Nothing reminds us of our mission of teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and engagement more than the return of 31,000 students with the start of the new academic year! Nothing could be more central to our mission than our impact, inside and outside the classroom, on the lives of those 31,000 students.
We have such an opportunity in the development of our students that it makes working in higher education a privilege for us all. While our thoughts jump first to the classroom and the lab and the interactions of our faculty and students, so many others behind the scenes support our students and the infrastructure that keeps Virginia Tech running. Unfortunately, we don't often highlight their roles.
This new academic year, we are committed to bringing more of our employees front and center who serve in roles which might otherwise not be fully appreciated. Those employees who maintain our information network and systems, who keep our grounds looking beautiful, who register and admit our students, who advise and tutor our students, who help pay our bills, manage our budget, keep us safe - the list goes on and on.
And the reality is that Virginia Tech succeeds in achieving its mission to the extent that all of the many people behind the scenes successfully do their jobs each and every day. We can't possibly feature all the many exceptional employees, extraordinary in so many ways, who help make Virginia Tech a wonderful academic community...but we can sure try!
Our new Extraordinary Employees series will spotlight employees who are doing great work on the job and in their communities. Many of our 7,000 employees are deeply involved in non-profits and philanthropic activities, giving back in countless ways to bring Virginia Tech's motto, That I May Serve, to life beyond our campus boundaries.
We hope you enjoy this new series which will begin on Monday, September 3, with a feature on Anthony Watson, associate director of facilities operations, buildings trades and grounds. And please keep all the many employees in mind who helped get another school term off to such a successful start.
If you have ideas of employees we should feature over the next year, please feel free to share them in the comments section - along with why you believe they are so extraordinary.
I would like to nominate Rhonda Randel of Identity Management Services to be featured in your Extraordinary Employees series. Rhonda has helped countless people with their PIDs, Exchange accounts, transcripts, Oracle IDs, certificates, and any other credential we need to get our work done at the university. By the time Rhonda receives a phone call or trouble ticket, the user has often been bounced around from office to office, and is not always in a happy mood, but Rhonda is unfailingly cheerful and efficient. She knows the university's business processes so well that she could design a "Help Me Rhonda" application for all of our users. Rhonda also volunteers her free time as a team mom for Giles High School's football, basketball, and baseball teams. She is an extraordinary employee, and a rare gem.
ReplyDeleteSubmitted by co-worker Kimberley Homer (email: homerk@vt.edu)
I second Kimberley Homer's nomination of Rhonda Randel. Anytime I have need of Rhonda's assistance, she is always there ready to help. She is reliably responsive; I never have to worry about a request for help going into a 'black hole' with Ronda. She is a tremendous example of customer service and a wonderful ambassador for the Identity Management Services area.
DeleteRhonda definitely deserves the recognition of Extraordinary Employee.
Brenda van Gelder (bvgelder@vt.edu)
Nice post! I liked the way you get to the point - which is always useful. Most blogs are a bit too verbose for me, this one fits nicely. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI think your blog is a great idea! And I look forward to the Extraordinary Employee series.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Chambers