The recipients of the second annual President’s Blue and Gold Award of Excellence have been announced.

Diane Winiarz, director of client services in Financial Services, and the Digital Education Strategies team at The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education are this year’s winners. The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of one individual and one team in the administration who advanced the mission of Ryerson through outstanding dedication and excellence in providing services, participating in or leading teams and demonstrating Ryerson values.

“Recognizing individuals who make enormous contributions to the university is important. They represent the countless staff at Ryerson who give so much to the university and to the lives of our students,” said President Sheldon Levy. “We have exceptional employees who are truly dedicated to advancing the university's mission and making Ryerson a great place to work, study and learn. I want to congratulate this year's recipients of the Blue and Gold Award of Excellence.”

In her nomination, Winiarz was described as an ambassador for customer service and innovation. During her 26 years at Ryerson, she’s held positions of increasing responsibility, influence and importance in the department. Her most recent contribution was the design and implementation of the Financial Services Certificate Program, a series of short, focused training sessions for university employees who fulfil financial transactions. In the program’s first six months, nearly 2,000 faculty and staff have participated in at least one course and more than 260 certificates have been presented.

The Digital Education Strategies (DES) team is a leader in developing and delivering online courses. With 20,000 annual distance enrolments, DES develops more than 40 new online courses every year, adding to its catalogue of over 400 online and blended courses. The dynamic team, led by director Naza Djafarova, consists of instructional designers, production and video editors and administrative co-ordinators. They are: Mariam Ahmed, Nadia Desai, Ilya Emilianov, Maureen Glynn, Jenni Hayman, Dan Jokinen, Igor Karasyov, Ya-Yin Ko, Yueh-Chin Ma, Brian Nammari, Daniil Novikov, Sushila Parikh, Emily Payne, Nada Savicevic and Leonora Zefi.

The team works to implement intuitive and pedagogically sound solutions, as well as flexible delivery options for online learners. To this end, DES is highly skilled at collaborating with faculty, academic co-ordinators and instructors, many of whom are industry, professional and community leaders, and need support in online pedagogy and technology. The DES process for online course development ensures a high and consistent quality in The Chang School’s online offerings that give students the practical skills they need.

Both awards will be presented at Ryerson Awards Night on April 4.