Andy Johns earns Massey Award for outstanding service at UNC

Six employees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have been selected by Chancellor Carol L. Folt to receive the 2016 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award, one of the most coveted distinctions earned by faculty and staff.

“The Massey Award is one of the most heartfelt recognitions we have,” said Chancellor Carol L. Folt. “It honors our very best, the people whose hard work, care for others and dedication sets the standard of excellence that we think of when we think of Carolina. We thank them for their incredible contributions.”

The late C. Knox Massey of Durham created the awards in 1980 to recognize “unusual, meritorious or superior contributions” by University employees. In 1984, he joined the families of his son, Knox Massey Jr., and daughter, Kay Massey Weatherspoon, to create the Massey-Weatherspoon fund. Income from the fund supports the Massey Awards and Carolina Seminars.

Chosen from campus-wide nominations, the Massey Award recipients will be honored at a luncheon hosted by Chancellor Folt on April 16. Each will receive a $7,500 stipend and an award citation. This year’s recipients are:

• Randi R. Byrd, Community Engagement Coordinator, American Indian Center
• Angelette Cheek, Housekeeping Day Porter, Kenan Center
• Renita Corbett, Housekeeper, School of Dentistry
• Andy Johns, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
• Michael McFarland, Director of University Relations, Office of Communications and Public Affairs
• Joy J. Renner, Associate Professor and Director for Radiologic Science, Allied Health Sciences, School of Medicine

As Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Andy Johns leads Carolina in its mission to become the preeminent public research university in the nation, and he is the heart behind the technology making it happen. Johns joined Carolina 16 years ago as an SPA computer consultant and is now responsible for strategic planning, research policy, infrastructure and regulatory compliance. Praised for University-wide collaboration, he is roundly credited with developing systems that change the way Carolina functions as a research-intensive university. “UNC ranks seventh in the country for NIH funding, much of it due to Andy’s incredible work,” wrote a nominator.

Read the entire article at UNC Campus Updates.