ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´

Biography:

Nominated by Steve Farrell.

Exemplifying reliability, quality of work, initiative, professionalism, and uniqueness of contribution.

Kristin Megan Watts has worked as a Student Environmental Health Technician since the fall of 2003. Her main responsibilities include weekly analysis of chlorine levels and coliform sampling of ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´'s drinking water and maintenance of records of infectious waste production, recycling inventory, storm water discharge, and storage of hazardous chemicals.

Her supervisor, Steve Farrell says, "Kristin has been able to perform all her duties with little need for anything more than introductory direction. She is always able to take on a task and complete it in a timely and thorough fashion. The quality of her work always shows through."

Dr. Dan Abrahamowicz presented the Student Employee of the Year Award to Kristin on Monday, March 28, 2005, in the lobby of Millett Hall. Her co-workers were able to congratulate Kristin following the presentation, at a reception hosted by Career Services.

In addition to her student employment responsibilities, Kristin has been a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, National Collegiate Scholars, Golden Key International Honour Society, Alpha Xi Delta Sorority, and Habitat for Humanity. She plans to begin graduate school in the fall.

Thank you to all students participating in the Student Employment Program at ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´. Your work is valued and your efforts are appreciated.

Biography:

Nnominated by her supervisor, David Jones.

Exemplifying reliability, quality of work, initiative, professionalism, and uniqueness of contribution.

Amanda Smith was selected as the 2006 ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ Student Employee of the Year.

Amanda is a junior Social Work major and business management minor at ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´. She is currently in the Honors program with a 3.7 grade point average. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Amanda is a 2003 graduate of Stebbins High School.

Amanda was nominated by her supervisor, David Jones in Center for Urban and Public Affairs, where she has been a student employee since the fall of 2003. She began as a telephone interviewer in the survey research lab, conducting surveys on behalf of governments and non-profit organizations. In the two and half years that she worked for the research center, she has been promoted to supervisor of the survey lab and has had the opportunity to work in different capacities on numerous research projects that the Center has conducted.

While a student at ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´, Amanda has taken part in the Peer 2 Peer program and has served as a tutor for the Ohio Reads program. She is an active member and former treasurer of the American Humanics Student Association, a non-profit certification program on campus. She is also a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), a national organization dedicated to excellence in survey research.

Here is an excerpt from Amanda's nomination letter written by her supervisor, David Jones:

"After completing a research project in 2004 about the impacts of high school preparation on student success, Amanda expressed a desire to explore the topic further. With this is mind, she and a fellow CUPA employee developed a 65 question survey aimed at exploring the role of high school preparation on student career and college planning. In order to ensure the validity of her survey, Amanda sought out the expertise of many WSU faculty and staff members to gain their input.

"Using Southwest Ohio as her target area, Amanda developed a sound methodology to obtain a representative sample of all public high schools in Southwest Ohio. After having her survey and methodology approved by the University's review board, she began contacting her target schools in order to gain permission to conduct her research.

"Today Amanda's survey is being implemented at more than 40 high schools in southwest Ohio. In all, between 4,000 and 5,000 high school juniors and seniors will take part in this survey. Many high schools Amanda has worked with have expressed a desire to conduct this survey on an on-going basis in order to measure the impact of changes each school may make as a result of survey findings. This in itself has positioned ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ to be at the forefront of education research for many years to come.

"After data collection is complete, Amanda will enter and analyze the completed surveys, and will prepare a journal article that she plans to submit for publication in late 2006. Additionally, Amanda has applied for and has been accepted to present her findings at the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) conference in Montreal in May of 2006.

"While these attributes are impressive, what I believe truly sets Amanda apart from other students is that she has conducted this research strictly in pursuit of knowledge. She took the initiative to seek out funding for her research and for her travel to the conference, as our office would have been unable to provide all financial support. While our office has been very supportive of this research project, Amanda has been responsible for its success. She has truly been a leader in advancing research at ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´, and for that I believe she should be recognized."

A reception was held during National Student Employment Week in the Millett Hall Atrium. ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ Provost Dr. David R. Hopkins presented Amanda Smith with a certificate and several gifts. Julie Todd, Career Services Assistant Director presented Amanda with a gift certificate and a check from Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators (MSEA) for winning at the state level. Congratulations Amanda for a job well done!

Biography:

Nominated by Dr. David Lee Garrison.

Exemplifying reliability, quality of work, initiative, professionalism, and uniqueness of contribution.

