Staff Member of the Month
March 2008
Gayle Schaeff

Gayle Schaeff, the faculty secretary for the College of Architecture and Design, has been named staff member of the month by the Lawrence Tech Staff Recognition Committee. She has worked at Lawrence Tech since 1981.

Schaeff’s main responsibility is to support the needs of more than a hundred full-time and adjunct faculty members. She prepares forms and agreements for each faculty member, collects data and submits book orders for all faculty, provides clerical support, maintains and updates syllabus files, and assists with Blackboard entry and Banner Web grade entry.

She also approves time sheets for teaching assistants, assists with accreditation reports, records the minutes of the faculty meetings and answers the main phone line for the College of Architecture and Design. She is a liaison between the dean and faculty, disseminating important information and faculty meeting announcements.

“Gayle is always very organized, interactive, pleasant and caring. Her attention to detail is just unbelievable. Everything she does is completed in a timely manner; Schaeff Named Staff Member of the Month with absolute diligence and complaint free,” wrote the person who nominated Schaeff for the award. “With so much on her plate, Gayle still finds time to assist students and faculty on a daily basis.”

Before coming to the College of Architecture and Design in 1988, Schaeff worked for the College of Management, the University business office, the College of Engineering and the admissions office. That wide range of experience has given her a good understanding of how much work it takes to make things run smoothly at a university.

“It takes the efforts of a lot of people to make this place work,” Schaeff said. “What I enjoy most about my job is interacting with so many people – the faculty, the staff and the students.” Schaeff is a licensed residential builder and has been a certified DNR instructor since 1986.

Staff Member of the Month
February 2008
Tamara Braswell

Tamara Braswell, the secretary in the University Housing office, has been named staff member of the month for January by the Lawrence Tech Staff Recognition Committee. Braswell has worked for University Housing since April 2003.

"Tamara's most prominent quality is her willingness to go above and beyond to ensure that residents have a positive and rewarding experience living on campus," wrote the person who naminated Braswell for the award.

Braswell's job requires her to be "firm yet fair," and it helps that she has earned a reputation for being approachable and genuinely interested in the concerns that students have.

"Students comment that she always remembers their name and why they were in the office the previous time," according to the nomination letter.

Braswell has previous experience in customer service at a number of jobs, including the GM law library. She likes working at a small university because she "wears many hats" and gets to do many things.

Braswell designed and created a new access database for the Dean of Students office, and she also redefined several procedures in the University Housing office to provide better service on issues such as housing renewal.

She is usually the first person that student see when dealing with University Housing, and she works on room assignments and Banner accounts. Often she helps by directing a student to the person who can best respond to the specific problem the student is having.

"I would compare myself to the stage manager of a huge play production," Braswell said. "I do a lot of things to get the job done, but at the end of the play it's the students that shine and not me. I am just a part of a large supporting cast here at Lawrence Tech."

Other nominees for staff member of the month were Linda Ridella, and IT Service delivery technician; Tamara Botzen, administrative assistant for the College of Engineering; and the Campus Facilities staff.

The Lawrence Tech Staff Member of the Month Program recognizes full- and part-time staff for excellence. To nominate someone for this honor, go to www.ltu.edu/facultyandstaff/staff_senate.asp

Purpose
The Staff Employee of the Month program is established for all full and part time staff of Lawrence Tech and designed to recognize excellence.

Criteria for Nominating a Staff Employee of the Month
Candidates should possess one or more of the following: Exceptional leadership qualities. Act as a role model or mentor to colleagues. Develop or implement new programs, concepts, or ideas in their department or the university. Demonstrate dedication, commitment and professionalism beyond normal job expectations. Demonstrate motivation and commitment to the University's team spirit by improving relations between and among staff, faculty and students.

To nominate someone for Staff Member of the Month please fill the online nomination form.