Verbick honored for service to student

verbick

Board of Regents President Rita Hanks presents
Hardscape Groundskeeper Charles Verbick with a
special citation for student service. This spring, Verbick
recovered papers belonging to a student from the
Maryville landfill.

Last March, Matt Kern, then a student at Northwest's Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing, found he had left a stack of important papers -- including schoolwork -- on a table in a lounge area inside his residence hall.

By the time Kern discovered the papers were missing, however, a custodian had cleaned the area and thrown them into the trash. They were subsequently emptied into a dumpster and taken to the landfill.

That's when Charles Verbick, a "hardscape" (streets and sidewalks) groundskeeper at the University, entered the picture.

Verbick, who knew approximately where the dumpster's contents had been emptied, went to the landfill, dug through the refuse, and recovered Kern's papers. For his willingness to help a student, Verbick was honored Thursday, June 28, by the University's Board of Regents with a special commendation.

A member of the Northwest Environmental Services staff for six years, Verbick received a plaque from Board President Rita Hanks and a standing ovation from faculty and staff.

"While Charles' devotion to his assigned duties is admirable, his willingness to go the extra mile to serve our students is extraordinary, which is why the Board of Regents is honoring him today," Hanks said.

As it turns out, it wasn't the first time Verbick has offered a helping hand to a forgetful student. Hanks said similar incidents happen "two or three times a year," and that Verbick has also helped recover keys, a wallet and other articles.

Kern has since graduated from the Missouri Academy -- a two-year residential program for gifted high school-age students -- and is currently participating in a summer research program at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

Return to Previous Page