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appreciation that Ms. Balmer was recently honored with the MSUCOM Staff Excellence Award.
Each MSUCOM course has a curriculum coordinator who works with the lead faculty member to gather course materials, arrange class times, schedule guest lecturers, compile and proctor exams, and track attendance and grades. The curriculum coordinator also acts as a liaison between the instructors and the students, serving as an advocate and advisor.
“I really have to thank everyone in Academic Programs for this award,” says Ms. Balmer. “They are a tremendous group of people to work with.”
When Ms. Balmer isn’t at work in Fee Hall, she is at work on the family farm with her husband, Jerry. The Balmers run a second-generation dairy farm in Williamston. That’s also where they raised their three daughters, Pam, Kristen and Nicole. All three are currently studying at colleges in Michigan.
In fact, it was the farm that indirectly led to her current career. Twenty years as the farm’s bookkeeper taught Ms. Balmer the skills she needed to join MSUCOM as an accounting clerk. When a retirement opened up a position in Academic Programs, she was recruited to fill the void. She is now a coordinator for five osteopathic courses each academic year.
“It just shows how everything you do plants a seed that can grow into something you never expected,” says Ms. Balmer.
Despite her success at MSUCOM, she hasn’t given up her old job. She still keeps the books and knows how to operate every piece of equipment on the farm. “I love the open space,” she adds, “and I feel very connected to the animals.”
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