Pat on the Back Awards December 2004

Congratulations to —

Stan Vallier, Dining Services (Second month in a row! Sorry Stan you don't get another t-shirt.) Stan exemplifies the Boy Scout motto: semper paratis, as he is always prepared. He has a great attitude, has tremendous attention to detail, aims to please and is full of energy. He makes a difference!

Nina Davis, administrative secretary to the Dean of University College. Nina is quick, organized, returns calls promptly, is gracious to all who contact her and is very detail-oriented.

Kathy Lake, interim director, Enrollment Services. Kathy is very accommodating, helpful, composed and understanding. Her calm demeanor and quick response have been a wonderful help to faculty and students as they try to navigate the ins and outs of scholarships and financial aid.

Tyrone Collins, admissions counselor, Minority Student Affairs Office. We would like to nominate Tyrone, for his dedication to Ferris State University and continued support of our Martin Luther King, Jr./Cesar Chavez/Rosa Parks College Day Program. Tyrone is always there when we need him volunteering advice, words of wisdom and genuine support to the youth we provide service to. He has an incredible talent of connecting to any audience and can relate to every one of our participants in a way that really drives the message "you can do this" to all within earshot. As audience members, we have the opportunity to get the feedback he often misses, as well as the numerous "preach on" comments. So, Tyrone, we give you the ULTIMATE pat on the back! Thank you for all that you do!

Jane Pole and Arlene Krellwitz, co-supervisors, Academic Support Center. I have been off work most of the last month due to health issues (I'm the clerical support for our department). Jane and Arlene have been so kind and so understanding during this time. They also took on most of my responsibilities while I was away. I know this was a real challenge for them, too. (This was on top of the fact that our stats program had a complete nervous breakdown during the same time - our stats program does everything, from check-in of appts. to statistical reports for the center) All of this with never a complaint!

If we had an "Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award" they would more than deserve it. They surely deserve a pat on the back at the very least! They were very supportive of me and only wished for my quick recovery. Never once complaining or letting me think I was letting them down by missing so much work. They never once allowed me to think my job was in jeopardy, in fact, they made sure I knew that it wasn't. They jumped right in and took over, doing whatever jobs of mine needed to be done. I know it wasn't easy. I'm so very fortunate to have them for my bosses and so very grateful for their understanding and willingness to do what needed to be done to allow me to get through this.

Sigrid Robertson, secretary, School of Education - Teacher Education. Sigrid started as a new secretary in our department almost two years ago...and she inherited a mess! Although she had a tremendous learning curve, a huge backlog of past due work...she has systematically learned the trade and the department is back to running efficiently. We truly appreciate what she does!