People

Customer Service Program Wins Big on Campus

(L-R) Dennis Lovvorn, Department of Public Safety; Cherree Brown, Facilities & Grounds; and Nina Saxon, Human Resources, are congratulated by Jim Sutherland, vice president for the Division of Business and Finance.

Jim Sutherland, vice president for the Division of Business and Finance, sent the winners of the Customer Service Program a note and explanation to the campus community of what their winning attributes were.

"Based on nominations received from their peers, it gives me great pleasure in recognizing our Fourth Quarter /Fiscal Year 2008 recipients of the Customer Service Employee Recognition Award.  

Here is what made these campus members outstanding among their peers:

Dennis Lovvorn, locksmith in the Department of Public Safety, displays extraordinary customer service skills and treats all individuals in a courteous, professional manner.  His calm posture is always reassuring to our customers who are concerned about the security of their property. Dennis is able to describe a complex technical problem in language that anyone can understand. And even more importantly, he has a manner of speaking in which you feel engaged, not just spoken to.  With a friendly hello and a smile, Dennis always communicates the attitude that it is his pleasure to help you and that he enjoys improving the campus community.

Cherree Brown, a custodian in Facilities and Grounds, is well known for her very friendly and outgoing personality on campus. But perhaps her customer service skills are best known and appreciated by the students. Cherree’s work is focused on Gunn Hall, so she has daily contact with the Advanced Academy students, who have wonderful things to say about her.  She is described as hard working, kind and proud of a job well done. The students feel that she sincerely cares about them. Given that these young people are getting their first taste of college life, it is good to know people like Cherree are having a positive influence on them.

Nina Saxon, a payroll assistant III in the office of Human Resources, has a wealth of knowledge in the area of payroll and is always willing to help, no matter how busy she is. Although payroll can be a very time sensitive job, Nina is courteous and helpful even when a deadline is looming nearby. Assisting with issues ranging from late time sheets to missing paper work, she always works diligently to correct these problems without complaining.  In the six years Nina has been with Human Resources, she has built a reputation as a “go to” person for answers and friendly service.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all those employees receiving nominations.  And thank you to the campus community for their continued support of this very important program.

Sincerely,

James R. Sutherland
Vice President for Business and Finance"

Winners receive an “Employee of the Quarter” parking place, a
certificate presented by Jim Sutherland and the employee’s supervisor acknowledging their selection and contribution and a luncheon at the end of the year for all recipients. For more information on the program or to submit your nomination, go to the Human Resources site.

Kudos

Congratulations to the Department of Sociology and Criminology on its newest master’s degree. The Graduate School will offer a new Master of Arts in Criminology this fall on campus and at the Newnan Center. The degree program is the only one of its kind in the state of Georgia and focuses on the broader discipline of criminology and not solely upon an area of concentration in criminal justice within the discipline. Courses being taught this fall are titled Terrorism and Law Enforcement Leadership and are scheduled 5:30 – 8 p.m. one evening a week. Registration is ongoing. For more information, call 678-839-6419. 

The UWG Bookstore finished its Spring Celebration Fund textbook buyback pilot program with more than 13,000 books recycled in the spring semester. The program is a collaboration between the bookstore and its partner, the Nebraska Book Company, to raise awareness of the environmental benefits of recycling textbooks. The book company measured the volume of used books returned and awarded the university bookstore $1,700. Bob Swanson, assistant director of Auxiliary Services, hopes to plant a tree or help spruce up the landscaping with the funds. Swanson said reusing books instead of ordering new copies makes sense. “Not only do we reduce the number of new books ordered, but we don’t cut down any trees, there is less petroleum used in transport and less energy used in the production,” said Swanson. “I hope everyone becomes more aware of the ecological benefits of used books as well as the financial benefits from textbook buybacks.”

Kudos features UWG faculty and staff articles and book publications, conference attendance and presentations, grants, organizational leadership and awards. E-mail your news to the Campus Chronicle editor.