community,” have made a positive difference in the lives of others, but who are not widely recognized for their efforts. The categories include community member, student, faculty and staff. The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, to be held this year on Sunday, Jan. 28, is the largest of it’s kind on a college campus, and features song, dance, dinner, a keynote address by political commentator Angela Rye and presentation of the unsung hero awards. Ticket and celebration information can be found at mlk.syr.edu.
Faculty/Staff: Robert Wilson
Wilson is director of Student Support Services (SSS). SSS works with first generation college students. His nominator says Wilson “works tirelessly to advocate for SSS students and create a culture in the program of ‘unconditional positive regard’ to help students feel socially, emotionally and academically supported. Bob has created an incredibly supportive ‘home base’ on campus for SSS students and helped literally hundreds of first-generation college students earn their four-year degree.” Under Wilson’s leadership, the graduation rate of SSS students is at or is slightly higher than that of the university as whole. Additionally, Wilson volunteers his time as coach for the men’s rugby team and as the director for the Advisor Practitioners Forum (APF). APF is an informal group of academic advisors and counselors that meets several times per semester for networking and professional development.