Top Employees Recognized at Luncheon

Top employees at Utah State University were recognized during the 12^th annual Employee Recognition Luncheon. President Stan Albrecht was on hand to congratulate the employees in three areas — classified, professional and faculty — who were honored for outstanding performance. Employees marking 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service to the university were also honored. And two faculty members — Doran J. Baker from Electrical and Computer Engineering, and William Farrell Edwards from the Physics Department — have been at Utah State 45 years.

 

Approximately 2,600 individuals are employed at Utah State, President Albrecht told the luncheon crowd.

 

“Those 2,600 people — faculty, staff, professional employees . . . people in offices and in labs, people working to clear the snow and heat the buildings and deliver the mail, people in the motor pool and the Space Dynamics Lab and the Math Department — all those 2,600 people are the heart and soul of Utah State University. Those people, and the jobs you all do every day — you are what makes Utah State University the special place it is.”

 

Employees who took top honors were evaluated on contributions to the university and community. Service, excellence and personal traits that reflect well upon their departments and the university were also considered. Two finalists were recognized in each category and a third was named outstanding employee of the year.

 

Two finalists in the Classified Employee group are Jill Ballard, staff assistant II in the Purchasing Department, and Trina Shelton, administrator’s assistant in the Library and Information Services Department.

 

The recipient of the Classified Employee of the Year is Pat A. Anderson, staff assistant III in the Academic Resource Center.

 

As the primary staff assistant for the Academic Resource Center, Anderson supports four professional staff, a staff assistant, a graduate assistant and approximately 100 student employees and 400 student visitors who come to the center each semester.

 

In 1991, this statement was written to describe Anderson — “Pat is patient, attentive, tactful, friendly, enjoyable, noticeable, thoughtful, obliging and nice.”

 

Fourteen years later, Anderson still exhibits these qualities.

 

“Pat exhibits the personal qualities that every supervisor looks for in an employee,” the award recognition stated. “She has proved to be a committed, competent and caring employee who continually works on improving her skills, and is warm, pleasant and understanding to not only her co-workers but with everyone she comes in contact with. Pat provides valuable service to students, staff and faculty at Utah State University.”

 

Finalists in the Professional Employee group are Adrienne Akers, a senior research scientist in the Center for Persons with Disabilities, and Irene Jorgensen, a supervisory accountant in the Controller’s office.

 

The recipient of the Outstanding Employee Award in the Professional Employee category is Dee Ann Christensen, Human Resource specialist in the office of Human Resources.

 

“Dee Ann has placed the bar of service at a very high level and never fails to reach or exceed the maximum level of that service,” her commendation stated. “Dee Ann is one of those extraordinary employees who elevates and serves others. She often takes work home at night, comes in on Saturdays or holidays, arrives at the office early and stays late and will make house calls if it is an inconvenience for the employee to come up to campus.”

 

Christensen’s service is seen in the community as well, often participating in the Zions Bank project, the Paint-a-thon.

 

“I have found no higher quality person than Dee Ann during my extensive work with benefit offices throughout the Western United States,” a retirement representative who works with Utah State University said. “Her attention to detail, high level of professionalism and a desire to do what is right are second to none.”

 

The two finalists in the faculty category are Conly L. Hansen, professor in the Nutrition and Food Science Department, and John Robert Malko, professor in the Business Administration Department.

 

The Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year award was presented to Todd K. Moon, professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

 

Moon joined Utah State’s faculty as an assistant professor in 1991. He excels in teaching, research and service. “In addition, he has a great personality and gets along with everyone,” his commendation stated.

 

In the classroom, Moon teaches courses from freshman to the doctoral level and his teaching evaluations are consistently high. As a scholar he publishes in the top journals in his field. He is well known in the signal processing society for his research contributions and his textbook. His first textbook was published in 2000 by Prentice-Hall and is a graduate level text that is used at some of the country’s top universities.

 

“As a scholar, Todd is one of the brightest people that I have ever met who excels in research and teaching,” his department head stated. “As a person, he is a colleague and friend that you can always depend on.”

 

President Albrecht concluded by acknowledging the contributions made by all university employees, including those not attending the luncheon.

 

“I want to thank you and congratulate you all for your fine work, your dedication to Utah State, and for everything you do to make this not only such a fine university, but such a wonderful place for all of us to work and live,” he concluded.