University employees receive outstanding service awards

By Megan McDonald
Western Herald

Twice a year, university employees are recognized for outstanding service with the Make a Difference Award. Employees are chosen from Administrative Professional Association; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Michigan State Employees Association; Police Officers Association; and Professional Support Staff Organization.

Nine recipients were awarded for Fall 2009 with $250 and a commemorative certificate. The award ceremony was held Monday, Dec. 7 in the Bernhard Center.

•Darrell Junkins started working for WMU in February 1996 and is now one of three supervisors of Landscape Services.

Junkins was born in Bowling Green, Ohio graduated from Ohio University with a degree in landscape. He also went to a two-year technical school in Ohio and graduated with an associates degree in applied science.

Junkins grew up on a farm and has always enjoyed working outdoors and with plants. Junkins oversees 11 full-time employees and under ten part-time employees, such of which are students.

“I enjoy working with and meeting the students that go here,” he said. “It gives my job a newness and keeps me alive and fresh.”

Junkins is also currently taking classes at WMU. He tries to take one class each semester and is currently taking the history of ancient Rome.

“It’s an individual award, but it represents a lot of people’s hard work of the entire landscape department. I am glad to be a part of this team at WMU,” Junkins said about receiving the award.

Junkins lives in Battle Creek with his wife.

•Teresa Cleveland started working for WMU 14 years ago in the Admissions Office for her first two years. Since then she has been the coordinator for open learning classes in the online education department.

Even before Cleveland began working at WMU, she worked in several different educational arenas. After doing her undergraduate studies at Grand Valley State University, Cleveland taught fourth and fifth grades in Parchment and Gaylord, Mich.

Cleveland came on board to the Open Learning program in April 2008. She has helped create the open learning system and has had the chance to work with many different departments. Open learning classes are online classes that are open entry classes giving students a six month time frame to complete the it.

“It has been a challenge and it’s been fun to develop something for Western,” Cleveland said.

Currently there are only undergraduate courses that are offered as open learning classes, but Cleveland hopes to expand and perfect the program to help more students.
“It is truly an honor to receive this award,” she said. “We have some fabulous people that work at this university and it is an honor to think that you are nominated by a fellow employee and to work with the quality of people that work here.”

Cleveland lives in Parchment and enjoys quilting and gardening.

•Being the Administrative Assistant for First Year Experience, the part Paige Warner loves most about her job is working with the students.

“I love meeting all the new freshmen and seeing them grow over the years,” Warner said.

Warner started working for WMU in September 2005. She helps plan and coordinate all the Fall Welcome activities and speakers.

“I love all the newness and excitement going on at that time of year,” Warner said.

When Warner is not working with students at WMU, she takes classes at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and plans on continuing her education in social work at WMU this spring.

Warner grew up and still lives in Kalamazoo with her husband and 11-year-old son. She has been designing her own handbags for five years.

•Robin Lenkart started working at WMU in May 2008 as a finance specialist and now is an office associate for the Chemistry department at WMU.

Lenkart grew up in Kalamazoo and graduated from Ferris State University in 1989 with a degree in accounting.

“The people I work with are so much fun to work with,” she said. “I like to make it fun and I’m learning something new everyday.”

When Lenkart is not working at WMU, she volunteers a lot with her family. She has participated in the Greater Kalamazoo Food Drive for many years and likes to help the community as much as she can.

Lenkart lives in Kalamazoo with her husband and three children.

•Kenny O’Connor works at WMU in the facilities management and maintenance services department. He is the Environmental Control Person in the Construction Services department for Western.

•Douglas Gray works at WMU in the Facilities Management department. He works as a custodian in the Building Custodial and Support Services department.

•Patricia Nelson works as an office associate for the philosophy and comparative religion departments at WMU. Her main responsibilities include tracking the budget in those departments and supervising the student assistants.

Nelson graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in American Studies and then traveled across the country in her 20s.

Nelson has worked for WMU since 1990 and although she is retiring in January, she has enjoyed it thoroughly.

“I especially loved working with the faculty here,” she said. “You can tell the professors have a sincere commitment to teaching.” Nelson currently lives in Bloomingdale with her husband.

•Nancy Johnson works in the Investments and Endowment Management Department at WMU as the assistant investment officer.  She began working for WMU in 1979 and said she has loved every minute of it.

“My boss is the best person to work for. I have worked with her for 30 years and we have learned to compliment each other very well,” Johnson said.

Johnson also serves as the treasurer for the university’s Professional Support Staff Organization.  Being a cancer survivor herself, Johnson helps out the WMU team for Kalamazoo County every year.

When Johnson is not working she enjoys traveling to Seattle to see family and watch the Seattle Seahawks.

“I am a very outgoing person. I love to make people laugh,” she said.  “I am also a perfectionist.  When I’m working I strive to make sure everything is done and done correctly.”

Johnson grew up in Battle Creek, Mich. and now lives in Hickory Corners with her husband.

•Virginia Bowlby started working in Registration at WMU in 1981.  She previously worked in Graduation Auditing, the Graduate College, Graduate Admissions and now the coordinator for all graduate appointments.

Bowlby grew up in Kalamazoo and grew up with WMU.  WMU has become a family business.  Bowlby’s mother retired after working for WMU for 34 years and her daughter, who is currently a sophomore at WMU, also has a job at the university.

Bowlby says that she enjoys working with students because it keeps her young.

“Customer service has always been a strength of mine.  I always pay attention to why we’re here, we’re here to serve our customers,” Bowlby said.

When Bowlby is not working at WMU, she enjoys camping with her husband and taking care of her new puppy.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Dec 13 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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