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: February 2024
Teams:
Academic Scheduling Team (SCHEDREG) | Custodial Staff at Housing Villages | Everyone Involved with the Alpine Village Incident | Kyle Bangert, Erika Barrios, Rebecca Roa | Paul Deniston and Jesse Gilbert | UCCS Police and Emergency Management | UCCS Staff
Individuals:
AJ Vafiades | Angela Storck | Bailee Jones | Beckie Pyles Munoz | Brad Bayer | Brenna Faricy | Brian Arnold | Craig Ginter | Dr. Jessi Smith | Ellen Burkart | Jasmine Cashin | Jerrico Grimard | John Artuso | Joseph Bono | Kathy Kaoudis | Kim Uhl | Kimberly Knourek | Luisa Gomez Agustin | Noelle San Souci | Shari Huscher | Sherry McDonnell | Stephen Cucchiara | Telma Frumholtz
Teams
To: Academic Scheduling Team (SCHEDREG)
From: Sarah Jane Baker
Thank you so much for the SCHEDREG team for rolling with the punches while we transition classes over to the new AEC building. They are extremely detail oriented and always on top of things. They do more than most people realize to keep the university afloat.
To: Custodial Staff at the Housing Villages
From: Anon.
The custodial staff at both Summit and Alpine are hardworking. They are always working . Cleanliness and spotless. I believe when you have a working i mean working staff is b3caise of leadership and also they enjoy there job not only because of a paycheck. These employees are not really recognized or acknowledge but th3y should. Great job custodial staff and coming from me. Thank you for all you do!!!
To: Everyone involved with the Alpine Village Incident
From: Anon.
In such a tragic event, it was incredible to see the amount of support and love from so many across campus, the CU System, and the Colorado Springs community. No one would have ever expected this to happen to our campus, but everyone stepped up and did their best. The sense of community made you feel proud to be a part of the mountain lion family.
To: Kyle Bangert, Erika Barrios, Rebecca Roa
From: Laurie Martin
On January 17th there was a major flood in housing. A huge thanks to the team for all the effort to get it cleaned up. Be proud of the fact that you have the power to rise above any situation and deliver the best results no matter the circumstances. Excellent work!!
To: Paul Deniston and Jesse Gilbert
From: Crista Hill
Paul and Jesse went out of their way to assist me in getting lab kits for three military-affiliated students taking a Chemistry course at Fort Carson. It was short-notice and an issue we didn’t know we had, and they both jumped right into action to help resolve it.
To: UCCS Police and Emergency Management
From: Crista Hill
There are no words to express the gratitude I feel, as both a staff member and a parent of a student living in the dorms, for all you did for our community during and after the tragic events of Friday, February 16th. Thank you,
To: UCCS Staff
From: Anon.
Can we all give thanks to the campus staff that go above and beyond for students? Staff are ever present on this campus through the good and the bad. Staff are always present on this campus for students. Campus Police are staff on this campus present to keep us all safe and reassure us that everything is okay. Our awesome mental health staff champions that jump into action as soon our students need them. Staff communicate to the community and campus what needs to be communicated. Staff impacts every function on this campus. I hope the cabinet and faculty will acknowledge that this “invisible” team of staff always go and above for students.
Individuals
To: AJ Vafiades
From: Deann Barrett
Adding AJ to my area in LAS has been absolutely amazing! She is a quick learner, the best at supporting people and me, eager to continue to learn, thinks outside the box, is a great sounding board and someone I can trust to do work to my standards and expectations. I am so fortunate we get to work together.
To: Angela Storck
From: Jay Hubert
I have a student filming their capstone film project in a few weeks, and they have a few scenes that take place in a dorm room. I reached out to UCCS Housing to inquire about filming in a dorm room, aware of the inopportune timing with the tragic event in the dorms last week. I got a very quick reply from Angela, who was incredibly helpful and accommodating, offering to personally work with the student to make sure they were able to scout the location and film outside of business hours. Thank you Angela for going above and beyond for our students!
