The Staff Affairs KUDO program is designed to publically recognize the outstanding work of University of Idaho staff employees who have gone above and beyond in helping others and making the University of Idaho a great place to work. If you would like to recognize staff for their outstanding work, click on Submit a Kudo in the menu.
July 2013
June 2013
Judy Anderson and Brent Bingman, Team Cleaning Specialists, Facilities
A huge thank you to Judy Anderson and Brent Bingman, the Team Cleaning Specialists in Forney Hall! They have gone above and beyond to make the carpets in our offices on the second floor look great—a difficult thing to do in older buildings! Thank you again for your attention to detail and making it so much nicer to come to work! —Judy Pankopf, Administrative Assistant 2, University Communications and Marketing
Leah Andrews, Student Affairs Web Coordinator, University Communication and Marketing
Leah was a fabulous example of professionalism and creativity in working with me to create and launch my many web pages for the Violence Prevention Programs www.uidaho.edu/vpp. She was quick to respond, creative with problem-solving and always thinking quality. She is a real asset to our division and to all of UI.
—Virginia Kyle Solan, Coordinator, Violence Prevention Programs, Dean of Students
Savanna Chesworth, Animal Lab Assistant, Lab Animal Research Facility
Savanna recently was awarded the Animal Technician of the Year accolade by the Northern Rocky Mountain Branch AALAS. She was highly deserving of this award as she cares deeply about the animals she works with and the research she supports. The quality of her work is outstanding, going above and beyond the position requirements. —Audrey Harris, Lab Animal Research Facility Manager, Office of Research Assurances
Cherryl Sodorff, Director Administrative Services/Fiscal Officer, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
My immediate supervisor, Charity Buchert, was on vacation for two weeks and I was in Cherryl's office on a daily basis asking questions and she assisted me without question and with humor which was appreciated... Thanks Cherryl!! —Marty Lunt, Personnel Service Specialist, CALS
Janice Todish, Budget Management Specialist, Budget Office
As I am getting ready to retire, I cannot leave without giving credit to a great lady. Her instructions and support throughout the years has given me the confidence to do my job. Janice was always ready to assist me in getting the information I needed. She helped me to believe in myself and how to get through banner. There are many employees out there who work in banner who appreciate all her work and effort. Signing off (S0S) —Judy Skinner, Administrative Assistant, Nancy M. Cummings R&E Center, Carmen, Idaho
Ryan Edinborough, Technician Payroll, Payroll and Benefits
Thank you so much for responding to everyone's questions today in New Employee Welcome. There were a lot and you had an answer for each of them! We appreciate you sharing your expertise. —Dixie Kearney, PDL Training Specialist, Human Resources
John Feeney, Employee Relations Specialist & Amber Wilson, Employment Services Specialist—Human Resources
Great job at New Employee Welcome! You both are always great representatives of Human Resources and the University of Idaho. Thank you! —Dixie Kearney, PDL Training Specialist, Human Resources
May 2013
Linda Keeney, Manager, Accounts Payable & Janice Todish, Budget Management Specialist, Budget Office
Linda and Janice have been fantastic in working with me to get their Banner trainings and the Purchasing Car/Travel Expense training in online formats. They committed their time, energy, and considerable experience to the projects. Thank you so much! —Dixie Kearney, PDL Training Specialist, Professional Development and Learning
Mandy Charbonneau, Human Resources Technician, Human Resources
Mandy is very helpful. Whenever I have a question about a hiring process, payroll, or EPAF's she is always very quick with an answer. If she does not know the answer, she finds out what the answer is and always gets back to me right away. She is always cheerful and happy to help. Anytime I have any interaction with Mandy it reminds me of how lucky I am to work with such great people here at UI. —Candy Ihm, Program Specialist, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Scott Riener, Graphic Designer, Creative Services & Print Management
I am thoroughly impressed with Scott's prompt attention to detail and receptiveness to feedback in helping coordinate content and images for our department's promotion in the 'Here We Have Idaho' magazine. Thanks for making my vision and content a reality! —Jessica Berwick, Manager for Employer Relations & Communications, Career Center
Tammy Renfrow, Grad Admissions, College of Graduate Studies
