Don Mack, Kalamazoo College director of technical and media services, is this year’s recipient of the Lux Esto Award of Excellence. The award, given Friday at the annual Founders Day Community Reflection marking the College’s 186th year, recognizes an employee who has served the institution for at least 26 years and has a record of stewardship and innovation.

The winner–chosen by a committee with student, faculty and staff representatives–is an employee who exemplifies the spirit of Kalamazoo College through excellent leadership, selfless dedication and goodwill.

Gonzalez credited Mack for his work, ensuring that the College’s facilities have the appropriate networking and audio-visual components to fulfill their purposes. Gonzalez added, “Through careful listening, institutional memory and insight, and just the right amount of dry humor, (Mack) promotes goodwill on campus.”

In accordance with Founders Day traditions, two other employees also received individual awards. Mathematics Professor Eric Barth was given the Outstanding Advisor Award. Associate Professor of English Amelia Katanski ’92 was named the Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award winner.

“Advisers are mentors who work very closely with our students, monitoring academic progress, and helping students identify and fulfill their goals while working to complete their degrees at the College,” Gonzalez said of Barth’s award. Barth “completes all this with grace and skill.”

First-year advocates are “educators who make significant contributions to the academic achievement and personal development of students in the students’ first year at the College,” Gonzalez said about Katanski’s honor. Katanski “has gone above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of first-year students and has helped them find their place at K while developing a foundation for advocacy and community responsibility.”