2004 High Five Award Nominees

Week Ending December 17: Mr. Troy Spicer, Mrs. Tammy Allen, Ms. Shelly Davis

Troy Spicer, Assistant Professor and Nurse Practitioner; Tammy Allen,, Registered Nurse, Health Center; and Shelly Davis, Clinical Instructor, Nursing. "These three individuals took time from very busy schedules to share vital health-related information with my Health and Wellness students. Though they did an excellent job, my praise for them is that they are always so willing to help and are totally committed to their field and educating others so that they might live healthy and productive lives."

Dr. Kay Weeks, Associate Professor, Humanities. Dr. Weeks' nomination read: "Kay started the College Democrats Club at ABAC this semester. She worked very hard to ensure that an open debate regarding the current political issues took place here on campus. She encouraged and motivated her students and club members to become more aware and involved in their world. She brought a representative down from Atlanta, from the senatorial hopeful, Denise Majette's, campaign. She organized a viewing of "Fahrenheit 9/11" with the Tifton Film Group. This event drew record attendance for a film being shown on campus. I think Kay deserves this award for taking on a task with short notice and creating such a successful debate and club for all ABAC students."

Week Ending December 3: Dr. Renata Elad (Weekly Winner, 12/3/04) (Monthly Winner, December 04)

Dr. Renata Elad, Associate Professor of Ag. Ecomonics. Her nomination read: “Dr. Elad has a “smile” that will light up a room. It is a joy to see her every morning. She stops in my office with a huge smile and speaks every morning. She is a very caring teacher, too. She loves to see her students make good grades and she spends most of the time that she is in her office working with students. She deserves a High Five!”

Dr. Larry Allen, Chair, Division of Agriculture and Forest Resources. On behalf of all the "beyond the call of duty" responsibilities of his position, I strongly recommend Dr. Larry Allen. He is a division chair who serves this college, this division and his faculty without hesitation or limitation. He is a "user-friendly" faculty member and administrator who strives for the delivery of excellence from his faculty and students alike.

Week Ending October 1: ABAC Rodeo Team Sponsors, Mary Ellen and Doug Hicks (Weekly Winner, 10/1/04)

Mary Ellen and Doug Hicks, ABAC Rodeo Club Sponsors, Mary Ellen is Associate Professor and Doug is Rodeo Team Coach and Animal Science Lab Assistant. Both are in the Ag. Forest Resources Division. Their nomination, written 9/22/04, read, "I saw a great sight tonight. I had gone to the Carlton Center for a program. Before the program I want over to Conger and suddenly there appeared this small army of students (and a couple of puppies) armed with plastic bags and picking up trash, mostly hundreds of cigarette butts, from the grass around Conger and the Carlton Center. It was the Rodeo Club! By the time I left the meeting, the area was virtually spotless. The Vollmer legacy lives on! The Club sponsors deserve a High Five."

Week Ending September 10: Mr. Emory Johnson (Weekly Winner 9/24/04) (Monthly Winner for September)

Mr. Emory Johnson, Bookstore Manager. "Mr. Johnson does an outstanding job of managing our bookstore. He deserves a special "high five" for looking out for ABAC's faculty/staff. Because he lets us "use" the books whenever possible, instead of purchasing them, he saves us a bundle. I am a student and this is huge savings! Thanks, Emory! We appreciate you!"

Mr. Mike Curry, Associate Professor, Division of Science and Math. "A situation developed during the textbook adoption process that could have been very costly to the college. Mr. Curry was made award of the potential loss that could have occurred and made a decision that ended up saving the college over $600.00. Each student in the class saved as well. I hereby applaud Mr. Curry's concern and consideration for fiscal matters while at the same time maintaining his high standard for academics. This worthy individual is hereby nominated to become a recipient of the ABAC High Five award."