Tammy picked up a difficult project when a person resigned due to the birth of a baby. Tammy was a lead person for the 2013 Innovation Showcase and without her dedication to the project it wouldn't have been a success. Tammy was involved in all aspects of the event as she was able to rapidly learn and make decisions with faculty / students and staff. I cannot say enough about her strong work and brilliant effort in making the showcase a success. —Jerry McMurtry, Associate Dean, College of Graduate Studies
Ali Frederiksen, Student Accounts/Cashiers Office
Ali was a great help with processing my payment and form for class registration this summer and I appreciate her friendly attitude. She was very prompt in assisting me with my help request, provided me with multiple options for resolving the issue and made sure to follow-up with me when the issue was settled. She made what I expected to be an inconvenient delay into a pleasant and smooth process. Thanks, Ali! —Savanna Chesworth, Animal Lab Assistant, Lab Animal Research Facility
Robert W Carlson, Customer Service, ITS
Robert has helped me twice - once in a remote session to make my email behave, and once to unlock my account. He solved my problems immediately, and was remarkably polite. Working with him is smooth and pleasant. Thank you for your help, Robert!!! —Ashleigh Bright, Customer Service Representative, Student Accounts
April 2013
Jaron Leavitt, Information Technology Services
Kudos to Jaron for getting me up and running with my new computer after my hard-drive went out. In the almost 5 years I've worked at Idaho, it was the best experience I've had with an ITS staff. Jaron was extremely knowledgeable, personable and professional. I especially appreciated that he took the extra time to stop by the following day to make sure things were still working smoothly. —Jessica Berwick, Manager, Employer Relations and Communications, Career Center
Greek Life Staff
Matt Kurz, Jordyn Wright and Robin Shoemaker (Dean of Students) have done an outstanding job of coordinating the Greek scholarship awarding process this spring and I very much appreciate their efforts! —Barbara Warnick, Associate Director for Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services
Lodi Price, Executive Assistant to VP, Research and Economic Development
Lodi is very welcoming, supportive, knowledgeable, and straight forward. These qualities have helped me take a grip of my job responsibilities and work on perfecting my skills as an administrative assistant. She makes this work fun, interesting, and fulfilling. Lodi values my work, provides feedback, and offers challenges for my professional growth. —Julia Nkanata, Administrative Assistant 2, Research and Economic Development
Sammantha Green, Management Assistant, Research and Economic Development
Sammantha is my supervisor. I have worked with her for the last three months and frankly speaking, without her patience, knowledge, and calm nature, I would not have been able to do my job. I feel valued and appreciated as a new employee and look forward to coming to work every day. Sammantha is a bright torch for the vandal spirit and a good example of customer service representative and supportive supervisor. —Julia Nkanata, Administrative Assistant 2, Research and Economic Development
Sophomore Engagement and Perspective Class
Kudos to Jim Ekins, Leanne Ralstin, Eric Anderson (Career Center), Colton Oliphant (International Programs Office), Shawn O’Neal (School of Journalism and Mass Media), and Trevor Fulton (Campus Recreation) for presenting to the Sophomore Engagement and Perspective class throughout this current semester. Giving students the opportunity to hear first-hand about some of the ways they can utilize, get involved with, or incorporate Study Abroad, Career Center, Service Learning, Student Media and Outdoor Programs into their college careers. For many of these students these presentations were what pushed them to consider these opportunities. Their time and energy is much appreciated. —Denise Carl, Coordinator, ASUI & Department of Student Involvement
Danial Bleile, Web Coordinator-Research, Graduate Studies & Tara Roberts, Science Writer, University Communications and Marketing
One of UI's top climate change researchers, Von P. Walden, was recently featured on the cover of Nature. However, his accomplishments would not have been told as well or featured so effectively on the University of Idaho website without the team of Danial Bleile and Tara Roberts. The team is a powerhouse duo for touting our top researchers at the University. Their latest article on Von and his Climate Change Research (available here: U-Idaho’s Von P. Walden Studies Climate Change), is an exceptional example of communicating UI's leading work. —Joshua Paulsen, University Communications & Marketing
Tara Roberts, Science Writer, University Communications and Marketing
