KU to name two employees of the year

Ceremony to honor faculty, staff

Unclassified non-teaching employee-of-the-year candidates Jim Boyle, associate director of Watkins Health Center, came to KU in 1986, when he became a classified personnel officer II at Watkins. He was later promoted to the unclassified position of assistant director and in 1991 was named associate director. From December 1997 to July 1999, he was interim director. Jim oversees the business office, housekeeping, personnel, purchasing, transcriptions, registration and records. He also is responsible for financial management, overseeing an annual budget that exceeds $5.5 million. Jim has played a key role in selecting and negotiating health benefit plans for KU students and graduate student employees. He is currently involved in the changeover of the Watkins computer system, which has a target day of Jan. 1. Rex Buchanan, associate director for public outreach at the Kansas Geological Survey, has served KU and KGS for 21 years. He previously held the titles of director of information (1978-1983) and assistant director for publications and public affairs (1983-1996). Rex is responsible for KGS publications and public activities, and for non-technical publications and reports. He conducts field trips, gives talks and writes articles on natural resources in Kansas, often during the evenings and on weekends. Rex has established a national reputation for his knowledge, leadership and creativity in scientific activities related to Kansas natural resource issues, and his projects at KU have served as models for other universities. Rex was co-chair of the search committee for a new director of the survey, which concluded in the appointment of Lee Allison. He also has served as chairman of the state's Aggregate Groundwater Resources Task Force, was a participant in Leadership Lawrence and Leadership Kansas, and is an Audio-Reader Network volunteer. Ryan Cherland, director of University Management Information, came to KU in 1989 as a research analyst in the Office of Institutional Research and Planning at the KU Medical Center. He joined the Lawrence campus OIRP in 1993 as principal analyst. In 1998 he became associate director of OIRP's newly created unit, University Management Information, and assumed the title of director in 1999. Ryan is responsible for the campus databases and for designing ways to extract the data for future use. Ryan designed the Departmental Executive Management System used by administrators and also has created an equipment needs database that allows authorized users to transmit equipment requests to the provost's office via the Internet. In partnership with the comptroller's office, he created the new KU Financial System (KUFS). The Kansas Board of Regents and Regents institutions use Web-based information systems developed by Ryan to manage and coordinate their program reviews and cost studies. Janet S. Crow, executive director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, began her KU career in 1979 as a classified clerk-typist II in the history department. In 1985 she became a member of the unclassified professional staff when she accepted the position of assistant director of the Hall Center for the Humanities. She has been the center's executive director since 1993 and also has served as interim director. At the Hall Center, Janet oversees a budget of more than half a million dollars. She is responsible for planning programs and in 1999 oversaw more than 80 events. She is personnel officer for the center. In addition, she oversees the center's publications, including a newsletter that is published twice each year and a magazine-quality annual report, as well as the production of several scholarly journals. Janet has overseen 11 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminars at the Hall Center, including housing arrangements and general troubleshooting. She created "KU Connections," which gathers programming representatives from across campus to coordinate event planning on campus. After being contacted by local retirees, Janet helped establish the New Generation Society of Lawrence to help senior citizens draw on university resources for continuing learning experiences. Tammara L. Durham, assistant director of the Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center, joined KU in January 1998, assuming a newly created position. She provides academic advising to more than 100 freshmen, supervises a graduate assistant and graduate student interns, and assists with office publications and the Mount Oread Scholars program. One of her first assignments was the Haskell Mentor Program. As coordinator of the Freshman Summer Institute, Tammara is responsible for all arrangements, including publicity and promotions, scheduling, housing and hiring. Last February, Tammara organized the 1999 Majors Fair, which involved coordinating the efforts of numerous departments and volunteers as well as developing a multifaceted advertising effort. Tammara developed the institute's Peer Advisor Program, establishing the selection and interview process as well as a weeklong training program for the 20 undergraduate and graduate students who serve as peer advisers during spring, summer and fall orientation. Jennifer J. Hanson, assistant comptroller and a five-year KU employee, has held a variety of assignments in the office's support services unit. She was one of the first employees to work full time on the new KU financial system project in August 1998. In November, she was named an acting financial system administrator and later was appointed permanently. When she took over the role, Jennifer worked many extra hours each week to help organize project staff and its priorities. Test scenarios that she developed for the KU project worked so well that PeopleSoft has shared her approach with other clients. Rose Marino has been associate general counsel in the office of the university general counsel since 1981. One of three attorneys in the Lawrence campus office, she provides legal advice and guidance on a broad range of issues, particularly state and federal laws and regulations affecting higher education, Board of Regents and university policies. Her responsibilities include providing guidance on academic misconduct policies, grievance procedures, employee discipline, contract review, interpretation of the federal Family Rights and Privacy Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the appropriate wording for a new policy statement. Throughout her career at KU, Rose has assisted many law students who are participating in legal aid clinics. As an advocate