Every year, Michigan State University presents distinguished staff awards to honor the hard work and dedication of Spartan employees. The Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” award is given to a nominated support staff member who is excelling in their duties while also completing a post-baccalaureate degree at MSU. This year, Sarah Ellis, a Broad staff member, was selected by the award committee to receive this high honor.
Ellis (B.A. Psychology ’01) has been a member of the Broad College staff for six years. As admissions and academic services manager in the Executive MBA program, she is responsible for elevating all internal processes, communicating with external stakeholders and students, maintaining corporate relationships and organizing events.
Ellis is also currently working toward a Master of Science in Customer Experience Management — Broad’s newest master’s program designed for working professionals to build the skills to deliver on the expectations of customers. She is part of the MS-CXM program’s inaugural class, on track to graduate in May 2024.
slideshow has a previous and next buttons
Melissa Woo, executive vice president for administration, Christina K. Brogdon, chief human resources officer, Teresa K. Woodruff, MSU interim president, Sarah Ellis, 2023 award recipient, and Ray Gasser, assistant vice president for Residence Education and Housing Services and chair of the Ruth Jameyson Award committee, are photographed at the award reception. 
Ellis (left) and her family talk with Woodruff during the award reception. When she found out she had won the award, Ellis expressed her appreciation for the EMBA program team and their recognition of her dedication. She talked about the lessons she had learned from going to graduate school while working full-time.
“The key message is that you can do it. If you are determined to accomplish something, you can do it. Is it challenging? Yes. Are some days harder than others? Absolutely. But remember, you absolutely can do it,” she said. “The Broad community has been invaluable to me throughout this journey. Here, I have a work family in addition to my own family. Everybody is here to help me succeed in the programs, in my work and at home.”
Cheri DeClercq, assistant dean for MBA programs, congratulated Ellis on the award: “The combination of Sarah’s passion for CXM and how she can apply her learning to the work we’re doing here at MSU has been of tremendous help to the EMBA program. I am proud and inspired to see her continuously bringing forward new perspectives and ideas from her master’s program into our work, which have also helped other team members grow.”
One of Ellis’ colleagues commented on her character and work ethic. “Sarah is a talented, dedicated and thoughtful team member who consistently goes above and beyond to help students, colleagues, faculty and staff both in her unit and across campus. She is known as a highly competent professional who is patient, kind, organized and reliable. Sarah can always be counted on to do her job with effective excellence.”
“Her time in the EMBA program has resulted in consistent climbs in our rankings and uncountable word-of-mouth referrals. I cannot imagine a more deserving leader at MSU than Sarah Ellis for this award — she has contributed so much of her time and effort to our program,” another added.
Ruth Jameyson served as the secretary to MSU President Robert S. Shaw from 1938 to 1941 and secretary/administrative assistant to President John A. Hannah from 1941 to 1969. Jameyson was the epitome of a dedicated woman possessed of dignity and grace, widely admired for her professionalism, loyalty, kindness, strength and patience. Having arrived in Lansing with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Coe College in Iowa, Jameyson pursued a master’s degree in economics at MSU while working full-time.
To hear more about the Ruth Jameyson “Above and Beyond” award and Sarah Ellis, visit hr.msu.edu and watch this video.
