Clyde’s Kudos are a Staff Association initiative 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: June 2022
Featured this month:
Alex Kirby | Andi Diamond | Andrea Cordova | Andy Johnston | Cindy Brown | Cindy Corwin | Deborah O’Connor | Eric Nissen | Jeff Foster | Jeremy Tole | Katherine Placzek | Linda Garcia | Liz Bunkers | Lorinda Lindemulder | Rose Johnson | Steve Miller | Sylvia Mendez | Willow Meyers
Individuals
To: Alex Kirby
From: Angela Storck
Alex regularly goes above and beyond to help others when they are struggling. He is always willing to help a co-worker in need even if the job they need help with isn’t his favorite activity. He provides good counsel and is a good listener for staff, students, and families.
Alex sometimes gets overlooked and it can be easy to take for granted the helpfulness of someone who doesn’t ask for recognition or thanks. I want to let him know how much he is appreciated by everyone in the housing operations office.
To: Andi Diamond
From: Katie Pritchard
Andi has been an amazing mentor, not only in my new position as an Academic Advisor, but also during my SAHE practicum. She is always kind and compassionate, has given freely of her time, and is a wealth of knowledge. She has gone above and beyond for me and I so appreciate her!!!
To: Andrea Cordova
From: Tom & Harriet
Andrea, without your help, my retirement would have been much more trying. Harriet and I send our thanks to you and to Anthony. Blessing!
To: Andy Johnston
From: Margie Oldham
I want to thank Andy for his work on the recent candidate search committees I have been on. Andy is a real professional and really knows his stuff! He gladly walked us through posting positions, working out the interviewing schedule, and navigating HireVue. He makes the process absolutely painless, and makes us all look good to potential UCCS employees. We couldn’t get through these hiring processes without him. Thank you for your work!
To: Cindy Brown
From: Les Knotts
CIndy rendered exceptional support as I transitioned onto the department staff, getting me into necessary training, guiding me to experts, and answering my myriad questions promptly and accurately, even after hours. Having taught at multiple institutions across the country, I can attest that I have not heretofore experienced this level of efficient, friendly, and accurate assistance anywhere else. Canvas support. Computer support. Classroom tech support. Advice and institutional savvy. Retain and promote.
To: Cindy Corwin
From: Anna Squires
Kudos and a big thank-you to Cindy, who gathered and confirmed all kinds of information on compensation analyses and increases to support institutional messaging. Thank you for all of your help!
To: Deborah O’Connor
From: Anon.
Deborah should be recognized for her enthusiasm and willingness to make UCCS the best possible place to work. I first was introduced to Deborah during new hire orientation. Her passion for Ethics and Compliance was evident at that time as she made a lasting impression on myself and other new hires. Because of her knowledge and welcoming demeanor, I have reached out to her with several questions and points of clarification. I am grateful for her support and encouragement to continue to reach out with questions. She never makes me feel like I should not have called, she is happy to help and has either gotten the answer for me to act upon or gets me in touch with the person who is able to assist. I think the Compliance Department is a bright star of this institution and really has made my time at UCCS a much easier transition. For which I am grateful and wanted to give KUDOS.
To: Eric Nissen
From: Kayla Gronseth Boyer
Eric is a great mentor and always takes time to brainstorm, motivate and acknowledge his team’s initiatives, efforts and successes. Couldn’t ask for a better leader for our team!
To: Jeff Foster
From: Kayla Gronseth Boyer
Jeff coordinated a team lunch recently that got us all together, away from our desks, to connect and enjoy good food and conversation. A much needed reminder of the great team we have in our office. Thanks, Jeff!
To: Jeremy Tole
From: Anon.
Jeremy was SOOOO helpful when we had a bit of a medical issue with another staff member earlier this month. He was able to get us some soda and the sugar was exactly what was needed.
To: Katherine Placzek
From: Anon.
Katherine has been so helpful as I onboarded to UCCS. She went above and beyond to answer questions, help me navigate as a new remote hire, and understand UCCS processes and procedures. She is highly responsive, very friendly, and always willing to help!
To: Linda Garcia
From: The Academic Outreach Team
Linda is fairly new at UCCS but she has embraced staff and students wholeheartedly. Linda has helped our department tremendously by efficiently handling our third-party billing, but she also goes above and beyond in order to help parents and students comprehend the billing process. She is patient and explains everything in such a way that they understand, and she is a master at de-escalating any situation that might arise. She does all this while being incredibly positive and kind. Thank you, Linda, for doing what you do so proficiently. It makes this side of our business run much more smoothly.
To: Liz Bunkers
From: Anna Squires
The biggest Kudos ever to Liz Bunkers, who made the first-ever Staff Celebration a reality!
The time, effort, thought and love Liz put into this event is astonishing. So many people across campus ask for more — more recognition, more celebrations, more events, more communication — and Liz is one of the only people I know who looks at these challenges and says, “I’m going to do something about that.” She makes leadership an activity, not a position.
I am in total awe of Liz’s amazing ability to make events fun, successful and flexible. Thanks for doing this for all staff, Liz!
To: Liz Bunkers
From: Anon.
Liz put so many hours into making sure the staff appreciation event would go wonderfully. Thank you for your time, effort and organization, Liz! We appreciate you!
To: Liz Bunkers
From: Kayla Gronseth Boyer
Liz always works to have our office stay connected when we are all on campus. She recently started outdoor lunches each day and invites everyone to sit, eat, and chat together. She is a great colleague and I appreciate her friendship!
To: Lorinda Lindemulder
From: Maria Sekutera
Thank you, Lorinda, for helping me be successful in the lab, and for your instruction to the students. You are kind and patient and I appreciate you.
To: Rose Johnson
From: Tom Napierkowski
Rose Johnson has not just been a blessing to me and my career; she is a treasure to the entire Department of English. Thank you, Rose. Be well, and know that you are loved.
To: Steve Miller
From: Wendi Clouse
I’d like to give a huge public shout-out to Steve Miller. He has taken a significant amount of his time helping with my transition from IR to the enrollment management team. Steve is a wealth of knowledge, and he is always more than willing to help. I want Steve to know that he is a great asset to the Office of Admissions, the Enrollment Management Team, and the university as a whole.
To: Sylvia Mendez
From: Anon.
Dr. Mendez goes above and beyond for all her students. She finds personal, financial, and/or academic support for anyone in need, is always willing to look over work for feedback, mentors those that work with her, responds in an organized and timely way and is an inspiration for women in academia.
To: Willow Meyers
From: Nancy Mars
Willow is a great Human Resources team member. She manages projects that benefit the UCCS community. She is always willing to help and get the information needed to complete the task. I can always count on her reliable and helpful feedback when I reach out to her.
Want to celebrate your staff colleagues? Submit kudos anytime through the Staff Association website. Communique publishes Clyde’s Kudos on the first business day of each month.