March 2004
Webster University Awarded a “Louie”
Behind the Scenes: The Employee Spotlight Award
News from Downtown St. Louis
Kampus Kudos
St. Louis Calendar Highlight
Employees of the Month
Service Anniversaries
New Employees
Condolences
Webster University Awarded a “Louie”
FROM MARY E. BEARY, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS WORK-STUDY STUDENT
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ISES recently presented Webster University with a “Louie Award.” This coveted distinction is awarded to outstanding professionals exhibiting a “spirit of excellence” within specific categories of the special events industry. At this year’s fifth annual Louie Award gala held March 6, special event coordinators Jennifer Gerhardt and Nancy Higgins accepted Webster’s award for the Best Non-Profit Event for their budget category.
Given the event’s success, Nancy and Jennifer submitted Webster’s book chain into the contest in February. Nancy and Jennifer’s roles were pivotal throughout the planning of the event, including determining logistical measurements and estimations, securing entertainment, lunches and refreshments, and recruiting and coordinating the 650-plus volunteers who took part in the day’s festivities.
The criteria for winning the award was exacting: Entries were judged on goals and objectives, challenges, fulfilling benefactor expectations, creativity and uniqueness, as well as the number and level of volunteers involved in the event.
Despite the stiff competition, Nancy said they were confident in their chances. “I knew we were going to win all along,” she said. “The event accomplished so much in bringing together a diverse community—everything that Webster is all about. We’re very grateful to all of those who helped make the event the huge success that it was.”
Nancy specifically credited the planning committee who worked for months designing the event and to President Meyers for his original idea to form the human chain.
“An idea is only as great as those who implement it,” Meyers said.
| Emerson Library Book Chain Planning Committee Dan Pesold, Jamalh Bussey and Public Safety Staff Laura Rein, Ellen Eliceiri and Library Staff Jim Ward and Facilities Operations Staff Joe Harvey, Janet Baker and Sodexho Staff |
Behind the Scenes: The Employee Spotlight Award
FROM THE EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT SELECTION COMMITTEE
The University has two main ways of recognizing the meritorious achievement of its non-faculty staff. One of these happens every spring when the President’s office solicits nominations for the Staff Member of the Year. These nominations tend to emphasize those who have made significant contributions to the development of the institution.The second main recognition vehicle is the Employee Spotlight Award, which highlights the day-to-day contributions of individuals who work on the front line. Each month, two employees are selected as Employees of the Month. One represents the hundreds of staff members on the main campus; the other the almost equal number of employees at our worldwide locations.
The Employees of the Month are selected by a rotating board of evaluators who comb through the many nominations that are received via the online nomination form. The Selection Committee is made up of individuals from many different departments and levels of responsibility within the University. There is continuity in the evaluation in that many of these selectors are middle managers who themselves have been recognized for their past achievement. There is also variety of perspective in that the selectors who choose for one set of monthly awards are completely different from those who chose the previous month’s awards.
Because many of the key evaluators participate regularly in the selection process, they have shaped the awards in definitive ways. Therefore, we thought it would be helpful to give potential nominators and nominees some insight into how the winners are chosen:
- Individuals are unlikely to win twice no matter how good they are. There have been individuals who have won twice in the past, but with so many good nominations, someone who has won before will most likely not be picked over someone new with an equally good nomination. While this could happen—especially if someone is given new responsibilities—the selectors very much want to celebrate the diversity of employees at Webster.
- Department directors and site directors go to the end of the line. Many of the selectors want this award to honor the rank-and-file. Each month, we receive wonderful nominations for department heads on the main campus and for site directors at extended campuses. Many of the selectors feel these individuals have other ways to be evaluated and recognized. The people we want to honor are the individuals who keep the place running day to day. If we have to choose between a director who walks on water and a staff person bailing in a leaky boat, we choose the boat person every time.
- A good story trumps a popularity contest. Some months, we receive multiple nominations for an individual, but many of these are short and cursory. If they simply say, “Good person, great job!” it doesn’t tell us much. We are much more likely to be impressed when a faculty coordinator who has not written before sends in four or five thoughtful paragraphs about the value of a particular staff member at his or her site. This, we pay attention to.
- There are no all-star teams in one department or at one site. We do have many all-stars, and there are some departments or sites that continually excel at what they do. But we move the Spotlight continually, in an attempt to show the rest of the Webster community what wonderful diversity the University has. A department or site is unlikely to have an honoree twice in a row. That said, it is possible that we would revisit a department or site every six months or so.
- Working directly with or for students helps. Students are the lifeblood of the University. Those who provide direct service or in some way enable our students to study at our campuses are important to us. This category typically includes maintenance people, lab techs, librarians and community representatives, but anyone who does a good job for the University in a rank-and-file capacity will receive serious consideration.
