ESCANABA — Bay College honors Ruth Carlson, director of financial aid, as one of its recipients of the Outstanding Employee Award. Carlson began working at Bay College in the Financial Aid Office as a work-study student employee in August 1999. While she worked as a work-study student, Carlson also earned her AAS in Office Systems/Administrative Assistant. Shortly after graduating, she was hired as the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Financial Aid in June 2002. Carlson continued working in the Financial Aid Office and was promoted in January 2010 to the Assistant Director of Financial Aid. In 2019, she was promoted again to the Director of Financial Aid. Carlson holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lake Superior State University in Business Administration as well as two Associate’s degrees from Bay College in Office Systems/Administrative Assistant and Business Administration.

As Director of the Financial Aid Department, Carlson is charged with oversight of all aspects of federal, state, institutional, veteran’s, and private aid. This responsibility includes the development and implementation of financial aid policies and procedures that support the college’s mission and maintains regulatory compliance.

Carlson’s nominator states, “Ruth is intelligent, dependable, and she brings a quiet, confident energy to the work environment. She is also very open to others’ ideas and is willing to try new things. She is the type of person others can count on.”

Carlson is not only an expert in her field, she is also able to share that knowledge in a way that is understandable to those without that expertise.

Vice President of Student Services, Travis Blume, said of Carlson, “Ruth is a critical part of creating a positive student experience at Bay College. She places students first and assists everyone she works with to find the best path to complete their educational goals. Thank you to Ruth for her hard work and dedication to assist our students.”

Visit the website www.baycollege.edu/bayawards to watch a short video of Travis Blume, Vice President of Student Services, presenting the Outstanding Employee Award to Ruth Carlson along with her 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 Employee Award. These individuals must have completed three years of employment at Bay College.