KU employees of the month recognized

Michelle Swisher
November classified employee of the month

Started at KU: Michelle Swisher joined the KU staff in 1999 as an office assistant IV in the Comptroller’s Office.

Current title: She’s earned several promotions and now is an accountant II.

What that means: Swisher analyzes and maintains internal control of university receipts and refunds and is responsible for reconciliation, validation and audit of various financial transactions. She analyzes two financial systems to ensure that data are accurate and that the systems perform as expected. She also is involved in continued system development.

Notable: Swisher was a member of the implementation team for the new PeopleSoft Student Financials project. During both pre- and post-implementation periods, she did two jobs simultaneously—keeping the daily accounting going in the old system while learning all the features of the new one.

Recent feat: When a supervisor with 30 years of experience retired, Swisher stepped up to fill in. She helped develop new procedures utilizing the possibilities of the new system. Swisher helped bring her supervisor up to speed on areas she had recently learned herself.

Robert Sawin
November unclassified employee of the month

Started at KU: Bob Sawin joined the KU staff in 1994 as a research assistant in the Kansas Geological Survey.

Current title: In 1999, he was promoted to research associate.

What that means: Sawin is primarily responsible for the Survey’s Geology Extension Program. He produces non-technical publications, organizes field trips and an annual field conference, handles inquiries and questions from the public and oversees a variety of other activities.

Notable: Sawin’s colleagues appreciate his work on the annual field conference for decision-makers, a three-day event that exposes legislators, Cabinet secretaries, state agency staff and others to natural resource issues in Kansas.

Recent feat: The 2004 conference focused on the Flint Hills, where a number of issues—the construction of wind generators to produce electricity, for example—were particularly contentious. Sawin’s choice of the Flint Hills proved to be timely, as the governor’s task force on wind power released its report the week before the trip. He was able to develop a program that presented all sides of these issues in a constructive manner.

Amy Robbins
December classified employee of the month

Started at KU: Amy Robbins began at KU in 1984 as an office assistant in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Current title: In 2002, she joined the Department of Human Development and Family Life—now Applied Behavioral Science—as an administrative officer.

What that means: Robbins serves as administrative assistant to the chair, the directors of undergraduate and graduate studies, and the advising committees; oversees faculty-staff recruitment; and coordinates faculty third-year reviews, promotion and tenure preparations, and annual reviews.

Notable: Robbins began work in the former HDFL while the department was embarking on major readjustments and realignments among faculty and programs, and three key staff members had left the department. She moved into the most senior staff position without the guidance and support that normally would have been available.

Recent feat: When HDFL became ABS last spring, Robbins prepared hundreds of course offering forms and revised and proofread the department’s portion of the spring 2005 timetable.

Pamela Botts
December unclassified employee of the month

Started at KU: Pamela Botts joined KU in 1991 as a staff psychologist in Counseling and Psychological Services.

Current title: She now serves as associate director and as director of clinical service.

What that means: Botts is a licensed clinical psychologist. In addition to seeing counseling center clients, she supervises the senior clinical staff and the classified staff, serves on university committees and oversees an ongoing “Dissertation Distress/Thesis Torment” therapy group open to all KU graduate students.

Notable: The CAPS staff changes every year, adding new interns, social workers and student workers. Botts makes them all feel welcome. It is not unusual for her to work late and on weekends to get a job done or to cover the office during lunch if the office is short staffed.

Recent feat: Bonnie Alcala, CAPS office manager, joined the staff about a year ago when the center had lost two of its three classified support staff. The semester was about to begin, and the office was extremely busy. Alcala says that Botts guided and trained her, showing extraordinary patience and understanding despite the press of other responsibilities.