Clyde’s Kudos are celebrated each month on Communique. Nominations are also recognized through a variety of forums including the Staff Association website, the Staff Association newsletter, event shout-outs, handwritten cards and other methods of distribution.
Clyde’s Kudos: August 2020
Featured this month:
Teams:
Campus Recreation and Student Life | Chancellor Reddy, Cabinet & Recovery Teams | Controller’s Office | Department of Languages and Cultures Faculty | Dining and Hospitality Services | Facilities, Maintenance, Custodial & Grounds Teams | Everyone Involved with Promoting Enrollment this Fall! | Family Development Center Teachers and Staff | Family Development Center Student Employees | Megann Murphy & Team | Move-In Volunteers | Newly Hired UCCS Faculty, Staff, and Administrators | PCC Lane Center | Program Assistants in the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences | Residence Life and Housing Teams | Robin Margolin & Team | Stephen Cucchiara & Team | UCCS Primary Care Clinic, Peak Nutrition and Center for Active Living | Wellness Center Staff
Individuals:
Alex Baker | Ali Langfels | Amandine Habben | Bryan Rossman | Caroline Chubb | Cindy Rhoads | Dan Lemack, Tracy Parks, Sharon Coddington, Sally Greene & Bradey Disbrow | Emily Drapeau | Emily Drapeau, Ann Schwab, Dan Metzger and Michael Moody | Garrett Kuecker | Katherine Placzek | Katie Burns | Kayleen St. Louis, Omar Montoya & Sarah Long | Kristina Coggins | Margaret Harris | Margie Oldham | Mark Means | Megan Bell | Monica Killebrew | Nick Martinez | Robin Margolin and Steve Linhart | Rose Johnson | Ryan Janke | Ryan Wong | Sammy Wilding | Stephanie Hanenberg | Stephanie Hanenberg & Molly Kinne | Stephen Cucchiara | Timothy McDonnell | Tomoko Weggener
Teams
To: Campus Recreation & Student Life
From: Stephanie Hanenberg
Thank you to Campus Recreation and Student Life for the outstanding job creating in person events that were engaging and safe for our students. Students were so excited to have those opportunities so thank you for the long days you spent making sure we offered students a venue to remain engaged at a time when they need it more than ever.
To: Chancellor Reddy, Cabinet & Recovery Teams
From: Ralph Giese
In a time of uncertainty, we count on our friends and colleagues to come to our aid. It is with a humble and very full heart that I say thank you to all that have made the fall housing opening possible.
There have been so many folks that came to our side to make a safe and healthy move in. It starts with our Chancellor, Cabinet and the Recovery Teams – thanks for the guidance and support during a very challenging time. A special shot out to Carlos García – your care and concern for staff and students is evident in every decision, thank you.
To: Controller’s Office
From: Karen Talone
The Controller’s Office gave a finance training. It was really nice to have the entire team on Teams to understand who does what in their office. They took the time to meet. It shows a great team that comes together to support even when they were not the trainer. Thank you!
To: Department of Languages and Cultures Faculty
From: Anon.
They support each other any time of any day in a fair and productive way, they keep and open conversations with their students and they fight for a high quality of their teachings and the institute.
To: Dining & Hospitality Services
From: Megan Bell
I worked over in the Lodge today as a cashier and I have to give kudos to the dining team there. The professional and student staff are working so hard to keep everything clean and safe for our housing residents. They were very serious about their work and I was just so impressed by what they were doing after less than two weeks of being open. They have a hard job right now with our current circumstances, but I could tell they were really trying. I appreciate them showing up every day so our students have the option to live on campus.
To: Facilities, Maintenance, Custodial & Grounds Teams
From: Ralph Giese
Thank you to those who made the fall housing opening possible, including our Facilities Services, Maintenance, Custodian and Grounds teams, and Sustainability…what a job they had in preparing for a safe return! And all continue to do an amazing job in the care of our residents.
To: Everyone Involved with Promoting Enrollment this Fall!
From: Patty Witkowsky
Thank you to all of the staff working so hard to improve enrollment projections for this fall!
To: Family Development Center Teachers and Staff
From: Sally Ziegler
Here’s to the most caring and safety minded people I have ever known! Thank you for making the FDC such a safe and special place and for loving and teaching the youngest members of the Mountain Lion pride. I wish you well!
