Pat Austin is EOM for December

Pat Austin, administrative aide in Academic Affairs, may have wondered what all the recent extra activity up and down the hallway was about, but then it's the holidays and everyone is busy.

But in reality, it was her colleagues cooking up an elaborate plot involving "Front End Banner" meetings, fake phone calls, and a new co-worker – all of it designed to lure Pat down to conference room G so she could be recognized as Employee of the Month for December.

Associate Provost Aaron Shures began the presentation by listing the qualities that made Pat an indispensable part of the staff and a perfect choice for EOM. They included her willingness to take on extra duties and go the extra mile and it wasn't until he added "without complaint" that the crowd burst out laughing.

"But seriously," Aaron continued, "Pat exemplifies the dedication that is so typical of UIS staff, and that's why she deserves recognition as one of our best."

Pat's first response was to greet her husband, David, and sister, BJ, with hugs and "How long have you guys known about this?" The rest of her acceptance speech was brief: "I don't know what to say. I love working here, you guys know that because I've said it often enough. Thank you."

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.