Week Ending September 3: Mrs. Vonda Fenn (Weekly winner 9/10/04), Mr. Javier Gonzalez (Weekly winner 9/17/04), Dr. Doris Roundtree (Weekly winner 9/3/04)

Mrs. Vonda Fenn, Program Coordinator of Public Service & Business Outreach Center; Mr. Javier Gonzalez, Director of the CAMP and HEP Programs; and Dr. Doris Roundtree, Academic Counselor and Coordinator of the CAMP Program. These three organized and carried out the first "Steps to College" camp to be held on the ABAC campus summer 2004. "This was one of the most organized and efficiently run camps that I've had the opportunity to work with. They worked hard in their planning and I'm sure that's why it was so successful. Also, they cared about the students and that was very apparent when we attended the programs and the graduation. They carried off an outstanding program that will surely result in future student success and ABAC enrollment." From these three nominees for the week, Dr. Roundtree's name was drawn as the 9/2/04 winner.

Ms. Debbie Cromer, Ms. Beth Thornton, Mr. William Moore: These three served as the Faculty/Staff Social Committee which developed, organized and executed a very successful Faculty/Staff Social on August 17, 2004. The committee exceeded their "audience participation" objective with over 20% participating. These three people deserve the $50 for a group lunch celebration! Job Well Done!

Week Ending August 13: Ms. Cristella Contreras; Ms. Olga Contreras-Martinez, (Weekly Winner 8/27/04); Ms. Evelyn Perez; Ms. Donnie Thompson

Ms. Cristella Contreras, CAMP Recruiter - Cristella is a very strong recruiter for ABAC. She works long hours to assist prospective students and their families to complete the necessary forms and materials for acceptance as candidates into ABAC. She always has a positive attitude and is eager to give her fellow co-worker a helping hand. She is also planning to continue her educational studies to become a social worker. The CAMP Program is fortunate to have Cristella working as its recruiter.

Ms. Olga Contreras-Martinez, HEP Program Coordinator - Olga coordinates the High School Equivalency Program, located in Weltner Hall at ABAC. In her role, she works diligently to ensure that students who failed to complete their high school education meet success at ABAC. She actively recruits students and administers testing on prospective HEP students. Olga is also very involved in assisting HEP graduates register for ABAC classes during orientation. She is a dedicated professional who is planning to enroll in graduate school in the fall to pursue a Masters degree in Public Administration.

Ms. Evelyn Perez, Sr. Secretary, CAMP and HEP Programs - Evelyn is a dedicated employee who is constantly striving to find new ways to accommodate the HEP and CAMP staff and students. She continuously seeks to update our office by providing us with state-of-the-art office equipment to assist us to perform our jobs more efficiently. She provides nurturing to all of the students above and beyond the call of duty. In summation, Evelyn is an asset to both programs and is greatly appreciated for her unselfish efforts.

Ms. Donnie Thompson, Administrative Secretary, OITS - Donnie is always so cheerful and so eager to assist. The busy office she is in, she most likely gets many phone calls from people who are unpleasant because their computers are malfunctioning. She handles all those calls with the lovely, sweet attitude that she keeps. This campus is very lucky to have her.

Week Ending August 6: Ms. Nancy Brannen, (Weekly Winner 8/13/04 and Monthly winner 8/27/04), Ms. Arlene Bailey, Ms. Barbara Wood, (Weekly Winner 8/20/04), Ms. Annie Sims

Ms. Nancy Brannen, Ms. Arlene Bailey, Ms. Barbara Wood, and Ms. Annie Sims: These four professionals served as the Search Committee for the new Senior Secretary for the Student Development Center. Ms. Nancy Brannen served as the Chair and went "the extra mile" to run the committee in the most timely, professional and thorough fashion. The other committee members took their responsibilities seriously and were also highly professional throughout the whole process. I am very pleased with the new Senior Secretary and the credit goes to the committee. Thanks to each of them for a job very well done!