To: Family Development Center Student Employees
From: Sally Ziegler
Thank you for all that you do to support the youngest students in the UCCS Mountain Lion pride. Your care, support and enthusiasm help make the Family Development Center a School Family!
To: Megann Murphy & Team
From: Ralph Giese
Thank you to those who made the fall housing opening possible. A big thanks to Megann and the Events staff for making sure we had all the spaces ready for check in and keeping our water iced!
To: Move-In Volunteers
From: Ralph Giese
Thank you to those who made the fall housing opening possible, including our volunteers for move-in: Robin, Ellen, Steve, Brad, Skyler, Lisa, Megan, Missy, Chrissie, Benek, Nate, Katie, Hailey, Jen, Dawn, Christy, Alex, Sarah, Omar, Stephen, Ray and Amanda.
You checked residents in, stood in the hot sun, directed traffic (often averting an accident), calmed residents and family fears and kept folks headed in the right direction. A special thanks to Police for all their assistance, you are an amazing group of caring people! There is no way this would have been possible without each of you.
To: Newly Hired UCCS Faculty, Staff & Administrators
From: Brad Bayer
Sending a shout out of appreciation to all the newly hired faculty, staff, and administrators that have been on-boarded during the period of remote learning and working. This group has displayed an incredible amount of flexibility, positivity, and tenacity while learning a new job role, system, and culture. Welcome to the Mountain Lion Family!
To: PCC Lane Center
From: Samantha Capps
We have such an amazing team here at the Lane Center! As a team we are all being flexible with helping one another out! Things are changing constantly yet we all manage to make it work here!! I could not ask for a better team to work with!! Karen Talone does an amazing job managing the clinic! Charlie Bowers, Bash Mohammed and Ana Mullen are the best coworkers you could ask for!! Thank you all for being you!!
To: Program Assistants in the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
From: Anon.
Thank you to each one of the program assistants for the dedication they have shown everyday in supporting the students and faculty especially during this pandemic. They have continued to see that orders were placed to support departments, helped communicate department/faculty hours, made sure that chairs had the numbers and data needed to work through scheduling and handling the unusual situation on campus – even when working remotely. Kudos to all for your dedication.
To: Residence Life & Housing Teams
From: Stephanie Hanenberg
Thank you to the extraordinary Residence Life and Housing teams who worked countless hours to provide an extended move in process to keep our families safe. We heard extremely positive feedback thanks to all of your efforts to make it a seamless process, engage with families and assist with programming for our incoming students.
To: Residence Life & Housing Teams
From: Ralph Giese
Thank you to those who made the fall housing opening possible. To our Residence Life and Housing Team: Vaughn, Shawn, Erik, James, Laura, Bailey, the Resident Assistant staff, the front desk assistants, and our office assistant. You are the backbone, heart, and soul of everything that happens in the office. With every challenge we had you rose above it and moved forward with trainings, preparations and facilitated an amazingly smooth fall opening! I am privileged to call you colleagues and friends.
To: Robin Margolin & Team
From: Ralph Giese
Thank you to those who made the fall housing opening possible, including Robin, Corey and the Dining and Hospitality team…you fed us and always with a smile!!!
To: Stephen Cucchiara & Team
From: Ralph Giese
Thank you to those who made the fall housing opening possible, including Stephen and the Student Activities Team…you kept our residents engaged and entertained during a very stressful transition to campus.
To: UCCS Primary Care Clinic, Peak Nutrition & Center for Active Living
From: Anon.
Thanks for the hard work and dedication demonstrated by the staff adapting to all the changes related to COVID. Thanks to the staff who have found new and innovative ways to provide services to clients and patients at these clinics and center.
To: Wellness Center Staff
From: Stephanie Hanenberg
Thank you Wellness Center staff for your dedication in providing services and programs to our students. Front office, thank you for being the gatekeeper and backbone of all operations. Mental Health Services, thank you provide invaluable services to help our students manage some of the tough issues they are dealing with. Wellness Promotion, thank you for providing in-person and virtual activities and a wonderful resource for students to have during their isolation and quarantine periods. And Health Services, thank you for not only caring for our well students, but for taking the risk to care for those who are ill and need our support.