of international students studying at the university, she has made several trips to the Middle East. Rose is an active member of the Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA) program. Patricia Moody, medical staff professional and lead technologist for the microbiology section at the Watkins Health Center laboratory, is a KU graduate and joined the health center staff 20 years ago as a medical technologist I. Today, her primary responsibilities are reading and reporting cultures from clinical specimens, writing testing protocols, evaluating new tests and test methodologies, maintaining statistics and inventory, and overseeing quality control and quality assurance for the microbiology section. Last year Patsy conducted a study that helped guide doctors in making clinical decisions based on streptococcus throat culture results. A new lab requisition form designed by Patsy streamlines ordering, filing and charting, and replaces six separate forms. Additional activities over the past year include organizing the lab presentation for the Watkins Health Fair, hosting a group of medical technologists from Kansas State University's health center and leading preschool group tours at Watkins. Molly Mulloy has been administrative assistant for University Governance since 1993. Previously, she was a secretary, administrative assistant and assistant director for the Audio-Reader Network. Molly is the KU community's primary contact for information about the histories, structures, policies and current status of the various governance bodies, including the university and faculty senates, the university and faculty councils and numerous committees and boards. Molly produces a constant flow of minutes, agendas and committee support materials. Each year, Molly's KU governance "memory" helps newly elected members of the various groups learn their roles, responsibilities and unfinished initiatives. Through her knowledge of the university and the cordial working relationships she maintains with faculty, staff and students, Molly is an ambassador for university governance. Molly is a dedicated supporter of KU Theatre and in 1998 received the KU Friends of the Theatre's Distinguished Service Award. She also serves on the board of directors of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and is chair of the Professional Development Committee for UPSA. Barbara Petersen, director of administration and budget for the Division of Continuing Education, has been with continuing education for nearly 26 years. Her experience was especially valuable when, in August 1997, continuing education learned that within a year it would be moving from the old Pi Beta Phi house, its principal home for 33 years, to an undetermined location. Despite the uncertainties, Barbara made arrangements, established timelines, took on a myriad of additional tasks and made plans for the move. These efforts were complicated by the fact that continuing education's Lawrence employees were scattered in six locations. Barbara helped in the sale of the old post office building in downtown Lawrence and in arranging financing for the new building, the former Maupintour Building at 1515 St. Andrews Drive, once producing (within 24 hours) a 10-year summary of division revenues. She established an e-mail hotline to keep staff updated on the progress of the move and to serve as a forum where people could make suggestions and voice concerns, and also used the division newsletter and special updates to keep staff informed. She also attended a seminar on how to move effectively and shared the information with unit directors. Jim Peterson has been technical director of the University Theatre for nearly 11 years and helps select the shows to be produced each year. The University Theatre mounts 12 to 14 shows a year - a much larger number than is typical for academic theatres. Jim is responsible for all technical aspects of the shows, including costumes, scenery, lights, sound, props and makeup. He supervises three full-time professionals - the scene shop, costume shop and stage managers, and coordinates hundreds of student crew members. Jim is responsible for staff and student safety and for all equipment. When the roof of Crafton-Preyer Theatre collapsed in fall 1997, Jim withstood crises for the next year, working directly with the roofing crews and staff from Facilities Operations and Design and Construction Management. A fall opera, the largest show of the year, had to be shifted to the already full spring semester. Despite the roof crisis, Jim started a major redecoration of the inner lobby of Crafton-Preyer Theatre and the design gallery in Murphy Hall. This year, Jim led the effort to renovate three classrooms. Last fall, he created a patio area, complete with picnic table and decorations, for the staff. Jim also works with the youth of Lawrence. As a Boy Scout leader, he helped his troop grow from 10 to nearly 90 members. He has also lent his expertise to theatre and music productions at West Junior High School and Free State High School. John Simmons, collection manager for herpetology at the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Center, has worked at the museum since July of 1981. He manages a collection of about 282,000 specimens of amphibians and reptiles and is responsible for acquisitions, accessions, curation, conservation, preparation, data management and collection use in research, education and public service. During the past year, a curator-in-charge was appointed, and another curator was added to the staff. John was involved in planning and implementing renovations of the division's facilities while maintaining operations in temporary rooms. Throughout the disruption, John responded to data requests, oversaw preparation and receipt of specimens loaned to researchers at other institutions and hosted visiting researchers. John also conducted collection management workshops in Spanish at the Instituto Alexander von Humboldt in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, and at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Quito, Ecuador. He also traveled to Ecuador to evaluate the forest and field station facilities for future collaborative efforts between KU and Pontificia Universidad Catolica. Classified employee-of-the-year candidates

Jim Boyle     Rex Buchanan             Ryan Cherland                 Janet S. Crow                       Tammara L. Durham         Jennifer J. Hanson   Rose Marino         Patricia Moody Molly Mulloy                                 Barbara Petersen                         Jim Peterson                                 John Simmons