By: Kyle Niblett
University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning Instructional Assistant Professor Hal Knowles and Dean’s Office Administrative Assistant Elizabeth Hauck were both named Division 3 winners for the 2022 Superior Accomplishment Awards. The program recognizes faculty and staff members who contribute outstanding and meritorious service, efficiency and/or economy, or to the quality of life provided to students and employees.
“I’m deeply honored and humbled to win this award and have my volunteer work on redesigning our SBE website recognized by my DCP administrators and peers, as well as the awards committee,” said Knowles, a change agent for DCP’s Sustainability and Built Environment program. “It has been a labor of love and I feel so fortunate to work for Bahar Armaghani, who expects excellence and empowers me to rise to the challenges of our growing program.”
The duo was honored with a virtual presentation this past week and recognized for their noteworthy performances and positive impact made on the overall goals and objectives of the institution.
“I am so thankful to work for a college that recognizes the hard work and contributions of staff,” Hauck said. “UF is a large community, and it means so much to me that both the administrators I work for and the awards committee, recognize that I constantly perform above and beyond my normal roles for the success of our students and faculty.”
After receiving an award package as well as $200 for winning at the division level, both will compete for university-level awards, which offer eight $1,000 and eight $2,000 cash awards.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT HAL KNOWLES
“While it is difficult to estimate the true cost of developing and deploying a website, it is fair to assume that Hal’s voluntary extracurricular activities for DCP’s Sustainability and the Built Environment website likely would have equated to hundreds of hours and several, possibly tens of thousands of dollars of equivalent costs had the program hired a content creation and web design and development firm. Hal quickly took on the role of audio and visual documentarian and communications specialist for SBE. The hundreds of images and videos he has created during our teaching and field experiences provided a foundation from which the website could be designed.” – Bahar Armaghani
“From this collaboration, I saw first-hand Hal’s work ethic and dedication to both his colleagues and his life’s mission to facilitate a more sustainable and resilient future trajectory for society.” – Robert Horton
“One thing that really stands out to me about Dr. Knowles is his advising, mentoring, and support of students. I am an academic advisor and work closely with faculty across the college, and Dr. Knowles’ commitment to being accessible, responsive, and supportive of students are highly unusual.” – Pat De Jong
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT LIZ HAUCK
“Her love and dedication for her role in the dean’s office has been admirable and I firmly believe that she is one of the best administrative assistants at the University of Florida. Mrs. Hauck is one of the very top people I have ever met in her ability to accomplish difficult and complex tasks and works with a diverse variety of people. All DCP faculty and staff that were affected by the remodeling operations were pleased with the ways she handled their requests, and contractors and vendors praised her willingness to help them complete their tasks.” – Abdol Chini
“I am certain that Mrs. Hauck has been instrumental in the planning and coordination of other college academic events, faculty searches and facility planning projects. Her praises and the appreciation from other colleagues and staff members are continuously being lauded.” – Meg Portillo
