Bay College Honors Outstanding Staff

News

dave-laur

Photo Caption: Dave Laur proudly wearing the medallion received for being recognized as one of the 2020 Outstanding Staff at Bay College.

Dave Laur works in the Student Services Department as the Director of Student Life and Title IX Coordinator at Bay College. Dave joined Bay College in October 2013. He received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology and Family Studies from Central Michigan University, and a Masters of Arts degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Ball State University. Previous to his work at Bay College, Dave served as a Hall Director at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Marquette University, as well as the Coordinator of First-Year Programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the current advisor to Bay College student organizations; Campus Activities Board (CAB) and Gaming Galaxy.

As the Director of Student Life, Dave is charged with creating a stimulating, engaged, student-centered environment throughout Bay College’s campuses as well as ensuring the college is compliant with Title IX policy and procedure. Dave was nominated by several of his co-workers for his ability to balance student housing, student activities, and student conduct situations with not only outstanding professionalism but with such kindness and respect. He has the ability to build connections with our students which allows the students to feel comfortable enough to talk to Dave just to say hello or to come to him when they help.  

Dave’s nominator states, “Whether Dave is leading a difficult Title IX presentation for us as colleagues or hosting a fun and exciting event on campus for our community he does it with pure passion and respect for the topic at hand. I cannot imagine Bay College without Dave Laur. He is vital to providing our students with safe spaces to often times discuss very difficult topics. Dave is also a resource for all of his colleagues. The conversations he deals with on a consistent basis are scary, sad, and incredibly difficult, yet Dave arrives at work every day and stays into the evenings with a smile on his face. There are times I know he has had late nights helping our students and I think he must be exhausted, but there he is in his office, among all of the heavy metal rock albums and Star Wars figures, with a smile and huge heart, ready to help anyone who enters his office.”

Dave not only provides students with support but he supports the community and his co-workers with his collaboration efforts and his willingness to always help.

Travis Blume, Vice President of Student Services states, “Dave is an example of what Bay College is all about. He works daily to support our students in and out of the classroom, assists and trains faculty and staff about ways to support our students, and collaborates with community partners to create opportunities for students to excel.”

When asked why he chose to work for Bay College, Dave explained, “My family has strong ties to this community. My wife is from Escanaba, and both of her parents attended Bay College. After starting our own family, we wanted to return closer to home. I was blessed to accept a position at Bay College that allowed me to utilize the skills I had built in my previous positions, while maintaining a focus on serving students. Looking back, my own college experience shaped me into the man I am today. The amazing staff and faculty I worked with in college both challenged me to work harder and think in different ways, and also supported me when I needed to know I could accomplish my goals. It is a great feeling to be able to pay that forward with the students at Bay.”

Visit the Employee Awards web page to watch a short video of Travis Blume, Vice President of Student Services, presenting the Outstanding Staff Award to Dave Laur along with his acceptance speech for this great honor. 

Any Bay College employee, Board member, student, alumni, or community member may nominate a full-time or regular part-time exempt or non-exempt employee for the Bay College Outstanding Staff Award. These individuals must have completed three years of employment at Bay College. Nominees are judged on their job knowledge, respect and enthusiasm toward colleagues, students, and community members, creating a positive influence within the work environment, and collaboratively working with colleagues and staff.

For open positions at Bay College, visit the Bay College Employment web page.

Top