Jason Noyes named the UIS Employee of the Month for May 2020

Jason Noyes has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for May 2020. He manages the Help Desk for Information Technology Services.

His supervisor, Kara McElwrath, says he goes above and beyond each and every day. As Help Desk manager, he manages a team of student workers who typically respond to computer and other technical issues seven days a week.

“Jason is always helpful and always professional,” McElwrath said. “No matter the problem, no matter what else is on his plate, he has never said ‘that’s not my job’ or ‘let me ask someone else to do that.’ He treats faculty, staff, and students with respect and takes on each of their problems as his own.”

Noyes was nominated for the Employee of the Month award by a person who agrees that he goes above and beyond, a faculty member who he recently helped set up a customized computer.

“Jason has been spectacularly helpful in enabling me to work at UIS this spring,” his nominator said. “He worked with me to find a proper computer, and then he customized it for me, and then he assisted me with challenges I faced upgrading a computer at home. All of this took many meetings and he has been unfailingly helpful and highly available.”

Noyes has taken on big roles lately, such as managing the transition from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for the entire campus, while also working on a replacement to the UIS Help Desk ticketing system.

“When someone goes to Jason with a problem, they know they are in good hands,” McElwrath said. “The confidence and assurance that he will stick with them until the issue is resolved puts everyone at ease. As a recent example, Jason worked tirelessly earlier this week to recover files from a damaged flash drive. Instead of giving up, instead of asking why there were no backups of the files, he just dug in and found a way to recover each and every file. This is the kind of service and diligence that he expresses every single day.”

Outside of work, Noyes hosts a morning radio show on Saturday’s on 970 AM WMAY and serves as a volunteer firefighter.

“The entire campus community (including me) depends on him and he doesn’t disappoint,” McElwrath said. “Honestly, I can’t imagine doing my job without him. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of Employee of the Month.”

Lorie Mick named the UIS Employee of the Month for April 2020

Lorie Mick has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for April 2020. Mick is a staff nurse II and associate director of Health Services.

Mick’s nominator describes her as a “huge asset” to the department, noting that she has many roles in the department, besides being a nurse.

“She also is the manager of the clinic, she orders supplies, she runs lab tests and cleans areas that need to be tended to,” her nominator said. “Lorie goes the extra mile to make sure the clinic is run perfectly. She often arrives early for work and stays late to make sure the day’s duties are complete.”

Her supervisor says, over the past year, Mick has put significant effort into making UIS Health Services work better for students.

“She has coordinated efforts to allow the clinic to provide common prescriptions on-site, so that students can get a diagnosis and treatment for many common health issues immediately without having to leave campus,” said Mark Dochterman, her supervisor. “She has worked to improve the quality and types of testing that the clinic can do in order to reduce the time a student has to wait in order to get their results.”

She has also worked with staff to be open late on Wednesdays, worked with an outside vendor to set up online appointment scheduling and has streamlined communication about immunization requirements for incoming students. She also serves on several committees on campus.

“There are case after case of situations where Lorie (or one of her staff members under Lorie’s direction) go the extra mile for students,” Dochterman said. “Perhaps it’s tracking down a local provider that will accept a student’s insurance. Perhaps it’s working to find the cheapest price on an otherwise expensive prescription for students. Perhaps it’s working a student without an appointment into the day’s schedule because they need to be seen. These are commonplace efforts on the part of the office, and this is part of the culture of the place in large part because Lorie doesn’t see this as going the extra mile. She sees it as doing the work.”

Mick regularly mentors new employees, students and graduate assistants to the department and is widely respected by her supervisor, co-workers and people on campus.

“I never have to worry about Lorie’s dependability,” Dochterman said. “She is generally the first person in the clinic and the last person to leave. Lorie keeps the needs to students first and continues to chip away at the administrative work until it gets complete. Her ability to manage these two divergent pulls on her time is commendable.”

Chrisa Potthast-Leezer named the UIS Employee of the Month for March 2020

Chrisa Potthast-Leezer has been named the University of Illinois Springfield Employee of the Month for March 2020. She is a disability specialist in the Office of Disability Services.

Potthast-Leezer’s nominator describes her as an honest and considerate co-worker with a strong work ethic. She always presents a team attitude, is polite and helpful and has a smile on her face.

“She has a positive attitude and exudes kindness,” her nominator said. “Working in disability services requires someone who is patient, compassionate, helpful, caring, and kindhearted.”

Her supervisor, Sarah Colby Weaver, says she builds a good rapport with students with disabilities and creates a warm, welcoming environment for them in the office.

“Chrisa works hard to ensure students with disabilities receive the required, documented accommodations for their courses,” Weaver said. “She goes the extra mile to help them and spends time talking with professors, other staff members and the student so that everyone is on the same page and the goal for the success of the student is what’s important.”

Potthast-Leezer spends time in the classroom setting up the adaptive technology that students need. She also meets with professors, prior to students who may have a disability arriving on campus, to help them understand how they can help.

“Chrisa has a positive attitude with the students, by being warm and welcoming when she meets with them,” Weaver said. “We all know it’s not what you say, but how you say it. If you say it with a smile and have a positive attitude, the students will feel that and it will be an atmosphere that they will want to come back to for help.”

Potthast-Leezer is a UIS alumna and a former student-athlete who first started working as a student worker in the Office of Disability Services. She has been a full-time employee in the office for 18 years.

“She knows everyone on campus and has a good rapport with the staff, faculty, students and the public,” Weaver said. “She is professional and maintains relationships need to be resources for our students. “Her positive manner goes a long way and I’m happy to be working with Chrisa.”