Rick in the news

A special award for the 'behind the scenes guy'

UI project administrator to receive the Larry McBride Prize today

By Devin Rokyta Daily News Staff Writer

Posted on: Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Dean Hare/Daily News



A lot has changed in the 12 years since Rick Schumaker first met Larry McBride, who was a member of a hiring committee at the University of Idaho responsible for giving Schumaker his start at the university.

Schumaker's family has since expanded to nine children - two recently adopted from Ethiopia and seven biological - and he's at his second position at the campus, project administrator for Idaho EPSCoR, a statewide grant funded project that invests in research infrastructure. Not to mention he's "a lot older" and has "a lot less hair," the 42-year-old says.

McBride has since retired and, following an exemplary career at the UI, now has an award named after him, the Larry McBride Prize, which recognizes an exempt UI employee who has demonstrated creativity, enthusiasm, the highest performance standards and exemplary service to the university.

It's an award Schumaker will be presented with today at the UI's Outstanding Staff Awards ceremony 1-3 p.m. in the Student Union Building ballroom.

The award takes a special meaning for Schumaker, who considers McBride a mentor of sorts. McBride was the first person he met in Moscow, and eventually became someone who could always be approached at the coffee pot and asked for advice.

"(The award) means a lot to me particularly because it's named after Larry," Schumaker said. "He was great. I can see why ... the award was created in his honor."

Schumaker has been a project administrator for the EPSCoR program since 2002, following a tenure as a science and engineering proposal writer. McBride said he manages daily operations of the EPSCoR program and acts the "behind the scenes, in the trenches guy" that assists in securing and managing grants at the UI.

"I work with a lot of folks every day that make that possible to happen," Schumaker said. "Really all things you accomplish in life are really based on working with other people so I don't want to get too much credit for the things that other people helped me to do. I want them to get credit for it too.

"... It's a great thing to receive an award like this because there are so many people that work really hard at the university - they are all very deserving. To be able to win the award is a great honor for me."

He also never hesitates to give credit to his children and wife, Signe, who, as a stay-at-home mother, "works harder than I do and ... doesn't get any time off," Schumaker said.

As part of her duties at home, Schumaker's wife ensures their nine children, ranging from ages 5 to 16, are taken care of and get where they need to go. It's a responsibility that can test one's sanity, Schumaker acknowledges.

"That's a lot of work," Schumaker said.

Neither Schumaker nor his wife come from large families. Schumaker said he has an older brother, but because of the age difference "grew up like an only child." Nine children appears to be the stopping point for the Schumakers, at least for now.

"Now that we have nine I think we're feeling pretty full," Schumaker said. "... It's not been easy, but it's been worth it."

Other Outstanding Employee Awards:

Exempt - Elisabeth Ridgway and Althea Flegel

Technical/professional - John Failla and Jory Shelton

Clerical/secretarial - Ruthie Carpenter and Stacy Rauch

Skilled craft - Jeffrey Vincent

Outstanding Team Award - Idaho Space Grant Consortium Staff of Becky Highfill, Angela Farnham, Sue Potter and Shandy Lam.

Staff Educational Awards - Marques Miller, son of Mark and Julie Miller, and Houston Moore, son of Sara Moore.

Devin Rokyta can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 252, or by email to drokyta@dnews.com.