An excellent job on the Greenland Ice Sheet Melt story! —Chris Cooney, Senior Director of Marketing, University Communications and Marketing
Leah Andrews, Web Coordinator, University Communications and Marketing
Leah has patiently trained so many of the students in ASUI and Department of Student Involvement to help us keep our websites going and up to date. It seems like with every request the response is let's figure out how to do that. Our websites have become an incredibly useful tool for us, students, faculty and staff. We would be lost without you! —Denise Carl, Coordinator, Student Engagement, Department of Student Involvement
Spring Leadership Presenters
Kudos to Joe Roberts, Eric Anderson, Jessica Berwick, Jill Powell, Andrew Brewick, and Jesse Martinez. All of these folks presented during the Spring Forward: Leadership Conference, dedicating a portion of their Saturday to help our students learn more about what's next after college. For many students this will be an experience that they remember for the rest of their life or will inspire them to seek out a new direction in life. Thank you for taking the time to impact the lives of our students. —Denise Carl, Coordinator, Student Engagement, Department of Student Involvement
Chen Chen, Human Resources & Melynda McNamara, VandalStore
Kudos to Chen Chen in Human Resources and Melynda McNamara at the VandalStore! Thanks to their help, we were able to get items into the Student Employee of the Year nominee baskets at the last moment. Melynda, you are very quick! Chen, you are very accommodating! Both of you are amazing! —Carol Mayer, Electronic Resources Assistant, Library
Arwen Bloomsburg, Administrator Assistant I, Independent Study of Idaho
Due to system design, Independent Study out-of-state employees' work hours must be reported manually. Every quarter the Payroll Office experiences reporting requests from external agencies with an extremely short turnaround time. Arwen has graciously complied with these "on-demand" requests every quarter enabling the Payroll Office to meet these deadlines and avoid fines and penalties associated with the work hour reporting. I wish to recognize and thank Arwen for her quick response to these quarterly requests. Arwen, you are greatly appreciated! —Delaine Flomer, Benefits Accountant, Payroll & Benefits
Matthew Couch, Senior Parking Attendant, Parking and Transportation Services
I was in a hurry to get to class and locked my keys in my car. Matt was doing his rounds in the gold lot and I explained what I did. He was kind enough to retrieve my keys and had them waiting for me when I got out of class. I was very grateful for the assistance. What a wonderful service to have for staff, faculty, and students. Matt's attitude about the whole situation certainly made it better. Thank You! —April Marie Buvel, Administrative Assistant II, University Support Services
March 2013
Noell Kinyon, External Relations Specialist, Career Center
Kudos to Noell Kinyon for all the hard work and planning she put in for our annual Etiquette Dinner for students. —Eric Anderson, Manager, Student Advising & Development, Career Center
International Programs Office
I would like to take this opportunity to extend KUDOS to the International Programs Office. I had to call them three times in 2013 alone for extreme language barriers here in the parking office. They are also so super nice, and have always been able to help me immediately and help my customers. You are appreciated and what a wonderful asset the International Programs Office have been to this office alone. —KD Bahlman, CSR11, Parking and Transportation Services
Aaron Mayhugh & Crew, University Support Services
I wanted to thank the Aaron Mayhugh and his University Support Services Crew for all of their great work during the Jazz Festival this year. My two daughters grabbed our tickets quickly and attended two evenings. Let’s just say they are not easy to impress. They indicated that the Jazz Festival was excellent. I realize my family and I are just a lucky recipient/spectator of all of Aaron M’s and the group’s hard work and nothing else. However, as a spectator only, I still want to thank him for all he does. I am guessing Events can be sometimes like Construction Projects. No one may notice sometimes until something small goes wrong. I never notice anything going wrong on an event. Aaron and his crew complete the Jazz Festival on time like clockwork every year. I am guessing that is no easy punt. More like a 55 yard field goal. I appreciate all he does for the University. —Bret Dillon, AES Project Architect, Facilities
Leah Andrews, Web Coordinator, University Communications and Marketing