Ms. Margaret Brogdon, Director of Procurement, As Director of Procurement, Margaret's primary duty is to purchase anything that the college needs. However, she has been called on countless times to coordinate colors and do interior decorating all over campus. She has also directed the Miss ABAC Pageant since she cam to work at ABAC. This has involved many hours after work and on weekends. Most recently she has been asked to be the advisor for the newly formed ABAC Cheerleaders. The Cheerleading Camp was held last week and as usual Margaret put in many extra hours to insure this was successful, while at the same time she was very involved in year-end close out. Margaret is a very positive person and regardless of what she is doing her enthusiasm and excitement always shows. Her attitude and personality are wonderful traits that are a great example for all who know her. Because of her many endeavors for ABAC she is an excellent choice for the High Five Award.

Ms. Evelyn Perez-Miller, Senior Secretary, CAMP and HEP - Evelyn has been invaluable the past 2 weeks. She has assisted with the Steps to College Program and with registering incoming CAMP students during Orientation. She was also instrumental in organizing the graduation ceremony for the HEP students on July 17, 2004. Evelyn is always willing to help in any way, regardless of the time. She gives her all for the benefit of the students.

Ms. Kim Ascani, Coordinator of the Student Success Center, Kim is always upbeat and optimistic and displays an enthusiasm for ABAC and the AAC. She has done an outstanding job of identifying qualified tutors to work with students in need of tutoring assistance. Recently, she has been instrumental in expanding the tutoring and assistance services available to students at ABAC on the Square in Moultrie as well as developing additional Student Success Workshops. These are only a few examples of Kim's commitment to helping ABAC students be successful.

Ms. Phyllis Kester, Senior Secretary, Learning Support - Phyllis is always cheerful and never has a cross word for anyone, no matter what the circumstances. She works many extra hours administering placement tests, Regents' Tests, and COMPASS exit exams, not to mention all the other duties that go along with that testing. She never hesitates to work evenings or weekends when necessary and can always be counted on to go the extra mile any time she is needed. Phyllis also does a great job helping students understand their learning support requirements and, most importantly, feel good about themselves at the same time. Phyllis Kester is an excellent example of going beyond the call.

Ms. Patsy Hembree, OTIS- Over the past several weeks Patsy has gone beyond the call of duty on behalf of the ABAC Bookstore. We now have a web site that is accessible in real time that allows browsers to shop for textbooks and other items on a secure network. Patsy had to recode the certificate page numerous times due to miss-information we received from the vendors. Her untiring efforts now make it possible for students to find their required books on line anytime, anyplace they have internet connections. A great deal of Patsy's work gets done long after most of the college has vacated the campus. Her dedication to her job, and especially to the ABAC Bookstore during critical times is far beyond measure.

Week of June 24: Ms. Margie Senkbeil, (Weekly Winner, 7/9/04 ans July Monthly Winner) Ms. Stephanie Hightower (Weekly Winner, 7/16/04)

Ms. Margie Senkbeil, Office Assistant for Financial Aid- She is always willing to stay after hours to assist our Work Study students with filing and file audits. If our Work Study students fall behind in filing, she will help file when she is not at her desk helping parents and students. This really helps the financial aid office a lot, especially during the crunch times.

Ms. Stephanie Hightower, Student Accounts Monitor- Despite the fact that her mother had major surgery Wednesday evening and she spent Wednesday night and all day Thursday at the hospital, Stephanie came to work on Friday and stayed until the checks were ready to hand out, which was 7:30 that evening. Thanks for going above and beyond the call of duty!

Dr. Mike Vollmer, President- For his tireless efforts in making ABAC the best it can be for the present and the future, President Vollmer earned a special "High Five" award. A short list of accomplishments include a 1 million dollar pedestrian mall, a 1.5 million dollar athletic center, a 7 million dollar Ag Science Building, and a 32 million dollar new residence hall complex. He's also a "people's president," always knows your name and is willing to talk to you at any time when he's not arguing on our behalf in Atlanta. Thanks for three great years Mr. President. We look forward to many more.

