Classified staff honored for workplace dedication

Resourcefulness, commitment to service and the willingness to tackle tough problems have won recognition for five dedicated UW–Madison employees.

They were this year’s recipients of the Classified Employee Recognition Awards, which honor exemplary performance among 4,800 classified employees. Chancellor John Wiley praised their efforts during a reception in their honor.

“They are reminders that public service is noble; that there are people all over campus looking for ways to make their offices run more smoothly; and that we encourage our workers to be thoughtful, creative and resourceful,” Wiley says.

The winners received a monetary award, a certificate for the professional development opportunity of their choice at the Management Institute and a plaque.

Supervisors and colleagues nominated a pool of 50 candidates to Classified Human Resources, and the five winners were chosen by a committee, based on promotion of excellence, job performance, innovative ideas and outside service.

This year’s winners include:

Peter Diederich
Financial Specialist 4, School of Education

Colleagues have said Diederich is an exceptional leader, but also a teacher who often instructs subordinates, peers and superiors on the intricacies of financial accounting procedures.

Diederich has a command of fiscal details and has established himself an “organizational go-to guy” in his unit.

He has spent nearly a quarter-century in various departments at the university, where he has maintained a record of integrity, attention to detail and selfless service. For the last four years, he has served as the financial lynchpin at the Center on Education and Work (CEW).

During his tenure at the center, he has saved it tens of thousands of dollars by modifying and implementing a simplified accounting system that he developed at the School of Medicine.

Diederich also has worked overload hours in the School of Business since April 2003. Faculty and staff members at CEW as well as the School of Business’s Center for International Business, Education and Research have come to rely on his expertise.

Sandra Fowler
Financial Specialist 2, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Fowler is known at CALS for getting the job done and for going beyond the call of duty.

In forest ecology and management, she is known as an expert in processing travel expense reports with speed and precision and has worked to assure that vendors are paid promptly.

Fowler has handled many other duties, with an eye toward service. For example, when an undergraduate mistakenly dropped a chemistry class with a long waiting list, she was able to get the student reinstated by making a couple of phone calls, even though this was not part of her job description.

And, when 500 Christmas trees for the Forestry Club’s annual tree sales showed up six hours early and the truck driver wanted to know who was going to unload his truck, Fowler again solved a tough situation.

Because forestry undergrads were in classes, Fowler went through the department recruiting faculty members and grad students to unload the truck. She also pitched in — and got the job done.

Arnold Gudel
Shipping and Mailing Clerk, College of Letters and Science

Gudel has run the mailroom in Van Hise Hall for the last 37 years, and in 1995 he volunteered to assume responsibility for the mail functions of Ingraham Hall as well.

Gudel developed and implemented an accounting system for postage with about 115 different accounts, and he manages the billing for each department and program.

He also set up a system in which post office supplies and forms are kept outside of his office, saving faculty and staff many trips to the post office. Gudel has helped develop systems that allow packages to be mailed on a more timely basis.

But his personal care is what sets him apart. One nominator said of Gudel: “Arnie is one of the nicest people in the building. In particular, I want to mention Arnie’s patience when I come running to catch the delivery at the last minute, to add something to my mail or to warn him about my big boxes of books from Israel. I hope Arnie will continue to give us our mail with a smile for many years to come.”

Claudia Hirsch
Laboratory Support Supervisor, School of Veterinary Medicine

Hirsch’s dedication to the university never was more evident than on the evening of June 23, after a tornado ravaged the Charmany Instructional Facility on Mineral Point Road.

Her courage and leadership were critical, because the associate director was traveling out of state.

She was on the scene, which houses the dairy teaching herd, teaching horses and other large animals, and she acted quickly to move animals from the main building, where broken water pipes threatened to drown them. Hirsch worked until the early-morning hours, caught a couple hours of sleep and returned to the facility.

Because of the massive storm damage, it was likely that bulk feed and bedding were contaminated, so Hirsch took charge of the situation and made sure that fresh feed and bedding were delivered the next morning.

Within 24 hours of the storm, some faculty members were able to resume their research, thanks to her dedication.

During reconstruction and repair of the facility, Hirsch worked with the contractor to assure that Charmany remained operational and relocated animals to allow research and repair to co-exist.

Timothy Taggart
Food Service Administrator, Intercollegiate Athletics

Taggart’s leadership was indispensable as the university opened the new premium suites and club-seat areas at the renovated Camp Randall Stadium last fall. As director of the UW Athletic Food and Beverage Department, he played a key role in the successful opening of these areas.

Taggart and his team designed menus, systems and procedures to accommodate the food and beverage needs of 72 suites serving 1,500 patrons and club-seat areas containing an additional 900 guests. The challenges were great, given tight deadlines and high expectations.

He was instrumental in designing the main stadium kitchen and support areas and in hiring 125 game-day staff members. The task was accomplished, in addition to the 3,600 meals his team regularly prepares for game-day events and team meals. Customer service surveys have given his operation high marks for food and beverage quality.

Taggart has shared his skills with the community, helping the homeless by cooking breakfasts, sending job announcements to shelters and providing items for fund raisers. When possible, he donates leftover food items from the Kohl Center to shelters.