KU announces April Employees of the Month
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has announced the April Employees of the Month. They are as follows:
Name: Lynn George
Start date: 1979
Current title: Senior recruitment coordinator in Human Resources
What that means: Lynn George provides leadership in the facilitation and monitoring of faculty and staff recruitment. She reviews and approves a variety of recruitment transactions, assists in the resolution of complaints and concerns, and interprets search policies and guidelines. In order to promote equal opportunity in the campus community, she helps to develop and participate in proactive strategies. She also provides training to departments as they administer searches. Her job requires communication with staff members across campus on a daily basis, from deans, directors, and department chairs, to temporary and student employees. In addition to these duties, George represents Human Resources on university committees and other special assignments, including the Staff Tuition Assistance Program, USS Evaluation and/or Unemployment Appeals, and the University Recognition Committee.
Notable: George has worked at KU for more than 35 years and has become an invaluable asset to the Human Resources Department. Over the past year and a half, she has been instrumental in training, coaching and mentoring the 15 new employees who came on board with the Recruitment & Onboarding Center and the additional staff who have moved into the Liberal Arts & Sciences Shared Service Center as part of Changing for Excellence. Throughout the implementation and training process, George has shared her knowledge without reserve and has exhibited grace under pressure. Her continued guidance and hard work has helped the ROC and HR overcome hurdles and successfully transition to a new way of administering recruitment. Her participation on the committee for the Staff Tuition Assistance Program involved working with committee members and the vice provost for Administration and Finance to administer this program, including publicity, problem resolution, dissemination of policy, recovery of awards for participants that do not finish their class and training of clerical support staff to provide program support. She has also served as backup for the program director of EO/AA in the USS Evaluation and Unemployment Appeals process. In addition to these formal service opportunities, George continuously offers her expertise willingly and graciously when departments or employees encounter an HR issue with which they need assistance.
Name: Morgan Swartzlander
Start date: 2011
Current title: Graduate Adviser Senior for the College Office of Graduate Affairs
What that means: For all graduate students, Morgan Swartzlander is there to iron out problems that may come up so students can focus on their studies. When there are questions that don’t fall in her area she makes sure to research the answer in order to direct individuals appropriately. Her style of communication is always friendly and happy, and in the demanding life of a graduate student this means a lot. She genuinely cares about the success of her students and their welfare. Through her efforts many graduate students are able to finish their degrees earlier than they would have if she were not in her position. Starting a graduate program can be daunting enough, imagine coming from another country to begin school. For many international students Swartzlander begins working to help them long before they reach campus. She’s the one they reach out to where there are questions and concerns, often responding after normal office hours. She streamlines information gathering in order to make communication with students more efficient and less complex.
Notable: Swartzlander never hesitates to take the initiative. As part of her participation in the Staff Fellows Program she is working on a project to develop guidelines for graduate handbooks. Her work-in-progress is exceptional. She has been able to navigate the maze of university graduate policy and found a way to present it in an accurate, concise manner. Soon she will be working on the rollout of this project to orient others on its use in graduate mentoring. Numerous students, faculty, and co-workers wrote in support of this nomination using adjectives such as exemplary, amazing, always smiling, professional, attentive, problem solver, inventive, wonderful colleague, ethical, balanced and the list goes on. Swartzlander’s professional yet caring manner, in providing exceptional advising services to graduate students is what contributes toward KU’s success in its graduate programs. The College Office of Graduate Affairs is truly fortunate to have her on its team.