A special thanks to Leah for teaching me about Google Analytics so I can better understand, and improve, our department's website. Leah continues to be a great resource for all-things web related and I know that sometimes her work isn't acknowledged as much as it should be, because a lot of it happens behind the scenes. Thanks for keeping all the Student Affairs pages looking sharp! —Jessica Berwick, Manager, Employer Relations & Communications, Career Center
February 2013
Carolyn Reader, Manager & Joy Stotz, FAMIS Specialist—Finance and Business | Facilities
Carolyn and Joy, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your support of our little University Support Services unit! April is constantly telling me how much help she receives from you and your staff. Your assistance last night with Stellant was a perfect case in point. We really needed to get a UBIT report back to General Accounting quickly. Your help made that possible! —Rob Anderson, Director, University Support Services
Kathy Haworth, Team Cleaning Specialist, Facilities
My name is Alaina Nye and I work in Renfrew Hall. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all the hard work Kathy does for the building. She always goes above and beyond her job. Recently, she suggested switching out the powder soap dispensers in the student labs that were not getting used with the foam soap dispenser. I am happy to say they are very much utilized now by the students. Thanks. —Alaina Nye, Lab Coordinator, Dept of Chemistry
Clint Payton, IT Systems Coordinator, Division of Student Affairs
With a tremendous amount of patience, Clint worked with me to get the GPSA Elections up and running. This was my first time organizing it and I had no idea what to expect. I had sent Clint several emails, of what we needed for elections, which were different this year than in the past because a newly revised constitution and by-laws are up for vote. Clint worked to get all of the documents I sent to him in the correct formats. Accepted the elections request late and then a moved date with no complaints or questions. From my understanding, Clint has been working with GPSA during their elections in the past. I would like to recognize his work, patience and understanding with me and GPSA for the current year and the past. Our elections wouldn't have ran without him! Thank You, Clint! —Kate Cobb, GPSA President (Graduate and Professional Student Association)
Amber Wilson, Employment Service Specialist, Human Resources
Before becoming the Employment Services Specialist, Amber was the approver of EPAF's for Human Resources, along with Myung. Amber has always went above and beyond in her customer service skills. She is the friendliest, most patient, and professional person I have had the honor to work with. I complete about 160 EPAF's every year, and the process can be very cumbersome, but Amber made this process very easy and she always made me feel like a "rock star" even when I probably didn't deserve it. The tiniest mistake will not allow an EPAF to go through, but Amber always spent time helping me however she could to get the EPAF through. Human Resources is very fortunate to have Amber in their employ. I also input all of the jobs for our Department into ATS, so I am lucky enough to continue to work with Amber, but on the job side and not the EPAF side. Her constant, cheery, can-do attitude always lifts me up. More than all of this, she is a true professional. She really knows what she is doing, and knows our systems so well. I, for one, believe she is an invaluable resource to Human Resources and the University of Idaho. —Cheryl Gardner, Financial Tech Sr, Department of Movement Sciences
Eric Schlueter, Information Systems Tech, Boise Center for Higher Education
Eric does so much as a team member for the IT group, he is always offering help and goes out of his way to provide good customer service. —Ivan Sanchez Pedraza, IT Tech Support, Boise Center for Higher Education
Ashleigh Bright, Customer Service Rep 2, Student Accounts
Working with students at an outreach location can sometimes be challenging. Ashleigh has gone above and beyond on more than one occasion to help me solve a student issue. She is wonderful to work with. —Angie Sowers, Enrollment Services - Coeur d'Alene
College Bowl Moderators
Mike Simpson, Butch Fealy, Shawn O'Neal, and Bruce Mann took on the hardest job in town, being a volunteer moderator for College Bowl, the wide range of vocabulary and intensity of the teams, makes this one of the most harrowing experiences of the academic year. THANK YOU for another successful year with 28 teams. —Denise Carl, Coordinator, Student Engagement, Department of Student Involvement
Bruce Pitman, Dean of Students
Dean Pitman took the time to be the guest for our Lunches with Leaders program. It is a great opportunity for students to meet, eat, listen and engage with staff and faculty they might otherwise not interact with. We appreciate his time and dedication to students at the University of Idaho. —Denise Carl, Coordinator, Student Engagement. Department of Student Involvement
