Staff Senate Announces Outstanding Team Award

The University of Arkansas Staff Senate is pleased to announce Jeanne Short, Brenda Foster and Melinda Adams from the department of history in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences as the 2011 Outstanding Staff Team Award recipient.

The department of history administers courses and degree programs in the academic discipline of history. In 2011, staff members took on a number of initiatives above and beyond the scope of their normal duties. Beginning last year, the staff took over the administrative work of the African American studies and international relations programs. The staff team also assisted the Asian studies program in running its highly successful lecture series, and implemented the necessary administrative work for the study abroad program in Ghana. 

In addition to these demanding programs, the staff took the initiative to add QR codes to course flyers, enabling students to access the syllabus directly from their smart phones. They also created a Virtual Bulletin Board to highlight awards, announcements, and departmental events on a flat screen monitor—a method now being adopted by other departments in Old Main.

To promote awareness of alumni publications, the staff oversaw the creation of an Alumni Book Tower, featuring 416 books published by Arkansas graduates.  The staff team also organized and upgraded the department’s video library, incentivized timely grade completion for faculty and teaching assistants through a raffle system, and conducted a Seven Hills Homeless Shelter Book Drive.

In addition to all of these accomplishments, the staff members recently modernized the department through implementing virtual-based workflows and streamlining the processes for office rotation. Their teamwork and collegial spirit have helped to create a vibrant and positive atmosphere, and their creative efforts have improved the efficiency of the department.

The Outstanding Staff Team will be recognized at the Staff Senate meeting on Thursday, March 8, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 133 at the Physics Building. The team will receive a plaque and a cash award of $2,500. The entire campus community is invited to join the Staff Senate in congratulating the members of the history department staff team!