Distinguished Staff Award
Recognizes Outstanding Service to the University by Its Staff
Douglas Machle
Department: Classics
On the Job: Assistant to the Chair, 17 years at UW
Achievements: During his five years as chair of the Department of Classics, Stephen Hinds writes, his recurring nightmare was Machle taking a position elsewhere at the UW. Machle takes on countless roles within classics, including undergraduate advising, graduate student orientation and building management in Denny Hall (including its reroofing). He also serves as the department budget and payroll coordinator and oversees at least 100 student transactions each year resulting from a recent $3-million bequest. As a linguist, he is the ultimate resource for a classics student, speaking Dutch, German, Chinese and Hawaiian and reading French and Italian. "Doug runs the classics department," says one graduate student, "and there is some suspicion that he runs the universe too."
Quote: "Taking charge of whatever needs to be done and assisting anyone who needs help, ... Machle has been one of the friendliest, most dedicated, and helpful people I've ever met, and I know from conversations with my fellow students that they all feel the same."-student Joseph Groves