College of Medicine staff member honored with 2021 President’s Meritorious Service Award

Christopher W. Diem, MEd, from Academic Support Services at the Texas A&M University College of Medicine, has been selected to receive Texas A&M University’s 2021 President’s Meritorious Service Award.

The President’s Meritorious Service Awards recognize 25 individual staff members, two supervisors and two teams every year for their meritorious service to Texas A&M University. Recipients of this very prestigious award continuously demonstrate their commitment to Texas A&M’s core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service.

Diem, who graduated from Texas A&M in 2005 with a degree in political science, has worked at the College of Medicine for seven years now. Since 2019, he has served as the associate director of Academic Support Services, providing support for students at the Temple, Dallas and Round Rock campuses.

“My main goal and what I tell students in admissions is my job is to get you from day one as an Aggie doctor to graduation and anything that it encompasses, I try to be there for it,” Diem said. “Specifically, it’s test taking skills, study habits, time management and stress management. It’s a lot of planning out, working on how to study, and trying to make adjustments as they’re studying to figure out the best way for them to produce the knowledge to succeed.”

Prior to working at the College of Medicine, Diem had an extensive background working in K-12 education. Diem worked as a history and geography teacher, a high school assistant principal and a middle school principal in the past. His background in education has helped him succeed in his current role in Academic Support Services.

“I absolutely love working at the College of Medicine,” Diem said. “While working here, you see how passionate these medical students are about serving others and helping others. When you work in that environment with people who are also passionate, there’s not a better place to go to work each day because you’re surrounded by Aggies, and by young men and women who want to make an impact in their communities and the state. That makes you want to work as hard as you can for them to help them achieve those goals.”

A nomination period for the awards were held in January. From the nominations submitted, an anonymous committee of representatives from across campus hand selected the award winners.

“It’s pretty surreal to be honored with this award,” Diem said. “One of the many things that makes this job so much fun to do and so rewarding for me is because it’s for Texas A&M. I think it’d be a great job and a great position whoever employs you, but the fact that it’s Texas A&M is so special to me. Growing up both of my parents were Aggies, I went to my first game at Kyle Field when I was 4, so I grew up on campus every year.” Diem has channeled that passion into becoming an area representative for the Texas A&M Association of Former Students, representing the Texas A&M clubs in the counties of north-central Texas.

Diem, along with the 24 other individual award recipients, received a $1,000 award, a commemorative plaque and a lapel pin.

The President’s Meritorious Service Awards program is sponsored by the Office of the President and The Association of Former Students and coordinated by the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness.