2024 Staff Make Students Count Winners Honored

June 7, 2024

At the May 23 Board of Regents meeting, President Pitney recognized the winners of this year’s “Staff Makes Student Count Awards,” which celebrate staff from each university and the System Office who have made a difference in students' lives. Staff members are nominated by their peers, and each awardee receives a plaque, $1,000, and two Alaska Airlines vouchers.

Congratulations to all of this year’s Staff Make Student Awardees.

Pictured: Chancellor Parnell, Jessica Salas and President Pitney

Pictured: Chancellor White, Jordan McCree and President Pitney

 

This year’s award recipients are:

Jessica Salas

Transfer Credit Specialist in the Office of the Registrar - University of Alaska Anchorage

Jessica Salas is being recognized for her commitment to customer service, process improvement, and finding creative solutions to challenges. She shows exemplary work ethic in every aspect of her job, from timely updates in the system to responding to countless emails and phone calls. She can be counted on for accurate, relevant information that helps students progress across the system. 

Quotes from nomination letters: 

“Jessica nurtures new employees as they onboard with the office of the registrar by patiently and expertly sharing tricks and insights to be the best in their jobs. She holds training sessions and supports new staff, faculty and advisors to help them better meet student needs. She sets a high standard and serves as role model in supporting student success with every task.”

“Despite her many years of service (25 in all at UAA) and vast array of knowledge, she is as committed to this principle today as ever before. Jessica continuously strives to be a well-rounded resource and provide students with comprehensive service – anticipating their future needs and questions.”

“​​Jessica’s daily performance is nothing short of exceptional. I could write a novel of specific examples of Jessica’s work that support her nomination for this award. Never have I supervised anyone that consistently produces the quantity and quality of work that Jessica does. Her ethics are second to none.”

Jordan McCree

Service Desk Analyst in the Nanook Technology Service Desk - University of Alaska Fairbanks

Jordan McCree started as a full-time Analyst with the newly restructured Nanook Technology Service Desk in September 2023. She has significantly improved the experience of student employees and streamlined the new student worker training to help new hires gain confidence with tools and processes, leading to a more productive work environment and better helping our team serve the UAF community. She is recognized for her ability to build a sense of teamwork with the student workers.

Quotes from nomination letters:

“I believe that Jordan’s varied experience as a former student employee with the Office of Information Technology, Wood Center Events, and Wood Center Graphics, combined with her thoughtful, compassionate personality has made her an exceptional candidate for this award. Her passion for leading and mentoring student employees directly improves the student experience here at UAF, and serves as an excellent example of how to lead with empathy.”

“Jordan’s primary responsibilities are supporting staff, faculty, and students with technology needs and issues. She quickly mastered her assigned responsibilities and started examining other processes with a fresh perspective, looking for improvement opportunities. She swiftly found a place coordinating our student employees, and has made a host of improvements since.”

“She has been instrumental in keeping the student workers informed of office and campus events. She continuously seeks to improve our office which has greatly improved and contributed to our processes which in turn has improved our customer service and processing tickets.”

Karl Sears

Housing Maintenance Coordinator - University of Alaska Southeast

Karl Sears first came to UAS as a student in 1991, later transitioning into the professional role of Housing Maintenance Coordinator. His dedication to his job and the needs of the students makes him the “unsung hero” of UAS. He was nominated for his exemplary work improving the student experience through his work in housing maintenance and as an amazing supervisor of student employees.

Quotes from nomination letters:

“Much of the work Karl does is behind-the-scenes, but Housing would not be able to function without the work that he puts in. Karl is a dedicated, proactive, accountable, efficient, and reliable individual. His ability to adapt to the many last-minute tasks that someone in his position must balance has made him a wonderful person both to work with, and to trust to put care into making sure our residents on housing have a safe, comfortable, and clean space to live.”

“Without Karl’s hard work, the residents living on campus from both in and out of Juneau would not have a “home away from home” where they feel comfortable settling into college and being out of the house, building their own communities, and discovering their independence.”

Karessa Kramer

Fiscal Tech with the Education Trust of Alaska - University of Alaska System Office

Karessa Kramer is a beacon of inspiration for her coworkers. Kramer is always putting students first, advocating for student-centered policies and working tirelessly, managing four department budgets and meticulously reconciling expenditures. She works behind the scenes to ensure that students receive their scholarships and college savings funds, and that the department’s accounts are reconciled accurately.

Quotes from nomination letters: 

“Karessa is the grease that keeps the wheels of our department running smoothly, the backbone of our operations, and a treasure within our institution. Her impact may not be visible to the thousands of students who benefit from her work daily, but it is deeply felt and greatly appreciated.”

“Her unwavering dedication to detail is managed with precision. She ensures that students receive their scholarships and college savings funds and she reconciles the accounts with extreme accuracy… Her work has made a significant impact on the institution and its students, and we are incredibly fortunate to have her on our team.”