The Zimmerman Award went to John Mateczun, the Bernard S. Rodey Award went to Garrett Sheldon, the winner of the Erna S. Fergusson Award is Michelle Coons, and the Faculty Teaching Award went to Steven McLaughlin.
The Alumni Association presents awards seasonally to alums who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place.
“(The recipients) are all stellar individuals. They have made contributions in the military, healthcare, education and banking. Their contributions have really made them stand out,” said Jane Algermissen, unit 1 administrator at the Alumni Relations Office.
Mateczun, who obtained his Bachelor of University Studies in 1973 and his medical degree in 1978, is receiving the Zimmerman Award for having made a significant contribution which has brought fame to UNM and to the state.
After 38 years of service in the Navy, Mateczun retired in 2012 with the rank of vice admiral, according to the Alumni Association’s website. During his last four years on duty he oversaw the most complex Base Realignment and Closure project in the history of the Department of Defense. He also worked on the merging of the National Naval Medical Center into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the largest military medical center in the country, according to the website.
The Bernard S. Rodey Award recognizes those who have displayed significant leadership efforts in the field of education. This year’s winner, Sheldon (Bachelor of Arts, 1977), has published 10 books on political theory and political theology and is the John Morton Beaty Professor of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Virginia College at Wise, according to the Association’s website. He has also worked as a visiting professor at Oxford University, the University of Vienna and Trinity College, Dublin.
Michelle Coons (Bachelor of Business Administration, 1983) will receive the Erna S. Fergusson Award for accomplishments and commitment to UNM. She has served as the National Alumni Association President and the chair of the Anderson School of Management Foundation and is currently a member of the UNM Hospital Board, according to the website. She is expected to become chair of the UNM Foundation Board in July.
Steven McLaughlin is a Regents’ Professor and chair of the department of emergency medicine. He will be presented with the Faculty Teaching Award, which recognizes outstanding teaching and service to students. He ran the emergency medical residency program for seven years and is recognized nationally as one of the experts in simulation-based education for emergency medicine, according to the website.
The recipients for these awards are selected by a committee of 10 alumni out of a pool of nominees submitted to the Alumni Association’s website, Algermissen said.
The award recipients will be honored at the Alumni Association’s 2015 Winter Awards Dinner on Feb. 5 at the Hotel Andaluz.
Award winners
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John Mateczun
Mateczun is board certified in adult psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. He also holds a master’s degree in public health from University of California, Berkeley and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He is the president of United Healthcare Military & Veterans.
Garrett Sheldon
Sheldon graduated summa cum laude from the UNM Honors program in 1977 and earned his PhD from Rutgers University.
He is an ordained Christian minister and author of the novel “What Would Jesus Do?”
Michelle Coons
Coons has worked in banking for 31 years.
As president of First National Santa Fe and First National Rio Grande, she is the bank’s first female president since 1870.
Steven McLaughlin
McLaughlin’s academic interests include feedback and debriefing, human simulation, wilderness medicine and procedural sedation.
Originally from Seattle, he chose to stay in New Mexico because of its mountains and wide open spaces.
Marielle Dent is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at mdent@unm.edu or on Twitter @Marielle_Dent.
