Brigitte Schneebeli: 2017 Special Service Award Recipient

CAMWS Award for Special Service:  Citation for Brigitte Schneebeli

Ms Brigitte Schneebeli has been the administrative assistant in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo for the past decade and has provided essential support also to the Waterloo Institute for Hellenistic Studies since its foundation in 2010. She is a passionate and indispensable member of our community, who consistently makes significant contributions to the promotion of the discipline in Waterloo and southern Ontario.

One aspect of Brigitte’s exemplary service has been her dedication to students. She frequently gives of her own time to listen to and counsel students, with whom she has formed friendships that last well beyond the students’ time at Waterloo. Graduated students come back to the department not only to see faculty members but also Brigitte, who in so many cases inspires them to see how their undergraduate and graduate degrees in Classics apply to their broader lives and career choices outside of academia. Her work also helps to inspire our students to promote the discipline in their communities once they leave the university.

Beyond the university itself, Brigitte has formed strong relationships with school teachers in the area and worked with faculty to promote the study of Latin and the Classics amongst the next generations of students and scholars. In her work for the Waterloo Institute for Hellenistic Studies especially she has gone far beyond the call of duty. She has been a vital player in organizing numerous international conferences and workshops, not only contributing to the conception and planning of events but also making herself available on evenings and weekends to ensure the smooth running of events that promote the discipline. It is a great pleasure to see Brigitte honoured by CAMWS for all of her extraordinary work in promoting Classics.

NOMINATION

I am writing to nominate Brigitte Schneebeli for the CAMWS Special Service Award. Brigitte has been the Administrative Assistant in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo for the past decade and has provided essential support also to the Waterloo Institute for Hellenistic Studies since its foundation in 2010. Despite having no connection to Classics before taking her position in our department, she quickly become a passionate and indispensable member of our community, contributing to the promotion of the discipline in southern Ontario above and beyond what is required of her position. Her initiative is extraordinary and she is often a driving force behind events that promote Classics in the region.

One aspect of Brigitte’s exemplary service has been her dedication to advising and helping the students in our department. She frequently gives of her own time to listen to and counsel students, with whom she has in many instances formed friendships that last well beyond the students’ time at Waterloo. Graduated students come back to the department not only to see faculty members but also Brigitte, who in so many cases helps to inspire them to see how their undergraduate and graduate degrees in Classics apply to their broader lives and career choices outside of academia. We are proud in the Department of Classical Studies at Waterloo to have a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for our students and Brigitte plays an important role in creating this atmosphere. She has without doubt encouraged students to pursue a degree in Classics who might otherwise have gone elsewhere. Her work also helps to inspire our students to promote the discipline in their communities once they leave the university.

Brigitte also gives far more of her time than strictly required by her job description to organize events and promote Classics within the region. She has formed strong relationships with school teachers in the area and worked with faculty to promote the study of Latin and the Classics by the next generations of scholars. In her work for the

Waterloo Institute for Hellenistic Studies especially she has gone far beyond the call of duty. She has been a vital player in organizing numerous international conferences and workshops, not only working on the planning of events but also making herself available on evenings and weekends to ensure the smooth running of events that promote the discipline well beyond national boundaries. She could be a professional event planner and brings constant creativity and inventiveness to this work. Anyone who has interacted with Brigitte is immediately struck by her kindness and efficiency, as well as by the fact that she deeply cares about the discipline and her work to promote it.

Her dedication to promoting the study of Latin, Greek, and the Classics more generally has been fully visible in the past months in her contributions to organizing the CAMWS meeting in Kitchener. She has worked with great enthusiasm and tireless effort for the event, which has once again caused me to reflect frequently upon how indispensable she is to the community of Classics here at Waterloo. It would give me great pleasure to see

Brigitte honoured by CAMWS for her extraordinary work in promoting the Classics in our area with a CAMWS Special Service Award.