The UCA Staff Senate has named the finalists for the 2004 Employee of the Year award.
This year?s nominees are:
Terry Brewer, Operations Manager for Computer Services
Terry Brewer has been employed with Computer Services for 22 years. During that time, Brewer has been involved with upgrading the mainframe server and the optical scanner. Brewer says that he keeps up with the computer industry by regularly reading IBM publications and by attending IBM classes.
Brewer says, ?I normally set my goals each day in that I want to be able to successfully provide my clients with the data they need in a timely a manner as possible. With the teamwork of my staff, we have been able to provide faculty, staff and students with the data they have requested.?
Brewer?s work philosophy is to possess the ?whatever-it-takes? attitude to get the job completed. He also feels like he has the helpful attitude required in order to be willing to help his staff and students do anything that is needed.
?I feel that I am blessed to be fortunate enough to have a great place to work and to be able to work with great people,? he said.
Lilly Harmon, Supervisor for Information Technology Services
Lilly Harmon has worked in information technology in Computer Services for the last 27 years. At the time she began work at the university, there no monitors or desktops. She says, ?In the years I have worked at UCA technology has changed a great deal.?
Harmon wrote UCA?s first ?online? program for Student Accounts and then led her staff in developing systems for the remainder of the campus. She has been the technical support person for Financial Records, Financial Aid and Human Resources.
?I have been part of many changes while working in this department and have been part of it achieving many great goals. None of these goals would have been accomplished if not for the wonderful staff in the department,? she said.
Harmon?s work philosophy is ?to try and always do my best and to do the right thing.? She strives to treat others in the way she wishes to be treated. ?I try to remember we each have our own unique talents and personalities and to take advantage of these differences for the benefit of the university.?
Harmon is very proud to work for UCA and is honored to be a finalist for employee of the year.
Anna Lee, Secretary, Department of Art
Anna Lee has been working for the Department of Art for the last 17 years. ?I can honestly say that working at UCA hasn?t been just a job, but a way of life for me,? she said.
Lee has a dedicated work ethic and strives to get her work done in a timely manner to the best of her ability. She said, ?I have always kept abreast of changing university policies and procedures as regards to travel, purchasing, inventory and work study.?
She is also very supportive of UCA?s recycling efforts because she firmly believes in preserving the environment for future generations.
?My work in the Department of Art has been very interesting and challenging, not only because of the diverse group of faculty members I work with, but also because of the variety of art-related activities that are constantly taking place in the department,? Lee said.
?Working with our students has been an enriching experience, observing their growth from their freshman years to their graduation,? she said.
George McKee, Locksmith, Physical Plant
George McKee has worked at UCA for 28 years, starting in grounds and working his way up to locksmith, where he is in charge of keeping up with all of the keys for the campus. Besides keeping up with keys and locks, McKee is also responsible for carpentry, moving other departments and other duties as assigned.
Over the years McKee has worked for the physical plant, he has worked to get a master key system implemented on campus. His work philosophy is ?to do whatever is asked to help the people on campus to make their jobs easier.?
Sharon Wilkes, Language Laboratory Instructor, Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultural Traditions
Sharon Wilkes has been employed with the university for eight years. Wilkes came to UCA with a bachelor?s degree in Spanish and education, but since that times he has studied French and German.
?I am now able to help students with Spanish, French, German, and English (Intensive English Program students) and assist faculty with additional language-oriented tasks,? she said.
Wilkes began graduate coursework in the Fall 2003 and has been accepted as a candidate for a master of science in training systems in the College of Education.
?As UCA continues to grow technologically, I feel it is important that I learn and grow too, for my own good as well as for the good of the students and faculty,? she said.
Wilkes has been very active on campus. She has participated in numerous professional development courses in order to help improve the lab and to better able assist faculty. She also participates annually in the Foreign Language Festival, has served on the Staff Senate for a year and a half and translates Spanish to English for various departments on campus.
?My fundamental goal as language laboratory instructor is to provide a high level of support to both students and faculty. I try to make it easier for beginning language students to make the transitions necessary to succeed in studying a language,? Wilkes said.
She feels that it is very important for her to be accessible to students and faculty.
?The people at UCA make me feel very appreciated, and I feel very lucky to have found such a rewarding position in the Department of World Languages,? she said.
Each year any full-time staff member, classified or unclassified, with two or more years of continuous service to the university is eligible to be nominated by any full-time faculty, staff member, or student. A senate-appointed committee representing each division and grade reviewed all submissions and narrowed the nominations to five candidates.
The recipient will receive a cash award at the annual service awards, an inscribed personal plaque and a plaque that is displayed for one year in the recipient?s choice of building or office. In addition, the recipient?s name and year of award will be inscribed on a plaque that will be displayed in the Hall of Honor in McCastlain Hall.
-Jessica Saylor