Week of June 11: Ms. Darby Sewell, Ms. Anita White, Ms. Michelle Barton (Weekly Winner 6/18 and Monthly Winner 6/24), Ms. Caren Bierbaum, Ms. Evonne Connell, Ms. Tawanna Ford, Ms. Stephanie Hightower, Ms. Romanda Holton, Ms. Jennifer Murphy, Ms. Joyce Willis

Ms. Darby Sewell, Family and Consumer Sciences Instructor- Last Friday afternoon (6/4) when Darby had finished registering her FACS students for fall registration, she went to Dr. Allen's rescue and started helping him register 4-year transfer students. He really had a lot of students and if Darby had not helped him, we would have spent a lot of extra time in our office. As it turned out, we finally left a little after 6pm. Darby Sewell always goes the extra mile for all ABAC students, not just her students. She is truly a team player and a huge asset to the Ag Division. She really portrays what "Family and Consumer Science" is all about. Darby is full of energy, very personable, pleasant, works long hours every day, etc. Darby is wonderful and truly deserves a "High Five."

Ms. Anita White, Ms. Michelle Barton, Ms. Caren Bierbaum, Ms. Evonne Connell, Ms. Tawanna Ford, Ms. Stephanie Hightower, Ms. Romanda Holton, Ms. Jennifer Murphy and Ms. Joyce Willis were nominated for their extremely important jobs, but jobs they seldom receive recognition for. Since the Admissions Office and Registrar's Office combined to form Enrollment Services, which also includes one member of the Business Office, the employees have had to do a tremendous amount of cross training. They have all worked hard and done an excellent job with the "one-stop" philosophy which is very beneficial to all of our students. During the week of June 1-4, 2004, these ladies put in many long hours for Evening, Moultrie, and Day Summer Orientations/Registrations and Early Bird Orientation/Registration for Fall. In this four day period, 175 applicants enrolled for summer and 288 enrolled during the Early Bird Orientation. Because the combined efforts of these employees we had some of the smoothest orientations we have ever had and we believe they deserve a huge "High Five."

Ms. Ellen Resta, Administrative Assistant for Evening and Off Campus Programs- Ms. Resta created a brochure and web site for students who want to major in secondary education. Because two-year schools no longer offer that as a major, the brochure and website will be very helpful to both faculty and students.

Dr. Mac Rainey, Professor of Animal Science- Dr. Mac Rainey not only is a good teacher, but works many late nights and weekends with hogs and cows, and putting up hay. I have seen Dr. Mac work with many students, not just his own, helping them to pass a class. He does this without pay and during times that he doesn't have to be here.

Ms. Cheryl Biggs, Academic/Career Specialist- (Weekly Drawing Winner 6/4) There was a sticky situation about whether a student should have taken the Regents Exam (which he did not pass one part) to obtain his degree. Ms. Biggs was the person to find the information that he did not need to take the Regents and he will receive his degree. An e-mail from the mother states, "her son received help from across campus." This is true, but without Ms. Biggs' search for the solution, this may have been an ongoing issue. Everyone won in this case, the student, his family, and ABAC.

Week of May 11-14: Ms. Lennie Vollmer, Mr. Floyd Wright, Mr. Tom Call, Ms. Andrea Willis, Ms. Shirley Wilson, Coach Todd Sheppard, Coach Julie Conner, Mr. Keith Perry, Ms. Brenda Graham (Weekly Drawing Winner 5/21), Dr. John Galyean, Ms. Cathy Rogers (Weekly Drawing Winner 5/14)

Each of the above faculty and staff members volunteered to serve the ABAC student body brunch. When we say "brunch," we aren't referring to a late morning meal. Try 11:30 pm until 1:00 am on a weeknight on for size! If this isn't a true example of going above and beyond a normal work week I don't know what is. Thanks to each of them for helping to make this student program a huge success. Also, each of them made it to work on time the next day as well.

Mr. Wayne Jones, Director of the Arts Connection- Wayne deserves a "High Five" for organizing the best Love Affair ever. This three day event took countless hours and required the coordination of numerous volunteers. Wayne worked from 7 in the morning to midnight for four days to ensure that all was well and that ABAC and Tifton were well represented to the visitors of Tifton.