January 2013
Myung Chun, Employment Services Tech, Human Resources
Myung is a great asset to the University. She has an amazing amount of patience especially in light of the fact that she has to deal with EPAFs & EPAF questions all day. She answers questions quickly & she is always happy to help whenever you need it. She has a great attitude & is a fantastic resource! —Melissa Husebye, Administrative Assistant, Finance & Administration
Alan Odenborg & Bart Schumacker, Interiors, Facilities
We had quite a move to conduct from Morrill Hall the Administration Building over the December/January break. Alan and Bart had everything painted, new shelving up for faculty—the turn around was amazing—and we all appreciate the timeliness and quality of their work! —Kjelda Berg, Political Science, Martin School
Terry Quinn, Manager, Vandal card, Institution Ecommerce & Records Mgmt
Thanks Terry for helping me through the process of setting up UI MarketPlace for workshop registrations. You built the form for me and put up with my unending questions! Your expertise and customer service is amazing! —Theresa Araquistain, Administrative Assistant, Caldwell R&E Center
Robin Shoemaker, Assistant to the Vice Provost for Student Affairs, Office of the Dean of Students
I'm thankful for Robin's assistance in teaching me how to post a position in ATS. She took the extra time to physically to come to my office and make sure I understood the process. Thanks for going out of your way to help, Robin! —Jessica Berwick, Manager for Employer Relations & Communications, Career Center
Ashleigh Bright, Customer Service Representative, Student Accounts
I have interacted with Ms Bright on several occasions, regarding tuition credit benefit for faculty. When I encountered difficulties with submission to various departments (three times), she would immediately check to see what was causing the problem and fix it. This is far superior than service by many others. —Peter Isaacson, Professor, Geological Sciences
Ashleigh Bright, Customer Service Representative, Student Accounts
During the past couple of weeks, two faculty members came into my office and asked how they could inform Ashleigh’s supervisor of her professionalism, kindness, and quick response in getting answer for them to their specific requests. I have recently sent an email to her supervisor Linda Aherin but thought this would be a good way to say THANK YOU from the College of Science! —Lorrie Williams, Administrative Assistant Senior, College of Science
Jessica Berwick, Manager, Employer Relations & Communications
I would like to recognize Jessica Berwick from the Career Center for all the work she put into setting up and offering a free viewing of the LinkedIn webinar "The Start-Up of You" to the campus community today. —Eric Anderson, Manager, Student Advising & Development, Career Center
Office of Sponsored Programs Staff
I would like to thank the entire Office of Sponsored Programs staff for all the work they do assisting the College of Natural Resources with our grants. We are a research intensive college with lots of unique situations that can make the grant process a bit more "fun" sometimes. I just want them to know that their hard work on our behalf is appreciated. —Cathryn Knock, Business Operations Manager, College of Natural Resources
Sarah Martonick, Sponsored Programs Specialist, Office of Sponsored Programs
Sarah is always helpful and cheerful with our faculty and grant administrators during proposal submission. She has been especially helpful during CNR's Fiscal Unit reorganization. —Cathryn Knock, Business Operations Manager, College of Natural Resources
Wendy Kerr, Senior Cost Accountant, Office of Sponsored Programs
Wendy is always so helpful when I have a question or need help with a report. I really appreciate all she does for us at CNR. —Cathryn Knock, Business Operations Manager, College of Natural Resources
Marty Lunt, Personnel Service Specialist, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
Kudos to Marty for her rapid response in letting us all know in CALS of the payroll deposit delay problems last week and as I was trying to use the W-4 system, an email popped up from Marty letting us know the W-4 system was not working properly. Thank you for your speedy notifications, it's very much appreciated! —Debra Rumford, Family and Consumer Sciences
Kenny Hites, Greg Thomas, Alan Odenborg, David Johnson, Facilities
Alan, David, Kenny, and Greg were able to help the law library pull together a last-minute carpeting project over the Winter break. Thanks to their help, we were able to get books back on the shelves in time for class! —Carolyn Todd, Circulation Supervisor, Law Library
December 2012
Bart Shumaker and Alan Odenborg, Interiors Tech, Facilities
