University announces February 2015 employees of the month


LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has announced the February 2015 employees of the month. They are as follows:

Rebecca Cates

Title: Academic adviser, Undergraduate Advising Center

What that means: Cates’ assigned group of students ranges from 420 students in the fall to 350 students in the spring. In addition to her advising responsibilities, she served as the interim pre-law adviser and is responsible for staff training and development.

Rebecca Cates
Rebecca Cates

Notable: In addition to her regular duties in spring 2014, Cates advised all students who have indicated an interest in law. She made the effort to attend admissions events as the pre-law representative, answering questions from prospective students and their families about the KU’s pre-law program. Through her own initiative she applied for and received funding to attend the national pre-law advising conference so she could learn more about the specialized area. Cates also has volunteered her time after work hours as the interim staff adviser for Phi Alpha Delta, the pre-law student organization.

In 2014, Cates took on new responsibilities to include staff training and development. She has solicited feedback from staff on what training they wish to receive and carefully plans that training so that topics are strategically delivered. She has also taken on the responsibility of the new staff training process, a six-week training program. The new staff orientation is an intensive program that requires a significant amount of advance preparation. These extra responsibilities are in addition to her regular advising responsibilities and her interim role as pre-law adviser. Cates also teaches PRE 210 Career and Life Planning. She consistently addresses the needs of students and maintains a positive rapport with students, parents and colleagues.

Travis Fell

Title: Culinary assistant manager, KU Dining

What that means: Fell is the lead in training staff on the use of new equipment and knife techniques, and he works with the back-of-house cooks to improve the dining experience for Mrs. E’s. Fell creates and tests new recipes and menus for different cuisines and for different dietary needs. He is creative, talented and does not stop until he accomplishes what he believes is necessary to improve his unit and Mrs. E’s.

Travis Fell
Travis Fell

Notable: Fell set up, created recipes and trained staff members on the importance of the KYouZone, which is designed to cater specifically to students with dietary needs, including gluten-free, vegetarian, kosher, Halal and more. Fell looked into products to create a satisfying menu for diners.

Fell also assisted with creating and testing recipes for a new pizza oven, a new smoker, a new Asian menu and several other global dishes. Fell has a unique ability to look outside the box and create new and exciting dishes. He works closely with supervisors above and below him to make the transitions to new processes as seamless as possible

Fell’s professional opinions are valued, and he is always willing to share his ideas as evident through his involvement in the procurement, culinary and allergen committees. Fell also trains new Mrs. E’s staff on their cooking skills.

Fell has created his own BBQ sauce for Mrs. E’s, and it often draws compliments. His creativity and inability to accept anything less than his best allows him to truly excel in his position and proves him to be an invaluable member of KU Dining.