News from Downtown St. Louis
FROM BETH RUSSELL, DIRECTOR, DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS CAMPUS
Faculty, staff, students and friends of Webster University came out in full force to help the Downtown Campus celebrate its 30th anniversary by marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday, March 13. Webster University was well-represented by those of us showing our school and “Irish” spirit. On behalf of the Downtown team, I’d like to thank everyone who came out to enjoy the day and make our participation in the parade such an overwhelming success. |
We’re looking forward to next year!
Patricia Christensen, adjunct professor, Greenville Metropolitan Campus, S.C., retired from the University of South Carolina with the rank of Professor Emeritus, which honors her 30 years of teaching and research in management and nursing.
Lyle Frazer, adjunct professor, Greenville Metropolitan Campus, S.C., was given the “Governor’s Professor of the Year” award by Greenville Technical College. Frazer was also named program coordinator for the accounting department at North Greenville College.
Adam Frelin, visiting assistant professor and visiting artist, Art, is one of three emerging artists selected as winners of the First Great Rivers Biennial—a visual arts awards program presented by the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and the Gateway Foundation. Frelin was also selected as a finalist in the Creative Artists Exchange Fellowship Program, which is sponsored by the Japan-United States Friendship Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Freeman Foundation.
Margaret Ridings, faculty coordinator and adjunct professor, Memphis Naval Support Activity Campus, Tenn., facilitated an hour-long program, “‘Just’ a Human Resource Administrator” for the Mid-South Region Quality Conference. The conference was presented by the American Society for Quality and the Greater Memphis Association for Quality. Ridings also has been approved to serve as a facilitator for the University of Tennessee Municipal Management Academy, which provides professional development opportunities to managers and supervisors at all levels of Tennessee government.
Will Soll, reference librarian, Emerson Library, released his CD, “It Ain’t Love,” and celebrated with a “Concert for Bibliophiles,” which included music inspired by the medieval troubadours, L. Frank Baum, the Book of Psalms, Thomas Campain, Mary Oliver and the American Library Association.
Melanie Gottlieb, international credential specialist, International Recruitment and Services, has been appointed vice president for communication of the Missouri Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers for 2004-05.
Donna Delahunty, community relations coordinator, Ocala Metropolitan Campus, Fla., submitted a research report conducted under the direction of Henri Benolo and students Gwendolyn Jones, Jerry Flanders and Janet Broiles. Performed as a special project for the Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the research will be used as baseline data in crafting a new brand and marketing strategy by the EDC.
Thomas Ahr, adjunct professor, School of Business & Technology, presented a case study, “From Compliance to Excellence: Quality Improvement from Outside the Organization,” to the American Society of Quality’s Quality Management Division.
Keep us posted on your professional activities and send us your story ideas by completing the UFO form.
St. Louis Calendar Highlight
All in the Family…
The Multicultural Studies Committee is sponsoring a panel discussion, “Two Dads, Two Moms: Parenting from Another Perspective,” Wednesday, March 31 at noon in the University Center Sunnen Lounge. The panel discussion will feature: Doug Finlayson, associate professor, Theatre and Dance, and his partner, Jim Brooks; Kristi Foster, Webster University student; and Julie Lynch and Ellen Ramirez from Family Tree, a gay and lesbian support network.
For more information on St. Louis events, check the online calendar.
Employees of the Month
March 2004
FROM MARY E. BEARY, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS WORK-STUDY STUDENT
Sharing this month’s Employee Spotlight Award are: Ellen Windhauser, office manager, Jacksonville, Fla., Metropolitan Campus, and Gil Morales, project coordinator, Facilities Operations, St. Louis main campus.
Ellen Windhauser was nominated by two adjunct professors, who each sang her praises for efficiently handling the growing campus’s office workload. Ellen has been with Webster University for almost six years as office manager of the Jacksonville, Fla., Metropolitan Campus, and is valued for her staunch adherence to deadlines, which she says helps maintain a high quality of work.
Part of Ellen’s many responsibilities as office manager are scheduling the adjunct professors’ courses, maintaining their syllabi and responding to their questions and concerns—quite a task for a campus whose student enrollment has grown a whopping 19% between 1998 and 2003.
Ellen said she was “surprised” when she learned that she had won this month’s award, saying, “This is not something you get every day of the week!”
Ellen says working for Webster has positively influenced both her personal and professional life, inspiring her to complete her bachelor’s degree in Business with an emphasis in Human Resource Management by the time she turns 50. Ellen enjoys the variety of her work and the flexibility among the staff. “We all work together as a team,” she says. “And it’s a pretty good team we have here.”
One of her nominators said that Ellen’s attention and timeliness in responding to adjunct faculty questions is highly regarded among the professors. “She was my savior when I first started,” the nominator says. “She was great with the new employee orientation and very helpful in answering my many questions.”
