Classified employee awards announced
 Classified Staff award recipients (from left) Catherine Attig, Barbara Schaack, Sheila Zweifel, Joyce Collins and Linda Gorman. |
They are vital parts that help make up the whole that is UW–Madison.
Working hand-in-hand with academic staff, faculty and students, classified employees make up a work force at the university that numbers nearly 4,900. Out of this large segment of the university community, there are five workers who have distinguished themselves above the rest, and they have been named recipients of the 1998 Classified Employee Recognition Awards.
Catherine Attig, Joyce Collins, Linda Gorman, Barbara Schaack and Sheila Zweifel were honored at an Olin House reception April 29 for their outstanding work.
“From your colleagues in the administrative, faculty, academic staff and student ranks, I want to personally thank each of you for jobs performed exceptionally well,” Chancellor David Ward said at the reception.
“We all serve together as equal partners so the university can fulfill its mission of developing human resources, discovering and disseminating knowledge and becoming Wisconsin’s resource for a lifetime — a mission we would not be able to accomplish without your skill and ability.”
The Classified Personnel Office developed the awards to highlight the efforts made by employees considered classified by state employment guidelines. This is the fourth year the awards have been presented. An awards committee selects the winners from names submitted by co-workers.
Winners receive a pin and plaque from the Wisconsin Alumni Association and are given the opportunity to attend career-development programs offered by the Management Institute. The recipients are:
Catherine Attig
Attig is a typesetter with the Dictionary of American Regional English project in the department of English.
But her job duties go far beyond her official title of typesetting system input operator. She creates and updates production and student task instructions, production manuals, text and document files and editorial aids. She helps hire students and volunteers, trains them and checks their work.
In addition, she assists with computer maintenance, proofreading and keeps track of the dictionary project’s progress. She specifically assisted the project last spring as it prepared for a national meeting of the Dictionary Society of North America, developing conference materials and filling in wherever needed.
Colleagues describe her as extremely competent, dependable and always ready to help wherever necessary.
“Cathy never says she can’t do something,” says her nominating letter. “She is always willing to step in where there is a need, from major projects down to cleaning the coffee room.”
Joyce Collins
Collins is the department administrator in the Robert M. La Follette Institute of Public Affairs.
She has helped streamline the functions of the institute, including developing a new budget system, and has provided important campus leadership through regular meetings with fellow department administrators. She has also been a mentor to fellow employees.
Colleagues praise Collins for her can-do spirit, ability to anticipate needs, problem-solving skills and the extra effort she puts forth to make people feel comfortable.
One nominating letter paid her the highest tribute: “She is the very heart and soul of the institute — the critical hub around which the institute’s operations turn.”
Linda Gorman
Gorman is a word-processing operator in the communicative disorders department and speech and hearing clinics.
Having joined her current department when it was temporarily short- staffed, Gorman contributed immediately by quickly learning the routine of the department. In particular, she assisted with the department’s five-year certification renewal process through the Association of Speech-Language and Hearing Association and a 10-year review through the College of Letters and Science.
Her work ethic, patience, loyalty and positive attitude have distinguished her as an outstanding employee. Gorman is also an active volunteer for her church and the community.
“It is the care, concern and dedication for her job, our faculty, students, clients and the community that set (Linda) apart,” reads one nominating letter.
Barbara Schaack
Schaack is a program assistant in the botany department.
She edits the alumni and department newsletters and prepares a botany course guidebook that students find extremely beneficial. Schaack is also the department coordinator for the university’s new Integrated Student Information System, also known as ISIS. She has been commended by ISIS officials in their newsletter for her understanding of the system.
She assists with numerous administrative tasks related to curriculum, such as scheduling courses and rooms, and coordinates the chargeback process for expenses related to research projects. Her efforts have realized a return of approximately $60,000 over three years, a savings to the department’s limited supply funds.
Faculty, staff and students describe her as a valuable colleague and friend.
According to nominating material, “Barbara is an exemplary university employee, a role model of the highest order. She is dedicated, industrious, conscientious and reliable. Every task that she undertakes is carried out with excellence.”
Sheila Zweifel
Zweifel is the medical-records team manager in the medical records unit of University Health Services.
Her efforts are many: She led the charge to develop and implement a free-standing medical record system independent of the UW Hospital and Clinics system and is a key member of the Clinical Services Peer Review Committee.
In addition to providing stellar leadership to her team, Zweifel supervises three developmentally challenged individuals through the Goodwill Industries’ Employment Initiative. Her work has been cited by Gov. Tommy Thompson as part of his Exemplary Employer Award program.
She is also a trusted colleague in the Wisconsin Health Information Management Association, and she organized the Health Services participation in the Dane County Social Services “Adopt-a-Family” program over the holiday season. She also collects winter coats for needy children each fall.
“(Sheila) consistently provides outstanding services and leadership for our students, colleagues, campus and statewide communities,” reads her nominating letter.