Friday, February 7, 2014

Dashing through the snow

Central Illinois is well on its way to setting a record for cold and snow this winter and the weather conditions are testing the endurance of many students, faculty and staff on the UIS campus. With about eight inches of new snow, blustery winds and very cold temperatures, we cancelled classes earlier this week for one day. There is one group on campus, however, that did not miss a beat despite the weather conditions. That group was our amazing grounds crew who cleared roads, sidewalks, and building entrances quickly and efficiently so that the rest of us could get around. I so appreciate the efforts of Joan Buckles, Brian Beckerman and the entire grounds crew who do such a great job all of us! I'm sure spring is on the way; but in the meantime – thank you all!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

A bright star among us

I know I have said this before, but there are so many bright “Stars” in the UIS community. I was reminded of this again at the 2013 Employee of the Year celebration a few days ago. The event honors UIS employees who were recognized as Employee of the Month during the past year and then announces the Employee of the Year. Director of Conference Services, Carolyn Neitzke, received the 2013 award. Though Carolyn later noted in her usual modest and good-humored way, “I demand a re-count”; everyone who has worked with her knows that this award is richly deserved. Carolyn very effectively manages a high-energy, high-demand conference services operation where excellence in customer service is the expectation every day. She does so with a wonderful sense of collaboration and diplomacy. Congratulations, Carolyn and thank you so much for all that you do to enable our campus to be of service to the members of our campus community as well as to thousands of visitors that you and your staff serve each year.