Another nominator applauded Ellen’s “outstanding coordination and leadership efforts” for Jacksonville’s annual community service fundraiser last year. While crediting the entire Jacksonville campus staff for the fundraiser’s success, the nominator felt that Ellen’s “continued tenacity, pre-event efforts in soliciting and scheduling the adjuncts’ volunteerism, securing the sponsors and working 10-plus hours the day at the event” reflected Ellen’s unwavering commitment and dedication to Webster University.
Ellen has chosen a savings bond as her prize.
Gil Morales has worked in Facilities Operations as project coordinator for a year and a half and is in charge of scheduling all work orders submitted to the department. He prioritizes and assigns staff, handles logistics in securing tools and equipment, and is instrumental in facilities project planning for the University.
Hired on to Facilities Operations in August 2003, Gil came at a time when the department was challenged with reorganization. His predecessor—now Gil’s manager—says: “He’s made my job a lot easier!”
Gil’s nominator praised his efforts in assisting the University with the September 2003 meeting of worldwide campus leaders in St. Louis. “Gil was a tremendous help during last year’s meeting of worldwide campus leaders,” his nominator says. “He went out of his way to assist us in putting together a flag ceremony and followed through to completion to make sure that nothing went wrong. He did all of this with professionalism and a helpful attitude.”
Gil was apprehensive about the “special meeting” called by management last week—a guise to formally present him the award—and says it was a “complete surprise.” He said he appreciates the variety and challenge of his position and particularly enjoys his co-workers. “You’re only as good as the people you work with,” he says.
Gil chose a savings bond as his prize.
Employees everywhere are eligible for the monthly Employee Spotlight Award. Using the nomination form is easy!
Service Anniversaries
March 2004
The University extends its appreciation to the following individual who has ably served the institution for many years:
Michele Boesch, representative, Academic Affairs, 15 years
JoAnn Herwig, executive secretary, Faculty Senate Office, 15 years
Charmaine Hoffman, department assistant, Fort Sam Houston, 10 years
Rosemarie Rankin, office manager, Fort Bliss, 15 years
Alex Riojas, lab assistant, Fort Sam Houston, 10 years
New Employees
A warm welcome to the newest members of the Webster family:
Darlene Arcuri, department assistant, Jeffersonville, Ind., Metropolitan Campus, 812-283-1163 or speed dial #6 012, replaces Heather Romines.
Robin Arndt, department assistant, Fort Stewart, Ga., 912-876-8080 or speed dial #6 092, replaces Kelli Sibilio-Dye.
Cencio Boc, graphic designer, University Communications, ext. 7057, replaces Laura Thake.
Tricia Broadus, lab assistant, Charleston, S.C., Metropolitan Campus, 843-760-1324 or speed dial #6 054, replaces P. Dailey.
Frederick Gilmore, general clerk, Pope AFB and Fort Bragg, N.C., 910-436-0014 or speed dial #6 024, replaces Gregory Bullock.
Dayse Laslo, department secretary, Space Coast, Fla., Metropolitan Campus, 321-449-4500 or #6 008, replaces Charlotte Seigler.
Sarah Nandor, associate director, Graduate & Evening Student Admissions, ext. 7109, replaces Angela Eberhardt.
Bryan Smith, lab assistant, Rolla, Mo., Metropolitan Campus, 573-329-6777 or speed dial #6 014, replaces Perry Pogue II.
Keris Shannon, lab assistant, Downtown St. Louis Campus, ext. 5966, replaces Jason Alvey.
Janet Shepard, department associate, Luke AFB, 623-536-3244 or speed dial #6 116, replaces Rose Dalipe.
Michele Stewart, representative, Space Coast, Fla., Metropolitan Campus, 321-449-4500 or speed dial #6 008, replaces Robin Robinson.
April Tate, department assistant, Undergraduate Admissions, ext. 7860, replaces Elizabeth Mott.
Nicholas Valenziano, department associate, Academic Affairs, ext. 6919, replaces Molly Alter.
Laura Wainz, department associate, Academic Affairs, ext. 5990, replaces Jan Bilderback.
Jamie Waldo, community relations coordinator, Fairchild, Wash., AFB, 509-244-2079 or speed dial #6 112, replaces Kristen Maes.
Juanita Walker, department assistant, Moody, Ga., AFB, 229-257-1775 or speed dial #6 122
Kate McPherson-Hope, academic advisor and coordinator, Community Relations, Denver Metropolitan Campus, 303-750-6665 or speed dial #6 051, replaces Wendy Winter.
To learn more about job opportunities at Webster, go to the Human Resources Jobs site.
Condolences
The University extends its sympathy to Karen Buchan, community relations coordinator, South Orlando Metropolitan Campus, on the loss of her mother.
Webster University faculty and staff.
Jeryldine Tully, Editor
University Communications
Marianne Kirk, Contributor
University Communications
Radhika Rai
Student Contributor
Pete McEwen, Technical Advisor
IT
Betsy Schmutz
Human Resources
© 2004, Webster University