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Employees of the month

P. Susie Muir

December Unclassified Staff Employee of the Month

Started at KU: 2007

Current title: Pharmacist, Student Health Services

What that means: Muir fills prescriptions, counsels patients on medications, supervises student employees and technicians and works with the School of Pharmacy students who rotate through the pharmacy.

Notable: With the support of Cathy Thrasher, pharmacy director, Muir has made it her goal to establish a solid training program for new employees. She developed a manual for patient counseling on pharmaceuticals that has been useful not only for student employees, but for all new employees in the pharmacy. She also has been instrumental in helping Thrasher develop a policies and procedures manual.

Diana Malott, assistant director of Student Health Services, says Muir demonstrates outstanding customer service to KU students through the Watkins Memorial Health Center Pharmacy. She is dedicated to the student learning experience, whether it is through training pharmacy students or counseling health center patients on medications.

Quotable: Muir’s colleagues praise her for her positive attitude, her leadership skills, her willingness to problem solve and the quality of her customer service. One said, “She is steadfast in her work and is meticulous when checking herself and others. Her eye for detail is keen.”

Walter Long III

December University Support Staff Employee of the Month

Started at KU: 2000

Current title: Custodian, Facilities Operations.

Notable: Long has sole responsibility for the Shankel Structural Biology Center. He also fills in when needed at other buildings on campus.

Long has earned the gratitude and respect of his colleagues and those who work in “his” buildings. Early in his tenure, the associate director of the law school library wrote to commend him and a colleague for their splendid work on a large project with a short turnaround time. Faculty and staff at the Kansas Biological Survey, which is housed in the Higuchi Biosciences Center, praised him for his attention to detail, positive outlook, genuine interest in his job and thoughtful approach to problem solving.

Those who work in the SBC are similarly impressed. When the building was first occupied, one of the things people commented on was the floors. They asked whether there was work to be done because the floors are not tiled and had an unfinished look. That changed when Long arrived. With his waxer, buffer and attention to detail, he has made the floors shine — as do the windows, elevators and glass staircases. Restrooms are always well stocked and spotless.

Two years ago, a staff member at the Kansas Biological Survey and Long volunteered to replant flowerbeds around the Higuchi center and develop a new flowerbed. Long spent two to three hours of personal time for several weeks digging the new 5-by-21-foot bed to a depth of 12 inches. He then spent several weekends mixing in compost and extra topsoil, and when the bed was ready, he helped plant bulbs in the fall and perennials in the spring.

Quotable: Long’s gardening colleague says, “(Long’s) passionate interest in our gardening project has been essential to keeping it going. We have accomplished a great deal over the past two years, but I know that without his dedication and effort, the exterior of Higuchi would not look as great as it does today.”