Marleen Flack, University services associate for the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, has been named the recipient of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh STAR Award for February 2011. Provost and Vice Chancellor Lane Earns, Perry Rettig, Carleen Vande Zande, Holly Lawryk and Kristy DeBolt, nominated her. Portions of the nomination letter follow:
“Marleen is consistently positive in her approach to her work, the people the office serves and to her fellow employees. She willingly accepts any assignment and completes it with efficiency and good humor. Her attitude is infectious and helps all of us in the office maintain balance and a professional office atmosphere.
“There probably is no one else on campus who has worked as the support person for more search and screen committees than Marleen has during the last 14 years. She is an expert at this and frequently offers advice to people who are new to the process, saving them and the University much time that might otherwise be lost in searching for the answers to their questions. She often serves as a mentor in such cases. Additionally, Marleen greets candidates, communicates with them during the process when necessary and serves as an ambassador of the University both before and while candidates are on campus.
“Marleen routinely offers assistance to her colleagues in a proactive manner rather than waiting for direction. The pace is hectic and demanding in the Provost’s Office; Marleen’s demeanor is a wonderful and enjoyable blend.
“Marleen routinely goes over and above the responsibilities and expectations detailed in her job description. Here are a few examples:
“Because of her vast experience as the support person for search and screen committees (approximately one per year for the last 13 years), Marleen has extensive knowledge of the process. Her job description does not include mentoring other classified staff who are providing support to search and screen committees for the first time, but she has voluntarily helped many classified staff “learn the ropes.” Her willingness to go above and beyond expectations and mentor these individuals has saved them and the university countless hours that would otherwise be lost in searching for answers.
“When Marleen recently worked with a search and screen committee during the hiring of an upper level University administrator, the committee decided to welcome each candidate with a package of information and products from the area. Marleen volunteered many off-duty hours scouting out items to include and gathering brochures and other area information. She assembled the packages and delivered them to the hotel. She clearly went over and above the clerical support expectations of the committee and her job description.
“In addition to the search and screen committees, Marleen is the support person for two faculty senate and two all-University committees. Although her assigned hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., she willingly rearranges her working hours to later in the day to accommodate the committee members’ schedules and needs. This is another example of her willingness to go over and above expectations and of her commitment to the University and its mission.
“Each spring, Marleen schedules scholarship presentations by campus administrators to high school seniors at award ceremonies. She uses her calligraphy talent to personalize each award giving the presentations a formality and professionalism that sets them apart from a computer-generated version. This step is over and above the duties in her job description, and is another example of how Marleen takes every opportunity to be a superior ambassador for the Office of the Provost and the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
“Marleen is one of the coordinators of the New Faculty and Instructional Academic Staff (IAS) Orientation. In addition to the duties expected of this task, she takes the opportunity to promote the city of Oshkosh and our university. Because she has lived in Oshkosh most of her life and loves it here, she is able to respond to questions and concerns new faculty and IAS bring along with them to the orientation and city tour. Her attention to these details is over and above what her job description requires for the day and gives these new employees an extra warm welcome.”
Winners of the STAR Award receive a framed certificate, a reserved parking space for one month and a gift from University Books & More. The award for exceptional performance is presented each month to a member of the classified staff who has worked at least six months at UW Oshkosh.
The CSAC Awards & Recognition Committee submitted this announcement. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to contribute calendar items, campus announcements and other good news to UW Oshkosh Today.