To: Bailee Jones
From: Jena McCollum
Submitting detailed grant proposals is always stressful. Bailee’s attention to detail and ease of communication make the process far less stressful. Thank you so much for help on my recent DARPA submission, Bailee! We really appreciate your hard work getting these grants submitted!
To: Beckie Pyles Munoz
From: Eric M. Olson
Beckie Pyles Munoz has continued to cover her dual set of responsibilities to the College of Business and to the Sport Management program while also covering almost all of those of the recently departed Assistant Director for the Sport Management program. As director of the Sport Management program I am in the ideal spot to see just how professional her performance is. Without her competence and good cheer we would have found ourselves in a deep hole just as prospective students are making their college choice decision. She has done all of this while also enrolled as a doctoral student. Thank you Beckie.
To: Brad Bayer
From: Cody Parish
Anyone who knows Brad can attest to his deep commitment to our students. Brad makes an active, intentional effort to regularly meet students where they are, to connect with them, and to ensure they feel supported on our campus. This was nowhere more apparent than in the aftermath of the tragedy on Friday, Feb. 16th, when Brad spent countless hours collaborating with campus leaders to organize a timely, effective response to this crisis, including mobilizing campus resources to support our students. While much of his time was spent in meetings, much of it was also spent with students on campus and supporting departments in arranging activities and resources for students, including in the Student Life Lounge. Brad showcased how we can prioritize our students’ well-being no matter our title, and for that I am grateful.
To: Brenna Faricy
From: Cody Parish
This past weekend (Sunday, Feb. 25th), we facilitated 2 workshops designed by Brenna for 350+ high school students at the DECA state competition. The first workshop was plagued by technology issues, and I was impressed by the resilience Brenna demonstrated despite the intense pressure of the situation. Our second workshop was incredible, and that’s a testament to Brenna’s curriculum design and determination to bounce back after such demoralizing experience. I am very proud of our team and especially proud of Brenna.
To: Brian Arnold
From: Cody Parish
Brian did a really amazing job supporting Fraternity & Sorority Life following the sudden passing of Mia Brown two weeks ago. Mia was such an important presence within this community, and the FSL community was intent on honoring her through her vigil. Brian worked proactively to communicate and advise the FSL community through this experience, deftly collaborating with FSL leadership to shift plans for the vigil from on campus to off campus following the tragic events later that week. Such support during such a challenging time surely built deeper trust between FSL and our staff, which is a testament to Brian’s demonstrated commitment to our students.
To: Craig Ginter
From: Mitchell Smith
Officer Ginter is a model of modern, people oriented, community policing. I am continuously impressed by his kind and patient demeanor along with his genuinely caring nature. He polices to teach, rather than punish and he is an outstanding coworker, always looking out for fellow officers. Officer Ginter goes above and beyond!!!
To: Dr. Jessi Smith
From: Brad Bayer
Kudos to Dr. Jessi Smith, Vice Provost & Associate Vice Chancellor for Research. Within a very tight timeline, she went above and beyond to deliver a plethora of resource options to consider for an important research request. This component added value to the project and its ultimate success.
To: Ellen Burkart
From: Katrina Schwank
Thank you, Ellen, for being such a caring and compassionate leader. Your frequent check-ins with everyone on our team during a very difficult month have really meant a lot. Thank you for all your support!
To: Jasmine Cashin
From: Cody Parish
Jasmine deserves an immense amount of praise for the ways in which she collaborated and supported the campus community, especially Student Life, with coordinating activities and resources for students following the tragic events two weeks ago. Jasmine worked closely with the Student Life team to adjust existing events like the vigil for Mia Brown and to schedule new activities that would bring much-needed resources to students. She even stayed on campus throughout the weekend to help Student Life staff arrange spaces and set up activities for students. Jasmine demonstrated the incredible importance of her department in ensuring timely, effective responses to campus crises–thank you for all the ways in which you support our campus community.
