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Regents and WNC Awards for 2002-2003

Each year, the NSHE board of Regents and Western Nevada College give various awards for excellence for teaching, administrative and staff work, teamwork, and more. The awards given for the 2002-2003 school year are listed below.

WNC Classified Employee Appreciation

Classified Council selects one staff member each month to highlight his or her outstanding contributions to WNC. Anyone from the college can nominate staff for this award. Profiles of the staff members selected are sent to the President's Office and a special celebration is held in the spring to recognize the outstanding achievements of these staff.

Nominate someone

June 2003: Ray Sprinkle

I am nominating Ray for EOM because of his many contributions to students and faculty on the Fallon campus. Ray is a very efficient and helpful person who makes using audio-visual aids easy for the faculty. Ray also maintains the equipment to ensure that everything is in working order. If something does not work properly, Ray deals with the problem immediately. In addition to his work responsibilities in the Beck Library, Ray takes classes at WNCC and is seeking an A.A. degree. Furthermore, he has almost completed the requirements for the Florida State Financial Planning Certificate, which will make him a Certified Financial Planner. Ray also volunteers many hours tutoring students in geology, geography and accounting.

May 2003: Sue Wiklankski

I would like to nominate Sue Wiklanski for MS. June 2003. Sue has worked at the Carson Campus for over 20 years in Student Services and Academics. Each Monday I came back and asked how things went, and she said Sue jumped right in and answered phones and made sure she got breaks, which was a huge relief for me. She took on the job that never ends for us, she processes the applications for admissions, which is the biggest help she could do for us. She started coming out of the office and socializing more and offered to help in any way. I was worried when Sue transferred in because I didn't know if she would like working with us because she was so quiet. Now I know she was absorbing the many duties and angles Admissions deals with. Sue will be retiring in the next year or two and I don't know if she has ever been the employee of the month, and I want Council to know she truly deserves the honor. She is part of the college team and we send her to all the social functions to represent Admissions. She always cooks an awesome home made dish for all the potlucks, where Julie and I run to Albertsons because we are obviously not as organized as her. She is knowledgeable, has that superwoman instinct to jump in and save the day, she rarely goes to lunch, and when she does, she asks if going out for a change is okay with Julie and I. Julie and I have a lot of respect for her, she's been at WNCC a long time, seen a lot of changes, had good times, had some bad times, but through all she has been through, she still comes in 15 minutes early, makes sure Julie and I have back up, and has a good time. She never lets the politics annoy her. We now count our blessings that she ended up in admissions during the hiring freeze, because we have had other employees come in part time and try to change every policy and procedure in place without knowing the history. She knows the history and plays on the team, not against the team. If Sue were to leave tomorrow our ship would sink. Every employee in Admissions goes above an

April 2003: Jose Martinez

Walks on water. Always upbeat and helpful. A needed translator and is always willing. 1.7 years at WNCC

March 2003: Judy Pierce

Since 10/2001 when Judy Pierce transferred from Carson City to Douglas, she has been the most consistent office person we have. Often she stays on campus during her breaks and is available to students and staff. Judy has been doing the bulletin board by herself and it is beautiful. She helps senior citizens enroll and is very patient on the phone. Judy did much of the work on the centerpieces for the classified retreat. She has spent her own money making monthly events at Douglas a success. Gail and Judy started these events in September to increase exposure on the weekends since FTE dropped 8% in one year. She is currently making flowers for the Valentine's Day event. During January's first week of classes, she stayed with a staff member's child during a family emergency. The operation of Douglas has significantly improved since Judy transferred here. She IS A STAFF MEMBER who puts in the extra time to benefit the campus.

February 2003: Jack Piirainen

I would like to nominate Jack Piirainen as Outstanding Classified Employee of the Month. Jack has been so great during our "time of crisis." When we received the threatening telephone calls, Jack took charge of the situation. He was always available to advise us, direct us, calm our nerves, and he (seemed) never to go home! Jack worked long hours to ensure the safety of our staff and students….and he never complained! I believe Jack Piirainen is very deserving of this award.

January 2003: Darla Dodge

Darla Dodge has worked in both the Child Development Center and in Dane's office. I have been able to observe her dedication to her job in both of these assignments. She deals with the public, customers, peers and administrators in a professional and courteous manner. She has demonstrated an ability to go that extra mile when dealing with a problem that concerns WNCC and its operations. She pursues an issue until reaching an understanding that works for all concerned. She is a self-starter and not a clock watcher. She always has help to offer and smile to give anyone who enters her offices. I believe that she goes above and beyond the duties as written in her work performance standards and is an asset to WNCC.

December 2002: Phyllis Mason

Phyllis has taken her job at Admissions and Records by storm. She has performed all the necessary duties with speed, accuracy, and grace and then gone well beyond that by taking an incredible amount of initiative with regard to organizing and refiling many of the records we are responsible for. This has resulted in a great savings of space for the mountains of incoming paper. She has been careful and thorough in re-working and re-wording all of our forms for clarity. She has arranged for many ways to assist students in communicating with the office and handling their business, such as the drop box in the lobby of student services and developing procedures and forms for various tasks which expedite our processing. Phyllis handles our work-study students with professionalism and humor. She always seems to know how to deal with a situation, yet is not hesitant to ask questions of anyone who may be of help in any way. She can figure things out quickly, such as stubborn fax machines or copiers, how to handle an irate student or how to refer them, and how to approach, handle, and complete a total new project. She is positively fearless!

November 2002: Kelly Kiesow

"Kelly is a great asset to Western Nevada Community College. She is the cashier in the Business Office and is the first person the students go to for directions and payments. She is always pleasant and willing to help everyone or direct you to someone who can help you. When it comes to helping classified with tuition reimbursements she is always willing to help clear up accounts and lend her expertise in all matters. Kelly has been with WNCC since February of 2001. She is married and has three children."

October 2002: Karen Gibson

"Karen is always willing to work to help improve WNCC. She is tireless in trying to assist classified by keeping up with all manner of issues such as insurance and transformation issues. She goes out of her way (as shown recently) to help classified in trying for upgrades or job reclassifications. She works well with administrators and peers. She is always professional, cheerful and helpful to all. She is willing to serve on committees and worked very hard and effectively as classified council chair. She always chips in where needed and often without being asked. She is an outstanding employee - in any month - and a defininte asset to WNCC."

September 2002: Donna Ashby

"Donna is a dedicated employee, always willing to go the extra mile for her coworkers and the college. She displayed her willingness to step in when needed when she volunteered at the last minute to fill a vacated position on the classified council; to work on the classified bake sale or even be in the WNCC commercials for Anne Harness. She always appears cheerful, upbeat, and helpful; all assets that are very appreciated these days at WNCC. She is professional in her contacts with administrators, faculty, and peers and is an asset to WNCC."

August 2002: Denesa Johnston

"Denesa goes above and beyond her job description when it comes to working with the public. She is often the first and last contact the public has with WNCC. Because of her pleasant, helpful, and cooperative attitude, many companies have chosen to utilize training services of WNCC special programs . . . and continue to sue our services regardless of unforeseen hitches that sometimes arise when dealing with customized training." "For several years she has made trips around Carson City to pick up supplies necessary for distribution of awards to Classified Council Employee of the Month recipients. She has cheerfully volunteered to be on many committees for the classified council and once she has volunteered, she doesn't shirk her duties but does all (and more) that is necessary to meet the demands of the committee. She follows through and doesn't let the ball drop."