Thank you both for the great work you did for our office. We appreciated your helpful, positive attitudes in completing the work on such short notice. You guys are the best! —Carry Salonen, Risk Specialist, Risk Management
Adam McKinney, IT System Integration Analyst, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
“A” is for Awesome Adam!!! There was an equipment upgrade at the Twin Falls R&E Center, involving new TV’s and videoconferencing equipment. The installation of the new equipment wasn’t as “user friendly” as hoped. Adam McKinney works for IT in CALS and takes care of all things computer related. But when asked to help with the TV’s and videoconferencing equipment, Adam jumped right in to help! He shared his technical savvy and troubleshooting skills and now everything is working great! It was a long and daunting process. Thanks, Adam for going above and beyond the call of duty! —Amanda Moore Kriwox, Program Specialist, Agricultural Education & 4-H Youth Development, Twin Falls R&E
Derek Johnson and Mike Beery, ITS - Management Information Services
Both Derek and Mike are very responsive whenever I have a banner access/report problem crop up. They have great customer service skills and are a definite asset to the university. On a daily basisl they make my work life better. —Kris Freitag, Financial Unit Manager, Office of Sponsored Programs
Flora Pitkin, Team Cleaning Specialist, Facilities
Flora does such an awesome job, I am adding that not only does she do an awesome job, but her attitude is spectacular and refreshing. We in the college greatly appreciate her very much. —Lorrie Williams, Administrative Assistant Senior, College of Science
Flora Pitkin, Team Cleaning Specialist, Facilities
Flora cleans classrooms and offices in the Mines building everyday but if other areas need attention that are not required of her such as adding paper towels, toilet paper, or hand soap in the dispensers, she immediately takes care of these areas when asked; she goes above and beyond in all areas! —Lorrie Williams, Administrative Assistant Senior, College of Science
Matt Vaughn, IT System Tech Senior, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Matt is almost available to help the staff in the Academic Programs Office with computer questions. We greatly appreciate his expertise and professionalism! Thanks Matt! ~Academic Programs Office, CALS —Katie Strittmatter, Asst. Director, College Retention, CALS
November 2012
Melissa Gottschalk & Lisa Miller, Payroll Assistant & Payroll Accountant
Melissa and Lisa are both very helpful when timesheets need approved or entered into the system due to late approvals. I appreciate all they do to make sure the employees of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences are paid on time!! Thank you both! —Marty Lunt, Personnel Service Specialist, CALS
Chuck Hatfield, Customer Service Rep 2, Facilities
Chuck consistently provides outstanding customer service; he is always cheerful and conscientious. Recently, he escalated a custodial emergency and the issue was promptly resolved by the custodial staff. The staff on the second floor of the Administration building was very appreciative of their quick response time. Whenever I have a Facilities related question, I can count on him for a reliable answer. I applaud him for his creative solutions, dependable follow-up and most notably his amazingly endless positive attitude. He is a pleasure to work with. —Glenda Bull, Administrative Assistant, Risk Management
Kris Freitag, Financial Unit Manager, Office of Sponsored Programs
Kris is always willing to assist me in learning new concepts and provides resources as well as background information to ensure that I have all the tools necessary to absorb and disseminate new information and concepts. She is always patient and helpful, even when I stop by her office 10 times a day! Thank you for helping me grow and learn in my position Kris! —Sarah Martonick, Sponsored Programs Administrator, Office of Sponsored Programs
Rose Graham, Manager, Commons Copy Center
She is an amazing boss with a high spirited personality and always making sure everyone is taken care of. It has been a pleasure working for her these last four years. —Alma America Elias, Sociology-criminology major, Senior Tech Copy Center
Melissa Husebye, Administrative Assistant, Finance and Administration
Melissa is always helpful and friendly. If she doesn't know the answer to a question, she finds out and quickly returns the call or email. Thank you for being such a great team player, Melissa! —Cynthia Adams, Administrative Assistant, Purchasing Services
Professional Development and Learning, Human Resources
