Stanford Report, June 3, 2009

Haas Center's senior associate director wins Student Affairs' Fidler Award

BY KATHLEEN J. SULLIVAN

Jackie Schmidt-Posner

Jackie Schmidt-Posner

In nominating Jackie Schmidt-Posner for the Margaret Ann Fidler Award for Distinguished Service in Student Affairs, campus colleagues present and past cited her strategic thinking, creativity, compassion, humor and open-door policy.

And, in what is surely a first for a nominee for the award, her pancake griddle.

Schmidt-Posner, senior associate director at the Haas Center for Public Service and, until recently, its interim executive director, said she was surprised when she was called to the podium to receive the award during a May awards ceremony organized by the office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs.

"You have been regarded as the heart of the Haas Center for Public Service for years, and we recognize and celebrate your achievements with this award," Margaret Ann Fidler announced before handing Schmidt-Posner a framed citation and a check for $1,000.

The citation also commended Schmidt-Posner for more than 20 years of "extraordinary service and gifted leadership to students, staff, alumni, faculty, donors and board members."

In addition, it applauded her for "inspiring so many Stanford students toward life-long learning and service, while also inspiring colleagues to embody both a 'love of learning' and a 'love of learners.'"

The award, named after Fidler, a former associate vice provost for student affairs, recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary integrity, dedication to student affairs and the mission of the university, and commitment to teamwork.

Schmidt-Posner began working at the Haas Center as a quarter-time research assistant in 1987 while she was studying for a PhD in administration and policy analysis at the Stanford School of Education—a degree she completed two years later. In 1992, she began working with undergraduates as special assistant to Tim Stanton, then the center's director.

"That's when I felt, OK, this is it for me," she recalled in a recent interview. "I was working with really smart students who wanted to make a difference in the world. I fell in love with working with Stanford students and I never stopped."

In 1999, Schmidt-Posner became co-director of the center's Public Service Scholars Program, a partnership with the Program in Urban Studies that brings together 10 to 15 seniors from diverse majors who are writing honors theses as a form of public service research.

Schmidt-Posner, who became the director of the scholars program in 2002, has worked in a variety of positions at the Haas Center over the years, including student group advising, faculty development of service-learning courses, director of public service education, student affairs officer and, from the summer of 2007 until April 2009, interim executive director.

At the end of June, Schmidt-Posner is taking a leave of absence from the Haas Center to accompany her husband, a professor at Santa Clara University, on a sabbatical.

Current and former Haas Center staff, as well as alumni, sang her praises in a 10-page letter to the Fidler Award nominating committee. Included among the many compliments:

  • "She's brought a rich blend of strategic thinking, creativity, compassion and humor to the many different positions she has held at the center. She not only holds the record for the number of different offices she has had at the center (I suspect she's had a desk in almost every space in the building), but also the record for the number of staff, students and others she has inspired."
  • "Jackie loves to connect people. And in this how-much-can-we-each-accomplish world we live and work in, this skill is invaluable. If there is any truth to the saying, 'It's not what you know, it's who you know,' Jackie has brought together both groups and individuals who are indebted to her."
  • "She is the ultimate team player, always ready to step up or step back when needed in the best interests of the organization."
  • "Nothing in one's life was 'too small' or 'too ordinary' for Jackie to appreciate in each student or staff as a valued member in a community of co-learners, as Jackie treated each one as a 'quilt piece' whose composition and aesthetic could be discovered by getting to know each one's unique narrative of life journeys."
  • "It is safe to say Jackie is responsible for much of the high regard for the Haas Center on the national level—she is always willing to help a colleague on campus or at another service center nationwide."
  • "She regularly walks the halls to check in with staff and her open-door policy has helped all staff feel like they have a trusted colleague with whom to share concerns and brainstorm ideas. She is also always willing to open her home to staff and to share her pancake griddle!"

    • Asked about that griddle, Schmidt-Posner said: "It was always challenging trying to figure out what time of day to get students to all come to a meeting. Some years ago when we were selecting new peer advisers, we decided to invite them to a pancake breakfast at 8 o'clock in the morning. We thought we could get away with it once. It was so successful it became a tradition."