Pat on the Back Awards February 2006

Congratulations to —

John Bush, custodian, dental hygiene. He works hard every day to keep our dental hygiene clinics, radiology lab, dental materials lab, and the dental reception area clean and sanitary. He works long hours and very hard and we want him to know that his work is very much appreciated by the dental hygiene staff and students. During our dental hygiene accreditation site visit, John worked even harder to make our clinics and dental area sparkle. He coordinated all of the work needing to be done with Robert Kleeves. Not only does John work very hard to keep our area looking sharp, he has a wonderful personality and we care a great deal about John. He is always willing to help us with any custodial requests. He is always cheerful, pleasant and very trustworthy. John is very deserving of the award of "A Pat On the Back."

Robert Kleeves, custodial supervisor, assisted the dental hygiene department in orchestrating the extra attention needed prior to the accreditation site visit. Thanks Robert. It is our understanding that Greg Vodry, Frank Mondrella, and Ken Moses also worked tirelessly during this time to assist with making our entire dental floor sparkle for the site visit. Thanks to all of you and if there were any others involved, please forgive us for not mentioning your names, but a heartfelt thanks is extended to all of you for your special efforts!

Samantha Smith, student intern, has been doing a fantastic job assisting in the preparation of Banner training materials. Team Leads power users from the Finance, Student and Human Resources modules provide her with content and she organizes it into a template and incorporates screen shots. We appreciate Samantha's contribution to the Banner Project.

Jim Cook (IS and T), Jeff Spedowski, Kris Rasmussen, Mike Slocum, Celeste Belcher-Girard, Nancy Mettlach, Ashley Atteberry. Each of these individuals recently made significant contributions of time and effort to the Student Judicial Services Database Selection Committee. Their job was to research multiple student judicial databases to replace the existing database which is outdated. These individuals put a great deal of time into making sure the new database meets the needs of Hall Directors and others on campus who require a fast, reliable and effective student judicial database. I appreciate their hard work and attention to detail.

To the individuals who gave up time during their Christmas break to convert data for both the Banner Student and Human Resource Systems. Some of these individuals worked through the entire break. Their dedication to the successful implementation of the Banner Project is exemplary and their willingness to give up their holiday time is very much appreciated. The University owes a debt of gratitude to these individuals, as well as to all of the Banner Team members, for their commitment to this project. The holiday break warriors include: Kathy Fisher, Cathryn Claerhout, Dave Engels, Bruce Gilchrist, Sam Fattore, Rob Wagner, Jo Gerst, Craig Westman, Dave Steffens, Lora Caputo, Kim Latendresse, and Bobbie Landreth. Kudos to you all!

Sherry Standen in Admissions and Records for her helpfulness and patience with off-campus applications/admissions processes. Her willingness to go above and beyond to help students was very much appreciated by both the students and all of the Extended Learning staff.

Tara Benzing in the David L. Eisler Center for Extended Learning for her willingness and enthusiasm to dig in and learn about the Study Abroad and Student Exchange programs in a very short period of time so she was able to effectively help students and faculty with their needs. She really hit the ground running.

To all of the many Ferris staff and faculty on- and off-campus that work so hard to make Ferris programs available to the many students that are unable to come to Big Rapids, but still want to continue their education. There are too many people to mention and many colleges and departments are involved in some way, but they all deserve a pat-on-the-back for going the extra mile to help these Ferris students reach their goals.

Paul Heidemann, part-time technician, SATS. Paul volunteered to develop on his own time a work order database for Media Production. This database is being used to track work orders, calculate charges, and issue invoices. Thank you, Paul, for providing us with the means to track our activities and provide statistical reports.

Michelle Allen, part-time clerical, Honors Program, is very conscientious and dependable. She always has a smile on her face, she is very positive, very upbeat, and a pleasure to be around. She also has a wonderful sense of humor which is always a welcome addition to any office and we are lucky to have her.

Michelle Herron, communications specialist, University Advancement and Marketing. Michelle went above the call of duty as a part-time employee earlier this year, creating two excellent radio advertisements for Ferris, working the Muskegon Air Show FSU Alumni booth on a weekend, hosting sessions at Dawg Days, and now as a full-time employee (Welcome Aboard!) she volunteered to manage the web content for the new Virtual Women's Center. Way to go Meshe.