Service with Jazz

Ashleigh Pelafigue and Michelle Daussin, a dynamic duo of educators, joined our faculty in Fall 2022, and they have been unstoppable forces of positive change within UNO's Teacher Education Program. Their collaborative efforts have not only invigorated our program but also brought about tangible improvements that resonate throughout our institution. From creating vibrant social media platforms to showcase student achievements to organizing professional development opportunities like "Pizza with Principals," their dedication to student success knows no bounds. Moreover, their proactive approach to enhancing our learning environment truly sets them apart. By spearheading the decoration of the 3rd floor of the Education Building, Ashleigh and Michelle have transformed a space into a welcoming haven for students and faculty alike. Their initiative, coupled with their genuine investment in fostering a sense of belonging, has earned them the admiration of our entire community.

Illia Calix's nominator remarked, "Illia embodies excellence by the genuine nature in which she completes her daily tasks. She is always striving to do things properly and looking for better ways to accomplish tasks." As an Administrative Assistant, Illia has consistently demonstrated her passion for doing things right, which resonates with her colleagues and contributes to the overall success of the College of Business. Moreover, her vibrant personality and commitment to fostering a sense of hospitality have made her an enjoyable and essential member of the team. Her nominator continued, "Illia exemplifies the hospitality spirit that we instill in our HRT students." Her ability to create a welcoming and positive work environment is in line with the values of the university and helps in nurturing the next generation of professionals.

Jaime's tireless commitment to our institution's core values shines through in every aspect of her work as Coordinator of Interlibrary Loan and Stack Maintenance. Jaime's innovation and vision have streamlined our interlibrary loan (ILL) processes, integrating them seamlessly with our circulation and cataloging systems, making it easier for students to access their borrowed materials. Furthermore, she introduced the incredibly valuable "scan on demand" service, providing our faculty and students with quick access to scanned articles and book chapters from our library, enhancing research efficiency and fostering self-sufficiency in information retrieval. Jaime McSkimming is a shining example of excellence, and her contributions have made our library services even more valuable to the UNO community.

"Sabrina's unwavering dedication, remarkable work ethic, and deep commitment to UNO's mission have made her an indispensable asset to the admissions department. With several years of service under her belt, Sabrina has consistently been the backbone of admissions, proving her indispensability, particularly in recent years. Despite facing staffing challenges, Sabrina has taken on multiple roles, ensuring the efficient processing of essential documents and enabling students to pursue their education at UNO. Beyond her extraordinary workload, Sabrina consistently maintains a positive attitude that reflects her genuine love for her job, the students, and accessible education. Her unwavering dedication to supporting students' abilities to attend UNO is evident in her relentless efforts to accommodate as many individuals as possible. She demonstrates an exceptional level of care and commitment, going the extra mile to make the dream of attending UNO a reality for students."

"Jody's outstanding leadership in overseeing student programs, particularly intramurals, has been exceptional. She has successfully promoted the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with over 200 students from diverse backgrounds participating in these programs. Jody's commitment to DEI values is also evident in her efforts to hire student workers. In collaboration with XL Events Lab, she organized a successful bounce event on campus, generating positive attention for UNO and providing students with a unique experience. Moreover, Jody's directorship made history as UNO participated in the LCIRSA intramural state championship for the first time in almost two decades, winning two games. Despite challenges posed by a cyber threat, Jody's dedication and persistence ensured the student teams' participation, securing representation for our university. Jody's commendable commitment to inclusivity and creating exceptional opportunities for students truly deserves recognition."

Dr. Hamed Ghahremani was selected as the March 2023 Service with Jazz Winner because of his outstanding commitment to UNO’s core values. He is an Assistant Professor of Management who has made significant contributions to the department's ongoing success. Dr. Ghahremani's scholarship is substantial, having published three academic articles during the pandemic and having another article out for review, with seven more projects in progress. He has also participated in six different conferences and wrote a book chapter. His work is focused on leadership and servant leadership, and he has consistently included a diverse group of faculty in his research. He has a profound commitment to aiding in students' successes and has mentored undergraduate students and served as a judge in the Innovate UNO experience.

"It is not one specific act that makes Christopher a great candidate for the Service with Jazz Award, but rather the culmination of great work throughout his career here at UNO. Whether it is the annual inventory review, removal of computers/furniture from an office, or assisting to locate new furniture for an office, Christopher is always been prompt, friendly, and a ray of sunshine. As a leader Christopher is a wonderful example of professionalism, integrity, and teamwork. He is a true asset to the university!"

