NW Missouri Times

Northwest Missouri State University on Wednesday honored four employees who have made a significant impact on its academic community through their dedication and excellence. The Academic Impact Awards, now in their third year, were announced during a meeting of staff and faculty involved with academic affairs units at the university.

“We started the Impact Awards to recognize staff or faculty who have done something amazing, something outstanding, something beyond and above what they normally do – but also those individuals who quietly work behind the scenes and do an outstanding job,” Provost Dr. Jamie Hooyman said. “These individuals help Northwest shine.”

The recipients of the awards are as follows:

**Miranda Hoyt, CRM Administrator in the Office of Admissions**

Hoyt was hired in April as Northwest’s first customer relationship management (CRM) administrator. She has been instrumental in implementing Element451, the university’s new recruitment and admissions CRM platform for applications and prospective student communication. Hoyt continuously seeks ways to streamline processes, introduce features, and include other campus stakeholders. Her leadership has facilitated the integration of the graduate team with the undergraduate team on the CRM for the first time.

**Dr. Ming-Chih Hung, Professor of Geography in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences**

Hung has been pivotal in establishing a partnership between Northwest and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), enabling staff and students to create maps for use by the U.S. government. Due to Dr. Hung’s vision, the program recently expanded to hire an additional staff member, increasing map production under its agreement with NGA.

**Charles “Buddy” Mayfield, Director of Financial Assistance in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance**

Mayfield has played a key role in preparing for and rolling out the federally required FAFSA Simplification Act at Northwest. His leadership within national and state organizations ensured an effective implementation plan for these changes. Collaborating with colleagues from various offices, Mayfield worked on creating appropriate timelines to ensure timely financial aid packages for students.

**Tye Parsons, Grants Coordinator in the Office of Grants Coordinator**

Since joining Northwest as grants coordinator in 2013, Parsons has managed numerous federal, state, and private grant projects totaling more than $30.5 million across over 250 projects with at least 90 different project leads. In the past fiscal year alone, Parsons oversaw 32 projects that were either newly awarded or continuations from previous years amounting to $3 million in funding.

These awards highlight individuals whose efforts significantly contribute to advancing Northwest Missouri State University's mission.