Kudos to Haley Francis.  Kudos to Haley Francis, Student Health Services Office Manager, for providing a welcoming and friendly face for student health services. She’s always eager to help the students and identifies ways we can improve to meet their health care needs. She’s developed several useful resources for the clinic to help our day run smoothly.

Kudos to Stephanie Bloye. Kudos to Stephanie Bloye, student health services RN, for her dedication to providing professional health care and educating students. We appreciate her creative efforts to update and create clinic resources. Stephanie has developed several educational materials to help relay important health information to students in a fun and interactive way.

Kudos to Amy Pflughoeft. Amy Pflughoeft recently orchestrated a rich opportunity for the Great Lakes Culinary Institute. On behalf of the library, she applied for a host grant from the Library of Michigan to bring a 2024 Michigan Notable Book author to Traverse City. Amy engaged the GLCI team to parlay this community event into an experiential learning opportunity for culinary students. As a result, Abra Berens, author and chef of Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit came to Traverse City on April 11 to participate in a community conversation, facilitated by Jacob Wheeler, about food, cooking & writing, the life of a chef, and the payoffs of demonstrating resilience in pursuit of ones’ passion. The audience also enjoyed two samples from the cookbook Pulp prepared by GCLI students under the supervision of GLCI Instructor, Chef Wenz. The next morning, Ms. Berens met with Chef Morses’ graduating students to hear their culminating projects on creating a full menu for a concept restaurant and provide feedback.

The instructors at GLCI were so appreciative to expose their students to a nationally acclaimed chef with local ties and passion for the agricultural lands and produce of the region.

From Les Eckert, Director of Culinary-GLCI, “Amy was a joy to work with and was truly motivated to collaborate in many ways. She created multiple avenues for students, instructors, industry chefs, and community members to engage with Abra. Kudos to a job well done.”

From Jim Morse, GLCI Instructor, “Amy was very organized and communicated extremely well with all of us as she brought her vision to reality. She was thorough in every detail of orchestrating and hosting Abra for this wonderful event. Our students and local American Culinary Federation chapter were delighted to be a part of the event and prepare some delicious samples from her latest book, Pulp.”

From Kerrey Woughter, NMC Library Director, “Amy went so far above and beyond with this project. As the library liaison to GCLI, she is constantly exploring resources and experiences to support this unique program. This collaboration paid off in exciting ways for the community and our students.”


Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!