Employee of the Year "Suspicious"

By Becky Bohan Brown

When Marie Lee thinks about her Employee of the Year Award experience, she sums it up with three words—"suspicious" and "thoroughly surprised."

 

"I was a little suspicious as to why I was at the dinner," Lee said. "I am not a member of the Faculty Senate or the Staff Advisory Council. I either had won an award or been nominated to a committee. I just waited to see which and then was pleasantly and thoroughly surprised."

 

Lee, staff secretary III in the psychology department at UNO, was named the Employee of the Year at the Faculty Senate/Staff Advisory Council dinner May 10. She was selected from the past year's 12 Employee of the Month recipients.

 

As Employee of the Year, Lee receives $500, a stipend sponsored by the UNO Alumni Association.

 

"Marie's knowledge of departmental history, faculty interests and strengths, undergraduate/ graduate curriculum and educational policies permits her to serve as a valuable adjunct advisor," said Ken Deffenbacher, chair of the psychology department. "I have heard many favorable comments from students and members of the community regarding her caring, informative advice and counsel."

 

Lee has been a member of the psychology department at UNO since 1989. Prior to that, she worked two years in University Library's administrative office. As the psychology department has grown, so have Lee's responsibilities. She currently serves as the lead secretary. A typical day for Lee may include arranging a reception for 200, attending departmental meetings, scheduling comprehensive exams, doing payroll on SAP or ordering books for classes. She manages these tasks while attending to the needs of 25 faculty members and overseeing 21 teaching assistants.

 

"I am the user-friendly, and—most importantly—the user accessible source of information for all people who interact with the psychology department," she said. "It is my responsibility, pleasure and pride to ensure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently for the faculty, teaching assistants, part-time instructors, graduate and undergraduate students, visitors, Omaha community and my fellow staff members."

 

Lee said she is truly honored to be Employee of the Year. "Receiving this award means that hard work is noticed and respected by this university system. With the help of a great staff, I can achieve anything," she said. "I am proud to be able to represent the UNOmaha staff community. I would like to say that I can't be an 'employee of the month or year' without a great staff to work with. My thanks go out to the staff at UNOmaha."