2009 Mission Leadership Award recipients

The recipients of the 2009 Mission Leadership Awards were named at the President's Convocation event, Aug. 17. Find out more about the award on the award page.

Beverly Matlas

Beverly Matlas, in her role as UDM's Budget Director, makes things happen on the financial side of UDM; she is often the driving force for bringing programs to fruition. When she assists other staff and administrators in designing creative new programs for student educational development she is always helpful, goes the extra mile, and works with people to find solutions to sometimes very complex situations.

She works to understand the whole picture of a project. Without Matlas' assistance, many programs would stall or not happen at all. She is a very patient teacher, not hesitating to explain things, even if it is for the second or third time!

Eswara Prasad Venugopal

Eswara Prasad Venugopal, associate professor of Physics, teaches demanding courses. He does so while emphasizing that technological developments have social and ethical implications that must be addressed intellectually and politically. Besides his many commitments within the UDM world his service to the larger community is extraordinary.

He has spoken, to take a few examples among many, on globalization, workplace and cultural diversity, business ethics and sweatshops as well as political troubles in East Timor, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. Venugopal's remarkable array of commitments go to the heart of UDM's mission — the integration of intellectual, ethical, spiritual and social development for students and for the larger community of southeast Michigan.