To: Jerrico Grimard
From: Anon.
Jerrico is one of the kindest, thoughtful, and helpful people I know. She is a joy to have as part of our medical team. She easily collaborates and consults with other providers as well as precepts nurse practitioner students on a regular basis. Jerrico also picks up shifts and trades shifts to help accommodate needs of our team. Recently, my son was sick and she worked my shift with minimal notice. Then on this same shift she had to assess an emergent situation and did so without hesitation. She is an incredible member of our team and she deserves to be recognized.
To: John Artuso
From: Anon.
As a campus shuttle driver, John consistently demonstrates how deeply he cares for our students. I’m a faculty member and admittedly stand out a bit amidst the students, and in the past John has asked me how my teaching is going. Recently, in the context of campus events, he took some extra time to ask all about what I was hearing from students and shared some of his own experiences. He is clearly so invested in supporting our students, and especially their feeling of morale and safety. Kudos to John!
To: Joseph Bono
From: Anon.
Thank you for going above and beyond in your role as student supervisor, DEI committee chair, and for your hard work on the Q Project. You are an invaluable member of the library and of UCCS!
To: Kathy Kaoudis
From: Anon.
Thank you for your tireless efforts on campus and with UBAC. Your commitment to the campus community is remarkable.
To: Kim Uhl
From: Anon.
Thank you, Kim! She has made a huge effort to be apart of the college and participate in events. It has been amazing to get to know her and see her smile in person. Your work with Military Science is greatly appreciate!
To: Kimberly Knourek
From: Laura Austin-Eurich
Kimberly is a joy to work with. She is student focused and so supportive of our Communication majors. The major itself – with many tracks and programs – can be challenging to advise, but Kimberly asks great questions and provides fantastic feedback to the department. Everything she does is with students’ success in mind. I wish I could come up with one example, but every exchange with her is positive and makes my day brighter.
To: Luisa Gomez Agustin
From: Anon.
Always willing to help in any kind of way and always has a smile on her face while she does it.
To: Noelle San Souci
From: Cody Parish
Like Stephen, Noelle deserves immense praise for her tireless efforts to mobilize resources and prepare activities for our students in the wake of the tragic events two weeks ago. She worked diligently over the weekend to coordinate activities with campus partners, to buy supplies and food, and to support students as they processed what had happened. Her leadership and dedication were felt in so many ways within our campus community this past week–thank you for all you do.
To: Shari Huscher
From: SJ Baker
Shari is doing a great job managing the administrative side of the Computer Science department, which is currently understaffed. I appreciate her quick responses. She is doing as much as she possibly can with the resources and time she has. Thank you so much for all your hard work!
To: Sherry McDonnell
From: Kim Uhl
Sherry has been a great resource for me since starting my job here at UCCS. She is very helpful and always quick to respond to my questions. She has a wonderful wealth of knowledge and she is very much appreciated.
To: Stephen Cucchiara
From: Cody Parish
Stephen deserves immense praise for his tireless efforts to mobilize resources for our students in the wake of the tragic events two weeks ago. Stephen worked diligently across the weekend to organize timely activities rooted in community support that met students where they were at, be it in the resident villages or in the Student Life Lounge. If it were not for Stephen and his leadership, our campus response to the crisis would not have been near as robust as it was. Thank you for your commitment to our students.
To: Telma Frumholtz
From: Jay Hubert
In working to set up a study abroad opportunity in China in a very short time frame, Telma met with me for an hour, patiently listened to me give copious details about the program, and immediately jumped into action getting everything approved. By the end of the same week, she already had an application portal set up and activated for our students to apply. Telma was great about communicating throughout the process, and always quick to reply to my emails. Telma has a fascinating background, and I’m so glad to know we have someone so experienced, resourceful, and helpful running our Education Abroad Program. Thanks Telma! You make UCCS a better place to work and study!!
Want to celebrate your staff colleagues? Submit kudos anytime through the Staff Association website. Communique publishes Clyde’s Kudos each month.