To: Wellness Center Staff
From: Ralph Giese
Thank you to those who made the fall housing opening possible, including Benek, Billie Jo, Skyler and the Wellness Center Staff…what amazing partners in trainings, protocol development and care for our residents! We are so lucky on this campus to have you!
Individuals
To: Alex Baker
From: Anna Squires
Kudos to my friend Alex, who never says no to a project – no matter how busy he is – if he knows he can make a difference. Alex has stepped up to create a new book club focused on diversity and inclusion, volunteered for search committees, facilitated new conversations and thought deeply about how to make UCCS a better place to live, learn and work. This is all on top of new burdens placed on the Office of the Dean of Students as they support our students through a pandemic. I’m grateful for his wise leadership always – whether it shines through an action he takes or a formal position he holds.
To: Ali Langfels
From: Colleen Stiles
Ali is our rock. She goes beyond expectations to work things out for students during this COVID time. She has had a great attitude, rolls with the punches and rides the wave of change. Ali is smart, intuitive, trusted by her peers and trusted by students. She has incredible response time and is thorough.
To: Amandine Habben
From: Brad Bayer
A huge thank you to Amandine Habben, Program Assistant II – Student Life. She recently led a project to revamp the Student Life financial organization numbers and speedtypes that more accurately reflect the current structure of the department.
To: Bryan Rossman
From: Anon.
Bryan Rossman is a terrific team player and is always willing to help with a project even if it falls out of the scope of his main job. Thank you for all your hard work Bryan!
To: Caroline Chubb
From: Stephani Hosain
Caroline has gone above and beyond to support our faculty and staff with our instructional technology needs and training in preparation for the fall semester. Her positive, “can do” attitude does not go unnoticed and so admire her incredible multi-tasking skills. She is a great asset to the School of Public Affairs.
To: Caroline Chubb
From: Anon.
Caroline has worked nonstop this year helping faculty move their courses online in spring 2020 when the campus shifted due to COVID. She taught a course for faculty teaching online in the summer, provided one-on-one mentoring sessions, and co-facilitated a standing virtual practice session for faculty in SPA to become more familiar with Microsoft Teams as they prepared for the fall 2020 semester. Kudos, Caroline! Thank you for helping us get our courses ready and keep our teaching engaging.
To: Caroline Chubb
From: Anon.
She is always available, she’s great at her job, and she has made the start of the semester much less stressful than it would be without her support!
To: Cindy Rhoads
From: Liz Bunkers
I just want to give Cindy a big shout out for her continued support of the alumni volunteer program and helping me sort out the background checks for the program. She is so kind and helpful, I am glad we have Cindy on our team at UCCS! Looking forward to working with her more.
To: Dan Lemack, Tracy Parks, Sharon Coddington, Sally Greene & Bradey Disbrow
From: Don Warrick
There are so many at UCCS that should be recognized for their exceptional efforts during the pandemic including our Chancellor, leaders at all levels, and many faculty and staff. However, I wanted to give special recognition to Dan Lemack and Tracy Parks in the College of Business who have guided faculty through the huge technical challenges of these rapidly changing times. Also, outside the College of Business, Sharon Coddington, the Director of the Copy Center has given heart and soul to getting things done under impossible circumstances. I could say the same for Sally Greene and Bradey Disbrow in the Bookstore. It is inspiring to see so many dedicated people working tirelessly for the good of UCCS.
To: Emily Drapeau
From: Colleen Stiles
I cannot imagine the challenges that go into being a Curriculum Management Specialist. During this ever-changing time, with changing courses and modes of delivery and students making last-minute decisions, Emily has been steadfast in her work. I am proud to write this kudo for Emily – she has gone above and beyond in service to students and to our faculty. Emily – thank you for your service and your dedication to UCCS!
To: Emily Drapeau
From: Anon.
Emily is a Curriculum Management Specialist. She has been working round-the-clock in these ever changing times to try and ensure that the students and faculty will be able to learn and teach in a safe environment. Emily never complains, and always comes at a problem head on. She is a vital piece to this wonderful team. Thank you Emily for your unwavering commitment to the university and for your genuine care.
To: Emily Drapeau, Ann Schwab, Dan Metzger & Michael Moody
From: Julie Albertson
I help with scheduling and advising in MAE, and these past several months they have worked tirelessly and at ALL HOURS to help us get classes set up and students in the classes that work. They have also come up with creative solutions to problems to help our students work out their fall schedules give all the complications. They are rock stars!
