2006 High Five Award Nominees
Week Ending November 24, 2006: Francisco Zepeda (Weekly Winner 11/24/06)
Francisco Zepeda, ABAC CAMP Recruiter. Francisco was nominated by Javier Gonzalez, "Francisco is continuously involved with the CAMP students beyond what is required. This semester, he has worked closely with several students and ABAC offices to ensure all the documentation for student financial aid and housing was completed. His dedication to the students is evident in his willing participation in the Hispanic Heritage Day Celebration, advisor for Cultura Latina Club, and in traveling with CAMP students to Michigan State University for a student leadership conference. Francisco is a great example for all students.”
Week Ending November 3, 2006: Sharon Ellis (Weekly Winner 11/3)
Sharon Ellis, Interim Director of Business Services. Sharon was nominated by Fran Kinchen and her nomination reads as follows, "Sometimes we have a tendency to overlook the regular routine work of an individual; however, I have noticed Sharon working many days including weekends to make sure the business of the College meets its deadlines to the Board of Regents. During these past few weeks, Sharon has worked extremely hard to assist the President and his team to get the budget put together while continuing to work on the many other business operations for Fiscal Affairs. As President Bridges said, 'special thanks to Sharon for her hard work on the budget these past few weeks. Without her hard work we could not have gotten it done.' I agree! So thanks, Sharon, for all you do!"
Week Ending October 27, 2006: Tyrie J. Smith (Weekly Winner 10/27)
Tyrie J. Smith, Instructor, Division of Humanities. T.J.'s nomination was sent in by Kelly Keener. She wrote, "My car broke down one Friday afternoon and not only did T.J. help me figure out what was wrong with my car, be actually spent his Saturday replacing my cracked radiator."
Week Ending October 20, 2006: Dr. Eddie Seagle, Danny Cravey (Weekly Winner, Monthly Winner October)
Dr. Eddie Seagle, Professor, Horticulture. Eddie's nomination was submitted by Nancy Coleman who said, "Dr. Seagle was a major player in the success of the recent ABAC Ag Classic. He solicited donors and players, coordinated the student volunteers (recipients of scholarships provided by the tournament) and secured rounds of golf from prestigious clubs where his former students work for the Silent Auction. Dr. Seagle genuinely cares about students and ABAC. He is truly an asset to his division and the college."
Danny Cravey, Course Manager, Forest Lake Golf Course. Danny was also nominated by Nancy Coleman and her nomination of Danny reads, "Danny's assistance in organizing the recent ABAC Ag Golf Classic Golf Tournament was invaluable. He was in constant communication about what needed to be done and what he could do to help. The day of the tournament, he was at the course at 6:30 a.m. and was still working at 6:30 p.m. His cheerful attitude and extraordinary manners made him a delight to work with. This tournament would not have been a success without him."
Week Ending October 13, 2006: Barbara M (Bam) Pirkle (Weekly Winner, October 13)
Bam Pirkle, Administrative Associate, Offices of College Services and Human Resources, Bam was nominated by Bertha Daniel with the following, "I would like to nominate Bam for the High Five Award because she really went above and beyond in working with the Benefits Fair/Employee Appreciation event. This event was done almost single handedly by Bam from the beginning to the end and I must say that the results show that she did a fantastic job. She even drew the "beach scene" posters placed on the wall. :-) "
Week Ending September 1, 2006: The Office of Financial Aid Staff: Traci Bryan, Ryan Myers, Sherin Nixon, Margie Senkbeil and Lyn Smith (Weekly Winners September 1)
Traci Bryan, Ryan Myers, Sherin Nixon, Margie Senkbeil and Lyn Smith, the staff of the Office of Financial Aid, were all nominated by Jenelle Handcox with the following nomination, "The entire financial aid office staff dedicated many overtime hours, including 10+ hour work days and weekends, to process paperwork for ABAC students enrolling Fall Semester 2006. For almost the entire month of August, the staff contended with countless phone calls, emails and voice mail messages. Furthermore, for the past two weeks, the reception area in the office has been filled to capacity and beyond. The staff assisted these many student and parent visitors, callers and e-mailers without complaining and, all the while, realizing that this barrage is just the "nature of the beast" of working in financial aid at this time of year. My kudos to the staff for their long hours and dedicated efforts on behalf of the students of ABAC!"
Week Ending August 25, 2006: Brenda Doss (Weekly Winner 8/25; Monthly Winner for August), Reina Patel, Mike Williams
Brenda Doss, Administrative Associate, Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Brenda's nomination came from Sue Wilson. It states, "Brenda worked long hours preparing the packets and programs for the Fall Conference and for New Faculty Orientation. She was cheerful and helpful throughout the entire process."
Reina Patel, Library Circulation Manager. Reina's nomination came from Vickie Horst and says, "Reina is one of those people that does her job so well and so unobtrusively that you never realize what she's up to until she's gone - and you can't figure out why things aren't happening as they should. She takes excellent care of all the computers at the library, making sure the students have functioning machines and updated software to work with."
