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In recognition of communication professor Rick Bommelje, who is retiring this year from Rollins after 49 years of service, the Service Excellence team has created a new award in his honor and named Bommelje the first recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Circle of Excellence Award.

Over the course of his long Rollins career, Bommelje has served as a staff member, an administrator, and a tenured faculty member, continually embodying the Service Excellence values of responsiveness, respectfulness, collaboration, competence, and inclusivity in ways that have had an immeasurable impact on the community. His steadfast contributions include being a long-serving anchor facilitator of the Rollins Leadership Academy and equipping students over the decades to be better leaders and, in particular, to be listening leaders, with many students considering him one of their favorite professors.

“Rick has been an inspiration to me,” says Matt Hawks, associate vice president of HR and risk management, who presented the award. “I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve Rollins with him over the course of my 27 years here. Rollins is truly grateful for his service.”

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