To: Garrett Kuecker
From: Andrea Cordova, Racquel Paywa & Elizabeth Wyatt
We appreciate Garrett’s continued willingness to assist with requests, including small projects and the monthly virtual Town Halls! He is quick to respond and always takes time to understand the need, which results in a thorough execution of the task or project at hand. Thank you, Garrett!
To: Katherine Placzek
From: Anon.
Kudos to Katherine for stepping up to distribute webcams to campus on very short notice. She dropped everything to get essential equipment to those who needed them.
To: Katie Burns
From: The COB External Relations Team
Katie is the ultimate team player. She is always willing to roll up her sleeves and support others and she frequently goes above and beyond her job duties. The events and webinars this summer for the College of Business simply could not have happened without Katie! She is creative, always has great ideas, and is overall just a joy to work with. The COB External Relations Team is lucky to have her! Thanks for all you do, Katie!
To: Kayleen St. Louis, Omar Montoya & Sarah Long
From: Megan Bell
Thank you to Kayleen, Omar and Sarah for everything you did for the Mountain Lion 360 (summer bridge) program students. The past few months have been such a whirlwind having to adapt the program to a hybrid model under bizarre conditions, and I appreciate you all handling the student and parent communication, working through issues and planning all of the logistics. I also appreciate the other instructors, advising, the bookstore, housing and dining for helping to support this program.
To: Kristina Coggins
From: Corrie West
Kristina has been an event planning rockstar! You have helped us all adapt what is normally done to fit the current guidelines and environment with incredible professionalism. Thank you for helping our team continue to connect with the community and donors to support students and UCCS!
To: Margaret Harris
From: Anon.
Dr. Harris goes out of her way to engage students in her supplements course, and is a vital resource in the sports nutrition department. Whenever I, or other classmates, have a question, she will give more information than imagined. She ensures clarity when discussing topics, and makes everyone feel welcome. She has helped me tremendously with questions over the past couple years, and is the reason I decided to come to UCCS. She is always kind, and shares any information nutrition related with all of us students. She is broadening my views and knowledge on the gut microbiome, supplements, and nutrition as a whole. She has helped me understand what I need to do to get the job I want and has worked very hard in setting up internship opportunities for us. If Dr. Harris wasn’t here, I do not think I would have had as amazing of time in my education here at UCCS.
To: Margie Oldham
From: Jen Kling
Margie has gone above and beyond to help me organize the first-ever virtual Philosophy in the City event. I couldn’t have done it without her willingness to help me navigate the cVent system, LAS email announcements, and the myriad of logistics inherent in a virtual panel discussion that is going to be live-streamed on YouTube.
To: Mark Means
From: Sandy Ho
Mark is one of my favorite people on campus. I met him when I first started working for UCCS. Mark has consistently been kind and professional. He listens to my requests to genuinely support the needs I am trying to navigate/address. BUT for this specific month, I want to recognize that Mark has taken on the supreme responsibility of ensuring we all have PPE, cleaning supplies, and feel safe in our offices and classrooms. Of course, I could be nervous about the semester start, but I know Mark is doing a fantastic job for all of us and being very attentive to every detail to ensure we are as safe as we can be. Thanks, Mark for being an exceptional staff member and leader!
To: Megan Bell
From: Brad Bayer
Props to Dr. Megan Bell, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor – Student Affairs and Retention Strategies for leading the Student Experience Recovery Team. She effectively facilitated the planning process with multiple stakeholders and delivered an exceptional plan that blends high quality in-person and remote student service and student programming delivery. Throughout the process, she was always intentional about including the student voice.
To: Monica Killebrew
From: Emily Skop
Monica brings clarity and efficiency to every situation. She brings out the very best in her colleagues and exemplifies a solid work ethic. Thank you from Geography and Environmental Studies!
To: Nick Martinez
From: Season Doebler & Jennifer Trotterchaude
Nick spent so much time working with our FDC Team to help create updated, streamlined and efficient back office processes for us. It was a very timely and detail oriented project that will make a HUGE impact on our Department’s functionality. Thank You Nick for all you do to support our team and make the FDC a better place to work! You are the BEST! Sincerely, The FDC Administrative Team
To: Nick Martinez
From: Karen Talone
Nick did a great job presenting Finance training through Teams format. He was very patient and helpful in learning the larger finance picture at UCCS. I appreciate Nick taking the time in helping me learn. Thanks Nick!
