The Richard Kneedler Distinguished Service Award was created to recognize one member of the professional staff each year who consistently goes "above and beyond" what would normally be expected; who has earned the respect of students and colleagues; and who has clearly demonstrated his or her commitment to the mission of the College. Nominations for this prestigious award were accepted from members of the campus community and reviewed by a committee of professional staff. From among many fine nominees, the committee recommended Lydia Brubaker as this year's award recipient. 

Ms. Brubaker joined the College in 2010 as a part-time program assistant in the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House. Later that year, she joined the Office of the Provost and began undertaking innumerable tasks central to the academic life of the College and its faculty. 

In her most public duty, she manages the voting at faculty meetings. But behind the scenes, she makes critical contributions to shared governance by serving as the scribe for Faculty Council, the Professional Standards Committee, and, for many years, the Educational Policy Committee. She also maintains updates to the Faculty Handbook and serves as secretary for the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.

Ms. Brubaker's contributions to the College go well beyond the tasks required for her work. According to one colleague, Lydia is "a source of wisdom, knowledge, and best practices, a voice of reason and an extraordinary resource of institutional memory for faculty and professional staff...[and] she has done so with eternal good grace, endless patience and an endearing sense of humor."

A passionate advocate for the arts, Ms. Brubaker enlivens the Lancaster community as executive director of Creative Works of Lancaster and a facilitator for the Lancaster Dramatists' Platform. In both of those roles and in her job at F&M, she enjoys watching connections unfold between groups and people. Members of the campus community credit her for helping to foster those connections, with more than one colleague noting that "the College would come undone without her."

Lydia Brubaker, your faithful and selfless service to Franklin & Marshall College enriches the fabric of our community. You are a living testament to the College's wish for its graduates: "...that they may live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their occupations, their communities and their world."