Patriot Award Recognizes Duquesne’s Support for Employee-Soldiers
The University has received the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s (ESGR) Pennsylvania Patriot Award in recognition of its support of CTS Database Administrator Mark Dunn, who nominated Duquesne for the honor.
The Patriot Award recognizes employers and supervisors for the support they provide to employee soldiers before, during and after deployment. This may include allowing flexible schedules, granting time off before and after deployment, providing support and care for families or granting leaves of absence.
Dunn nominated the University for the award based upon his experiences while he was deployed with the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Moon Township.
“Duquesne University is extremely military-friendly, whether it is with its employees, their families or students falling under the Yellow Ribbon program,” Dunn said. “Having worked for several civilian organizations during my 22 years of military service, I have never experienced such support and appreciation from an employer. They’re the best.”
Dunn was particularly grateful for the support that he received throughout multiple deployments. “I’ve been here at Duquesne for four years now,” he said. “During that time, I’ve been deployed three times. During those deployments I’ve never experienced such support from an employer. They made themselves available to my family while I was gone and offered to be there for them if they needed anything. It’s the care and support from Duquesne that really made the difference.”
Established in 1972, ESGR is a community outreach program that seeks to build relationships between the military—particularly the National Guard and Reserves—with employers whose support is critical to enlisted employees and their families.