Suzanne Kenner Named Global Campus Employee of the Quarter

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Suzanne Kenner, center, accepts the Global Campus Employee of the Quarter award from Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education and head of the Global Campus (left), and Jamie Loftin, assistant vice provost for distance education administration (right).

Suzanne Kenner has been named employee of the second quarter by the U of A Global Campus.

Kenner, online program coordinator on the Instructional Design and Support Services team at Global Campus, was nominated for fulfilling her job duties with excellence and volunteering for additional responsibilities to cover vacant staff positions within her department.

"I am honored to be recognized by the Global Campus team," Kenner said. "My contributions are only a small part of the overarching mission and vision of Global Campus. I am privileged to work with such a talented group of people at Global and across campus!"

Kenner's work primarily involves coordinating the online course development process and managing the database of all U of A online for-credit courses.

Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education and head of the Global Campus, recognized Kenner as the employee of the quarter at the January staff meeting.

"Suzanne is the consummate employee, and having her on the Global Campus team makes a huge difference," Murphy said. "She is more than just an Employee of the Quarter. She is a star who shines and inspires us every single day."

The co-workers who nominated Kenner praised her not only for her excellent job performance, but also for taking time to mentor others and provide technical assistance to improve the way Global Campus brings forward new online courses and supports existing online courses and degree programs.

"Suzanne is always a pleasant person, extremely helpful and upbeat," her co-workers said. "She is eager to assist where she can. Suzanne also took an active role in our United Way campaign and helped the team collect more donations through her leadership and creation of events. It is great to see people be genuine and helpful, kind and courteous, and always able to be counted on. I very much appreciate Suzanne for the many hats she wears!"

Miran Kang, director of Instructional Design and Support Services for Global Campus, serves as Kenner's immediate supervisor.

"Suzanne is always several steps ahead, anticipating everyone's needs and potential pitfalls," Kang said. "At the same time, she is always a few steps behind us, making sure nothing falls through the cracks. I don't know how she does it. She is truly incredible."

Kenner began at the U of A in 2008 as an administrative assistant with the Master of Science in Operations Management program in the College of Engineering and was later promoted to distance education manager. She joined the Global Campus team in 2015 as director of retention. In 2017, she returned to the insurance business but came back to Global Campus in 2019 as online program coordinator.

The Global Campus awards the employee of the quarter to recognize outstanding achievements and accomplishments that relate to the unit's goals and the U of A mission. The award recipient receives a commemorative certificate and a monetary award. The four quarterly awardees may then be eligible to become the Global Campus Employee of the Year.

Other second quarter nominees include:

• Kaleb Futch, learning resources developer, Professional and Workforce Development
• Cleston Murray, manager of compliance and market research, Recruitment and Student Outreach
• Shelly Walters, associate director of instructional design and support services, Learning Technology Support
• Colleen Whitman, online student support manager, Recruitment and Student Outreach
• Scott Wright, instructional designer, Instructional Design and Support Services

The Global Campus supports the U of A academic colleges and schools in the development and delivery of online degree programs and courses, self-paced online courses, and workforce development programs. This unit provides instructional design services, learning technology support, media production services, and assistance with financial administration, recruitment and marketing.

The Global Campus also supports the W.E. Manning Memorial Scholarship, which is open to undergraduate and graduate students studying in online degree programs.