The PDL staff has made some amazing strides in the program and deserves recognition. There are many wonderful, useful, helpful courses being offered to the employees right now. The selection is amazing. The Word and Excel classes are awesome for us Administrator’s. Even if much of it is a refresher, there are always new tricks and tools to be learned. I really think PDL has moved in a positive direction and it is wonderful to have the employees, and in turn our campus community benefit, from these efforts. Thank you for taking our feedback to heart. Job well done! —April Buvel, Administrative Assistant II, University Support Services
Jesse Thomas, Reserve Coordinator/University Library
Jesse helped me with an Interlibrary Loan Request. He was professional and friendly. Jesse went the extra step to find the fastest way to get my book to me. Excellent customer service! Thank you Jesse! —Cynthia Adams, Administrative Assistant, Purchasing Services
Vanessa Henry, Administrative Assistant 2, Admissions and Campus Visits
Vanessa has gone above and beyond to help me complete my tasks while I am on a reduced schedule. She always asks if she can help after she has completed her own work. She is diligent, hard working and positive, and she brings a warm and welcoming atmosphere to our office. You are appreciated, Vanessa! —Cheyenne Smith-Sarkkinen, Administrative Assistant 3, Undergraduate Admissions
Lunches with Leaders Guests
Thank you to our fall semester Lunches with Leaders guests: Former Provost Doug Baker, Women's Center Heather Gasser, and Athletics Director Rob Spear. Your willingness to spend an hour with students sharing your journey is invaluable. All of you are incredibly busy so thank you for making the time. —Denise Carl, Coordinator, Student Engagement, Department of Student Involvement
KUDO's to Facilities Crew
We are in the process of adding some new staff in Ag Science and the offices they will occupy shortly needed work—lots of work—shelf removal, wall repair, painting, carpet cleaning/stretching and repairs on a filing cabinet. Thanks to your people, it’s Friday and they are completely ready for occupancy! None of this would have been possible without the help and cooperation of Alan Odenborg, Interiors Foreperson; Bart Shumacker, Painter; BJ Schenck, Machine Shop Foreperson; Terri Benscoter, Construction Contract Supervisor; and Pete Haworth, Custodian Foreperson. The coordination of effort was impressive and we are very grateful to them all for responding the way they did. —Kathy Devoe, retired Administrative Assistant II, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
October 2012
Bret Dillon, Project Manager, Architectural and Engineering Services, Facilities
Thanks for your leadership on this project (for his oversight and role in delivering the $660K project renovating the recycling storage warehouse into a modern vehicle engine research facility for the College of Engineering). This remodel will provide a great improvement in our research capabilities. You did a good job juggling a wide variety of issues and requests. Thank you. —Larry Stauffer, Dean, College of Engineering
Tom Witt, University Access Coordinator, Facilities
We appreciate all the facilities people—they are polite and do excellent work. I am writing today to specifically mention Tom Witt, who helped us get a broken key out of our -80°C freezer. He did a great job and was a pleasure to work with. —Patricia Hartzell, faculty, Biological Sciences
Dawn Sundman and Larry Cann, Facilities
I want to commend your staff for doing a great job on the carpets in our Albertson's Building. What a noticeable difference was seen up and down the hallway. Nice work! THANKS! —Jan Mason Rauk, Management and Human Resources, College of Business and Economics
September 2012
Fall Leadership Week
Thank you to all the faculty and staff that presented workshops during Fall Leadership Week, this event would not have been a success without you. Your work will help to influence the next generation of leaders. Thank you.
Jeffery A. Dodge, College of Law, Associate Dean of Students & Administration and Instructor of Law, Ron Walters, College Art and Architecture, Adjunct Faculty Trapper Stewart, College of Law, College of Law Faculty, Director of Externship and Pro Bono Programs, Mike Beiser, Campus Recreation, Outdoor Programs Coordinator, Dr. Sharon Stoll, Professor and Director, Center for ETHICS*, Movement Sciences, Dr. Craig Chatriand, Dean of Students, Associate Dean of Students, Nick Sanyal, Conservation Social Sciences & Bioregional Planning, and Shannon Haselhuhn, Campus Recreation, Heath Education Coordinator. —Denise Carl, Student Engagement Coordinator, Department of Student Involvement
August 2012
Ron Shaw, Web Coordinator, Division of Finance & Administration