Ms. Pam Leonard, Administrative Secretary for Public Relations- (Weekly Drawing Winner 5/7) Pam Leonard deserves a "High Five Award" for the continuous motion she exhibits in pursuing her job duties. If she's not at her desk answering one of the many phone calls she gets daily, you can see her running about campus, making sure campus visitors are happy, sound systems are ready, and events are running smoothly. She is friendly and courteous to students and staff alike, and always smiling. If she is not on campus, she is in town dropping off or picking up items needed for a particular occasion. I do not think she has ever taken a lunch to eat, but if she did, she would probably be doing ABAC's work as she ate.

Ms. Trina Jones, Assistant Librarian- With a short staff in the library, Trina is going beyond her normal responsibilities. Without complaints or comments she helps the students to find what they ask for. At the same time she helps the co-workers to cover their positions even during her lunch time. We are happy to have her here in the Baldwin Library.

Week of April 2-April 7: Ms. Stephanie Hightower, Dr. Joseph Njoroge, Dean Bernice Hughes, Mr. Mike Williams, Mr. Howard McCrary, Mr. Ernest Kelly, Ms. Nancy Coleman

Ms. Stephanie Hightower, Accounting Clerk- Stephanie is located in the Student Enrollment Services Office and is always willing to help anyone with anything, especially students. She spends a lot of time with each student to make sure they understand what they're asking. On this particular day, a student came in to withdraw from summer classes because she had to have surgery. Both hands were in braces and she wasn't supposed to write, or use her hands very little. Stephanie offered to and did complete the form for the student. She didn't have to do this since it was possible for the student to write. This is just one little example of then many things Stephanie does to assist others.

Dr. Joseph Njoroge, Assistant Professor of Political Science (Weekly Drawing Winner 4/11)- Dr. Njoroge was responsible for organizing the "Focus on the Middle East" conference that was held on March 26 and 27th. It was a great success with more than 200 attendees at one point on Friday. Dr. Njoroge arranged for guest speakers, saw that refreshments were provided, and served as moderator. He will be meeting with area teachers this weekend who are completing staff development requirements.

Dean Bernice Hughes, Director of Residence Life and Housing- (Weekly Drawing Winner 4/26) Dean Hughes recently organized a "homecoming" and invited former housing staff members to return to ABAC so they could tour the new ABAC Place apartments. A lot of hard work and long hours were put into planning and carrying out the event which saw 30 former employees return to campus. Dean Hughes spent much of her day Friday and Friday night, and all day Saturday setting up for the event, along with working Open Campus Day, and cleaning up the new Town Hall afterwards. The event was successful and made many who had lived and worked in housing in the past appreciate all the planning, hard work, money, and time that has been spent into creating the new "state of the art" campus facility.

Mr. Mike Williams, Mr. Howard McCrary, and Mr. Ernest Kelly, OTIS- (Weekly Drawing Winner 4/30) (Monthly Winner for April) It may be strange to nominate three people, but all deserve recognition. In a four day period, they worked a total of 75 extra hours-that's beyond the 8-5 workday, in order to complete the network calling cabling needed before ABAC can implement the new phone system. Even though I'll catch some heat for recognizing them as they don't feel they do more than many others, I'm willing to take that risk as this deserves recognition. If selected as the weekly winner they can take turns wearing the T-Shirt. If selected as the monthly winner they take OTIS to lunch.

Ms. Nancy Coleman, Alumni Relations- Since the resignation of the alumni secretary and the hiring freeze, Nancy is "technically speaking" a one-woman office. Homecoming was April 1-3 which is a large event to prepare for single handedly. Except for instructions on how to run various reports and volunteer assistance from Alumni Board members, Nancy worked diligently to make Homecoming at ABAC a success. I comment Nancy for a job well done.

Ms. Pathelyn Smith, OTIS- Pathelyn is one of the quiet majority that makes ABAC a family. She gives encouragement to her co-workers across campus. Pathelyn supports the person as well as the duties listed in her job description. Many times she has to work outside the normal day to help people with email problems and keeping systems up so that others can do their jobs. She supports the Staff Forum, student athletic activities, and other college events. Pathelyn works for the good of the people of ABAC as well as getting the job done.