To: Robin Margolin & Steve Linhart
From: Stephanie Hanenberg
Despite Robin and Steve being in the midst of preparing their own areas for the re-opening of campus, both volunteered countless hours to assist with move in and gave up their Sundays to help us start the process. They both engaged with families in very meaningful ways which resulted in very positive feedback. Thank you both.
To: Rose Johnson
From: Kirsten Ortega
A big thank you and shout out to Rose Johnson for the support she has provided me this summer as I transition into the chair position of the English Department. Guiding me while we work remotely has been a challenge. Rose has fielded countless questions from me at all times of the day and week! She meets every request with kindness and patience. Rose is Program Assistant for a large department and another program as well, so I know that taking the time to train me is no small feat in her daily responsibilities. I so appreciate having her as our regent of records and liaison of logistics.
To: Rose Johnson
From: Ann Amicucci
Rose holds the whole English Department together! She has been consistently on top of all our (many, many) requests and questions in the lead-up to the fall semester. We would be lost without her. We are grateful for her professionalism and her years of expertise!
To: Rose Johnson
From: Helen Davies
I am a new faculty member starting in the midst of a pandemic, social distancing and all of the COVID concerns. Rose has gone out of her way to make me feel welcome and to provide answers to all of my numerous questions. Due to the situation right now, I have not met many of my colleagues and do not have the opportunity to run into people in the halls to ask questions. Rose has stepped in to fill the gap by sorting out things like access to my office and a copier code, but also solving problems like how do I give permission codes to students. She has gone above and beyond to make me feel welcome. Rose frequently has provided solutions to my newbie problems and offered the information that I might have received other ways in more normal times. She really has been a point of calm and information in these unusual times.
To: Ryan Janke
From: Anon.
Ryan worked hard to build the web app for students to submit Chromebooks and administrators to run the Chromebook program from.
To: Ryan Wong
From: Anon.
Ryan has been an incredible asset to the Campus Recreation Department in preparing our facilities and staff for our reopening. He (as always) has gone above and beyond to ensure loose ends are tied and problems are solved. Without him, our reopening would not have gone as smoothly as it did. Thank you, Ryan for all you do for Campus Rec. We are lucky to have you on our team!
To: Sammy Wilding
From: Anon.
For building and hanging the sneeze guards on campus.
To: Stephanie Hanenberg
From: Anon.
We are beyond lucky to have Stephanie Hanenberg, a national expert on health and wellness, at UCCS guiding our return to campus for the fall semester. Thank you, Stephanie, for all of your efforts to provide essential leadership to our campus and translate the ever-changing national health guidelines to policies we can implement at the university.
To: Stephanie Hanenberg & Molly Kinne
From: Ralph Giese
Thank you to those who made the fall housing opening possible. To my “partners in crime”…Stephanie and Molly, I would not have survived without your advice, care and support. You listened to my rants and talked me off the edge many times in the last months.
To: Stephen Cucchiara
From: Brad Bayer
Kudos to Stephen Cucchiara, Director of Student Activities and Community Service for his strong work ethic and for providing co-curricular learning experiences that have been innovative, fun and safe for students during the first several weeks of the fall semester. He’s also one of the best bingo callers out there!
To: Timothy McDonnell
From: Minette Church
He is sole staff for two departments, Anthropology and Languages and Cultures. He has been great during transition of chairs and organizing COVID-19 supplies, and is always cheerful – in-person or virtually – even when we collectively ask a lot of him. He is also a wonderful supervisor of our terrific student employee. Thank you, Tim!
To: Tomoko Weggener
From: Monica Sedillo
Tomoko is always so willing to assist me when I have accounting questions – usually with speedtype questions (grants can be tricky!)! Even if she doesn’t know the answer, or maybe my question doesn’t directly relate to her position, she will work through it with me and is happy to learn! Regardless, she always has a smile on her face! Thanks for being a team player, Tomoko!
Want to celebrate your colleagues? Submit kudos anytime through the Staff Association website. Communique publishes Clyde’s Kudos on the first business day of each month.