Scott DeHart is a sophomore pursing a degree in management with a minor in French. Scott works as a student assistant in the Department of Modern Languages. Conducting language placement tests, greeting visitors to the office, responding to numerous and various inquiries, and drafting correspondence are just a few of his duties in Modern Languages. The department values Scott’s creativity, initiative, and his ability to treat everyone with respect and courtesy.

Originally from Chillicothe, Ohio, Scott returns to his high school to promote the importance of taking foreign language classes. He is a 2005 graduate of Unioto High School. Scott’s career goal is to work for an international organization blending his skills and knowledge of management with the French language.

Award Winning Service

In excerpts from his nomination letter, Scott Dehart's supervisor Dr. David Lee Garrison describes how valuable and effective Scott is as a student assistant in the Department of Modern Languages:

"Scott is the most mature, polite, professional and dedicated student worker I have ever seen. He greets people, on the phone or in the office, in a way that makes them feel at ease; he listens to them and quickly ascertains what they need.

"Scott is incredibly creative. When things were slow in the office for a week or so one time, he invented a computer game to learn vocabulary words in a foreign language that our whole faculty uses.

"’Above and beyond the call of duty’ is Scott DeHart’s middle name. In addition to working in our office, he does things like go to our Majors and Minors Meetings to help us put out refreshments and clean off the tables when meetings are over.

"Scott averages 30 hours a week in our office and is active in many extracurricular activities, and yet his grades never suffer. He is majoring in management with a GPA of 3.93. Scott does everything well."

A reception, held on April 9, 2007, during National Student Employment Week, recognized Scott for his selection as ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´â€™s Student Employee of the Year. Dr. Dan Abrahamowicz presented Scott with a ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ watch and a certificate recognizing Scott’s contribution to ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´ and the Department of Modern Languages. Scott also received a gift certificate from the office of Career Services recognizing his selection as the Student Employee of the Year.

Congratulations, Scott, for your dedication and efforts on behalf of the Modern Languages Department.

Biography:

Nominated by her supervisor, Judy Brewer, a faculty member in Education and Human Services at the Lake Campus.

Exemplifying reliability, quality of work, initiative, professionalism, and uniqueness of contribution.

Melissa Steinke, student employee in the Reading Center at the Lake Campus, was selected as ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´'s Student Employee of the Year. In addition, Melissa competed at the state level and was selected as the winner for the state of Ohio!

Melissa was nominated by her supervisor, Judy Brewer, a faculty member in Education and Human Services at the Lake Campus. She was recognized at a reception at Lake Campus on Thursday, April 17, 2008, during National Student Employment Week. Her co-workers had the opportunity to congratulate Melissa at a private reception following the presentation hosted by Career Services.

Below is an excerpt from Melissa's nomination letter written by her supervisor, Judy Brewer:

"Melissa Steinke is a senior at ÌÇÐÄÔ­´´-Lake Campus, majoring in Middle Childhood Education with concentrations in Math and Science. After graduation this spring, she will complete her fifth year at the WSU-Dayton Campus, while also working toward obtaining her K-12 Reading Endorsement.

"As a student assistant in the Lake Campus Reading Center, Melissa works long hours and is responsible for a variety of important tasks. For three years, she has worked maximum hours for the Reading Center (days, nights, summers, and every Saturday morning during the academic year) while also completing her class requirements in exemplary fashion — her current GPA is 3.609. She is also a published author, and she is an active volunteer for the Shelby County Big Brothers, Big Sisters program.

"For the Lake Campus Reading Center, Melissa is responsible for monitoring student enrollment, which involves processing forms, confirming enrollment with parents and maintaining confidential files. She also arranges student assessments, which again involves parent interaction. In addition to students and parents, she corresponds with school administrators to arrange assessment sessions, and she often travels to the schools to act as an on-site supervisor for those assessments.

When I think of Melissa, I think of a hard worker with a determined spirit … I also think of her as a future ‘Teacher of Excellence.’ This is a young person who wants to make a positive difference."

A special thanks to this year's selection committee:

• Marc DeWitt, Graduate Assistant, Enrollment Management;
• Liane Muhlenkamp, Program Assistant, Teacher Education, Lake Campus;
• Dr. Donna Schlagheck, Chair/Professor, Political Science.

Congratulations to all nominees!

Thank you to those supervisors who participated in this year's program and nominated their excellent student employees