Ron has stepped up on behalf of our entire team with the implementation of a new calendar system and the move away from the WebEdit system. Not to mention, he's still found time to make some A-W-E-S-O-M-E videos to help us all train our units. While he's faced obstacles, hundreds of questions and push-back (yes, even from within our team (I'm pretty sure Ron is rolling his eyes at this piece of this message)), he's handled the moments gracefully and, in my opinion, deserves to be recognized. His project leadership has continued to propel us forward when things may have otherwise reached a standstill. —Johanna Blickenstaff, Web Coordinator, Enrollment Management
Women's Center and LGBTQA Office Staff
Thank you to Heather Gasser, Lysa Salsbury, Julia Keleher, Paige Davies, and Virginia Solan for the three most gratifying years of my work life. I cherish the time I spent working with all of you and will miss seeing you all daily. You are an amazing group of people and, while I'm excited for my new career opportunity, I am so sad to be leaving such a wonderful and positive work environment. Mad props to all of you! —Heather Ebba Maib, Former Women's Center staff
Serving Your New Community Volunteers
Huge thanks to Suzi Billington, Shawn O'Neal and Butch Fealy for volunteering their time to help out with SYNC (Serving Your New Community), our kick off service event for incoming students. We had almost 800 students participate and couldn't have made it all work without their assistance. Another big thanks goes out to Former President Nellis and Dean of Students Bruce Pitman, who both rolled up their sleeves and volunteer on a stream clean up alongside of our students. What a great example set for our community. —Bruce Mann, Coordinator, Center for Volunteerism and Social Action
Shannon Haselhuhn, Program Coordinator, Student Health Services/University Operations
Shannon was instrumental in planning, organizing and facilitating the 2012 Health and REC fair held at the Student Recreation Center on August 28th. Her forward thinking and can-do attitude made the event a huge success. Her goal of increased student participation was definitely met and everyone who participated had a great experience. Way to go! —Brian Mahoney, Operations Supervisor, Campus Recreation
Kim Salisbury, Accountant, General Accounting
Amazing work this summer. Thanks for all that you do!!!!!!!! —Vicki Cooper, Accountant, General Accounting
Heather Taff, Accountant, General Accounting
Amazing work this summer! Thank you for all that you do!!!!!!!! —Vicki Cooper, Accountant, General Accounting
Presenters at the Student Org Advisor Colloquium
KUDOS to Kent Nelson-General Counsel, Carry Salonen-Risk Specialist, Bill Smith-Director, Martin Institute, Bruce Mann-Coordinator Volunteer Center, and Colleen Quinn-Director, Department of Student Involvement. All these folks presented at the student organization advisor colloquium on Friday, August 24. Without their expertise this event would not have been successful. Thank you for your time and knowledge. —Denise Carl, Coordinator, Department of Student Involvement
July 2012
Payroll Victory Team
Amber Wilson and Myung Chun-EPAFs/HR Dept., Jill Robertson-Budget Dept., Mellody Miller-COS, and Lisa Marquez-Payroll Dept. I'd like to give THANKS & KUDOS to these employees who worked as a TEAM and helped me gain VICTORY over a payroll problem. This is the kind of inter-departmental cooperation that makes the University of Idaho a great place to work! Thank you so very much! —Deb Cissell, Administrative Assistant 2, Department of Chemistry
Judy Dinwiddle, Movement Sciences
Judy is always gracious when I appear in her office, often sweaty and out of breath from playing soccer, looking for help with one thing or another. Coming through with ice packs for an injured player with the International Soccer Club last week is par for the course—but oh-so-appreciated! —Bill Smith, Director, Martin Institute
Renfrew Hall Team
I'd like to offer my sincere compliments to your Facilities operation for the superb job that the custodial staff is doing in Renfrew. I've been here a long time and I cannot ever remember this much attention being devoted to physical appearance of this building. I don't know that this poor old building can ever sparkle but your staff is doing their very best to make that happen. Over the years I've gotten to know a good many of the custodial staff and have always admired their dedication, work ethic and sense of humor. The team that is in Renfrew is superb and I hope that you will officially relay my compliments to them. —Tom Bitterwolf, Academic Faculty, Chemistry
Most of Section A staff in Renfrew Hall this last month in doing projects to make the building look good. The supervisors are Kerry Russell, the Custodial Foreperson, and Bonnie Bernstein, the Team Cleaning Lead. Here are the names of the staff who had a hand in making Renfrew Hall look good this last month: Floria Pitkin, Ben Lecoultre, Nathan Bingham, Jacy Van Pelt, Jim Nelson, Kathy Haworth, Corilynn Rice, Jamie Frausto, Scott Springer, Mellisa Stoor, Keith Rutler, Josh Manni, Guy Schmidtlein, Joanna Clark, Mikal Krogstand, Sasha Nowack.