November EOM is Melanie Smith

Melanie Smith (holding the baby in the picture at the right), employment services manager in Human Resources, was totally surprised to find herself being honored as Employee of the Month as she walked into her party in PAC C/D on Thursday afternoon.

Wes Weisenburn, assistant vice president for human resources, made the official presentation and briefly recounted Melanie's long association with the university, which began when she was a student worker.

Accepting the honor, Melanie noted that the campus had always been like a "second home" to her. Later on she was still wondering "how everybody pulled this off without me knowing.

"When Wes opened that door, the first person I saw was my sister standing there with a camera. I realized what was happening and turned and went the other way. Apparently, we have a lot of people on campus with good poker faces and I have no idea how this was kept secret!"

She added, "It's one thing to know that someone out there appreciates my efforts enough to have nominated me, but it's an even bigger honor to have looked around that room and to know that all of the people there shared the same sentiment. I am thankful every day to be here, and on the not-so-good days, I have an reminder on my wall that it's not all for nothing: a sign that reads 'Who says HR is a thankless job??' I've surrounded the sign with a variety of thank-you cards I've received over the years.

"This is not just a place that I come to work. This campus became home for me over 14 years ago."

For Melanie, the moment was made even more special by the many family members who were on hand, and who presented her with a big bouquet of flowers.