12/04/2015
Jamie Scott, whose calm and friendly presence soothes countless faculty and staff members as they ask for help to deal with a building repair or maintenance-related matter, was honored with the prestigious 2015 President’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service.
SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum presented the award to Scott, an office assistant II in Facilities Operations and Services, on Dec. 4 at the 46th annual Service Awards Ceremony.
Sponsored by the College’s Human Resources Office, the ceremony was held in the Corey Union Function Room.
“I’m told Jamie can calm down the most upset parent and reassure them we will look into their concerns,” Bitterbaum said. “She always makes you feel important and that your issues matter.”
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| Jamie Scott |
The award was created in 2002 to annually recognize one SUNY Cortland full-time classified service employee “for extraordinary achievement and to encourage the continuation of excellence.” Nominees must have at least three years of continuous service. Supervisors, co-workers or other College community members nominate the workers considered for this honor.
Scott joined the College in 2008 as a keyboard specialist I in Facilities Operations and Services and was promoted to level II in 2014. Her job title changed to its current one in May.
She previously was honored with the College’s annual Accrual Achievement Award for both 2014 and 2015.
Scott is the first person that visitors to her department’s Customer Service desk meet, and she is always smiling, competent and knowledgeable, several of her colleagues noted. A very detail-oriented individual, Scott has developed a number of information management systems to deal with service requests and correspondence with vendors and contractors.
“She’s very pleasant and professional on the phone with the clients,” noted Nasrin Parvizi, associate vice president for facilities management. “She represents the unit very well on campus.”
Scott is willing to take on and learn additional tasks in order to keep the organization flowing smoothly, said Zachariah Newswanger, director of facilities operations and services.
“She works closely with all departments on campus to ensure that their needs are clearly communicated to our staff, ensuring our ability to meet the expectations of all of our campus clients,” Newswanger said.
Scott juggles some 15,000 work orders a year for her department as well as telephone calls, emails and visits, all with a “can-do attitude.”
“She has established the trust of the supervisors and the knowledge of personnel to redistribute work when necessary in order to provide customer satisfaction by ensuring completion of requested work,” said Adam Levine, the department’s geographic information systems manager.
Scott is well organized and handles the work order system flawlessly, noted Mike Woodworth, maintenance supervisor III.
“During emergencies, Jamie is the first one called and has to dispatch the right personnel to save damage to the buildings and equipment,” Woodworth said.
“Jamie is the backbone of the department and makes the jobs of everyone here a lot easier,” he said.
Scott’s father, Russell Scott, is a past recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service, and at the most recent ceremony he was recognized on his 15th anniversary of service to the College.
Jamie lives in Groton, N.Y. She enjoys reading.
Employees Honored for Years of Service
Also during the ceremony, 42 classified employees were recognized for their combined 680 years of service. They included:
35 YEARS
Julie LaPlant, Secretary 1, Kinesiology
Denise Riley, Secretary I, Economics Department
30 YEARS
John Young, Maintenance Supervisor 1, Maintenance
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| Honorees for years of service included, seated from the left, Mary E. Murphy and Julie LaPlant, 25 and 35 years respectively; and standing, Mark Taylor, 25 years. |
25 YEARS
Walter Anderson, General Mechanic, Mail Services/Central Warehouse
Susan Bush, Secretary I, School of Professional Studies
Judah Currie, Painter, Maintenance
Carol Kanellis, Secretary I, Academic Support and Achievement Program
Mary E. Murphy, University Police Officer 2, University Police Department
Mark Taylor, Supervising Janitor, Custodial Services
Michael Zhe, Maintenance Assistant Mechanic, Motor Pool
20 YEARS
Dawn Bulmer, Office Assistant 2, Payroll Office
Vicki Clark, Janitor, Custodial Services
Diana McGee, Secretary I, Student Disability Services
15 YEARS
Gregory Bliss, University Police Officer 1, University Police Department
Connal Carr, Mason and Plasterer, Maintenance
Wayne Carroll, Senior Grounds Worker, Grounds
Bradley Holl, Motor Vehicle Operator, Mail Services/Central Warehouse
Nancy Kuklis, Secretary I, Admissions
Kathy McCracken, Janitor, Custodial Services
Richard Metcalf, General Mechanic, Maintenance
Phillip Miller, Highway Equipment Operator, Grounds
Kerry Mincher, Secretary 2, Division of Finance and Management
Anthony Petrella, Janitor, Custodial Services
Joel Rice, Highway Equipment Operator, Grounds
Russell Scott, Office Assistant 1, Duplicating Center
Shirley Shepard, Cleaner, Custodial Services
Nadia, Snell, Office Assistant 2, Student Accounts Office
JoAnna Tobias, Secretary I, Geography and Philosophy
Debra Whitney, Secretary 1, Library
Richard Zurell, Bus Driver, Transportation Services
10 YEARS
Mary Guido, Janitor, Custodial Services
Nancy Hartford, Cleaner, Custodial Services
Colleen Martin, Office Assistant 2, Advisement and Transition
Greg, McCartney, Locksmith, Maintenance
Patricia Ondrako, Secretary 1, Biological Sciences
Eric Rabusin, University Police Officer 2, University Police Department
Jeremiah Rawson, Supervising Electrician, Maintenance
Michelle Ryan, Cleaner, Custodial Services
Dale Searls, Janitor, Custodial Services
Julie Taibi, Office Assistant 2, Residence Life and Housing
Marthajane Warren, Nurse 1, Student Health Services
Anna Wilcox, Office Assistant 2, Registrar’s Office