Mike Williams, Coordinator, Network Security and Support. Mike's nomination was sent in by Vickie Horst and says, "Mike is probably one of the most overworked people on campus but you would never know it to speak to him. He is always gracious and unfailingly polite and does his job in a very low key and professional manner. He has been a real joy to work with."
Week Ending August 18, 2006: Erin Womack, Olga Contreras-Martinez (/Weekly Winner 8/18)
Erin Womack, Program Coordinator, Public Service and Business Service Center. Erin's nomination was submitted by Diane Kilgore and states, "Erin volunteered to be ABAC's representative for the American Red Cross HERO campaign. She was instrumental in raising ABAC's goal of $1,000 by organizing a large community yard sale on our behalf. All funds raised will go to the American Red Cross to benefit local citizens. Erin is my HERO and deserves to be recognized for her generous efforts above and beyond the call of duty."
Olga Contreras-Martinez, HEP Coordinator. Olga's nomination was made by Nancy Anthony and says, "Olga does for others daily; for students, staff and faculty. She calls to check on all of her projects, sick or well. Olga is truly dedicated to the education of America's youth."
Week Ending July 28, 2006: Michelle Barton (Weekly Winner, 7/28/06; Monthly Winner July)
Michelle Barton, Office Manager. Michelle's nomination was submitted by Ali Csinos and states, "Michelle always takes the time to make sure the office is running smoothly. She ensures that each student she deals with is helped and she always has a positive attitude and a smile. And, AMAZINGLY, she can remember students' names after just meeting them once! She works to hard to make ABAC student friendly!"
Week Ending June 16, 2006: B. J. Rathburn (Weekly Winner, 6/15/06; Monthly Winner June)
B. J. Rathburn, Computer Services Specialist. B.J.'s nomination was submitted by Tami Dennis and Becky Arnold. "Anytime Mr. Rathburn has assisted us with computer problems, he has been prompt, courteous and helpful. He has gone out of his way explaining programs and hardware. He is always considerate of the fact that we are less than proficient with computers and hardware."
Week Ending May 19, 2006: Heather Vaughn (Weekly Winner, 5/19/06; monthly winner May)
Heather Vaughn, Sr. Administrative Assistant in the Public Service & Business Outreach Center. Her nomination was submitted by Diane Kilgore and Fran Kinchen and is as follows: “Heather Vaughn, senior administrative assistant in the Public Service and Business Outreach Center, is not only one of the most diligent workers on the ABAC campus, but she is one of ABAC’s most loyal. During the past several months she has proven that by volunteering her decorating talent to make cakes for the following events: the Staff Forum fundraiser (2 cakes); the Celebration for girls’ basketball team (sheet cake); the Relay for Life fundraiser (2 cakes); and this week’s celebration at gaining state college status (120 cupcakes.) Heather has gladly spent many sleepless nights in service to ABAC, and she deserves special recognition for her selflessness.”
Week Ending May 5, 2006: Geoff Clement (Weekly Winner, 5/5/06)
Geoff Clement, Associate Professor, Division of Science and Mathematics. "Mr. Clement took over as the Relay for Life Chair at ABAC this year. Our team goal was $15,000 and the final amount was well over $16,000. We made our Goal! We earned 'Best College Team' (barely beating out the UGA Tifton Campus team); we earned the Spirit Award; we raised the third highest amount of any team in Tift County; and we earned the third best decorated campsite award. Geoff Clement worked many hours in stepping up for ABAC. He is well deserving of the HIGH FIVE!"
Week Ending April 28, 2006: Nancy Brannen (Weekly Winner, 4/28/06)
Nancy Brannen, Sr. Administrative Assistant, Division of Science and Mathematics. "Nancy is a fantastic division secretary in terms of organization and job skills, but she does so much 'behind the scenes' to serve and encourage us personally. She's a blessing to work with! From December to now, she has willingly and ably helped with keeping track of the Relay for Life donations. She's done a great job with a very difficult task, and it is very definitely 'above and beyond' the call of duty. Our Relay Team is very grateful for her help, and we'd appreciate your consideration of Nancy for this well-deserved honor. Thanks."
Week Ending February 17, 2006: Jim May (Weekly Winner, 2/24/06; Monthly Winner February)
Jim May, Database Administrator, OITS. "While staff from Enrollment Services were in Athens participating in beta testing for electronic transcript transfer, Jim May was our guardian angel back on campus in Tifton. When a problem arose, Jim was instantly there to tweak settings and restart processes that were critical to the testing process. Often he took care of issues before we could even let him know by email or telephone. This required him to put his own pressing duties aside and devote his entire attention to monitoring our test data and progress. Jim's quick response and constant monitoring of the beta test issues allowed our testing to progress as far as possible."
Week Ending January 13, 2006: Margaret Treadway (Weekly Winner, 1/13/06; Monthly Winner January)
Margaret Treadway, Instructor, Division of Science/Math. "Margaret called me in the am and told me that she woke up saying a prayer for one of my players that they do well on the final exam and pass the course. She knew how hard this student had worked to pass her class and she was hoping that the effort would be rewarded. This is a person that truly cares about the students of ABAC. Anyone that wakes in the morning with a prayer for a student deserves a 'High Five'."