"As leader of the Intensive English Language Program, LaTesha Gonzales consistently embodies the core values of excellence, student success and diversity, equity and inclusion. She is wholly committed to the academic integrity of the Intensive English program and to meeting the needs of the diverse cultures and languages represented by the students that the IELP serves. She creates an environment of trust and support for her staff and students that values a high level of student service and support which fosters a culture of success and engagement that facilitates student enrollment and retention at UNO. Promoting and authentically supporting a welcoming environment for all backgrounds is the hallmark of the IELP, and Ms. Gonzales is true to this value on a daily basis. Whether encouraging intercultural engagement through popular culture hours or helping upper level students visit UNO classes to ease their transition to degree-seeking, her approach is always warm, student-centered and welcoming. Her dedication and leadership has been integral to the success and growth of the IELP since 2008. She is highly respected by her staff and colleagues and can always be depended upon to contribute to the teamwork and success of the Division of International Education."

"Christopher embodies the value of innovation and discovery in his work in housing and residence life. Christopher seeks additional knowledge on the best practices to accomplish goals and is willing to accept new responsibilities in order to better improve the experiences of his employees and the student body. Chris designed a one stop shop platform for our front desks to engage which creates a more efficient staff, provides timely information and eliminates the need for paper processes. Chris has also reinvigorated RA Recruitment and Selection processes to include campus partner submissions, reimagined RA Training and added Desk Assistant and Office Assistant training modules in order to create a more connected and informed student team. Even during these times of being overwhelmed with workload and projects, he makes the time to advocate when encountering a student in need of support, recognizing the goal of all we do at UNO: to create an environment where our residents can be successful in their academic endeavors."

"No matter who you ask about Emily Laan in the College of Liberal Arts Education and Human Development, there is a universal consensus that she is one of the most important elements to the success of the College. Her official title is Business Manager, but she is so much more than that. She keeps the College running and finds funds to help us do our work. Beyond this, while she doesn’t directly have contact with students, her dedication and work frees up time for those of us that do work with students. She has saved faculty members countless hours each year by taking on tasks that aren’t really in her normal job description. These are hours we can spend on students and not trying to navigate UNO’s bureaucracy. A recent example of this dedication is was with a first generation incoming students. Financial Aid was unable to meet the students complete financial need, so she was planning to drop up. Emily stepped up to help find funding for the student to be able to enroll. Without this, we would have lost a very promising student. She is truly dedicated to the big picture of student support through her role."

"Dr. Min has been a Professor of Marketing since 2018, originally coming to UNO in 2008. He recently served as the Department’s Interim Chair and has held the Sidney Baron Professorship in Marketing since 2013... Sam represents the epitome of providing a professional experience with integrity for his colleagues. In short, Sam is a kind, generous mentor and colleague, as well as a prolific and strong researcher... Sam’s list of university involvement is very lengthy, but from a quick perusal of project titles, group involvement, and individual mentoring, it is very clear that he is a champion both of diversity, equity, and inclusion and of innovation and discovery."

"While working extremely hard as the Assistant Chair of the Math department, Lisa has taken on many projects throughout her years at UNO. Semester after semester, she has coordinated the Math Pathways Program which has evolved in terms of the number of students, the techniques/procedures used in the classroom, and the administration of the course schedule within the Math Department. Besides being involved with committees and projects on-campus, Lisa has been involved in statewide workshops and committees to help improve the success of students and the success of the Pathways Program. She also served on the Louisiana Math Forward Co-Req Math Workshop Series which was a series of virtual workshops led by the UT Austin Dana Center. Lisa has partaken in other responsibilities and has given an amazing and impressive effort in everything that she has been involved in. She is truly dedicated to the students, the department, and the university as a whole."

"August is GO TIME for Orientation. The work throughout the year and during the summer all lead up to MAMBO in August. April worked hard throughout the year to ensure that MAMBO was designed and implemented in a way that would not only meet the needs of students, but would also engage campus partners. April's job is to solicit that feedback and find ways to incorporate it into the MAMBO planning process such that everyone feels heard and that their opinions are valued, while also trying to make a comprehensive schedule that is cohesive, fun, and engaging for students. That is an almost impossible task, yet April has made it work! It is because of the foundation that April laid with campus partners that they were able to be successful in leading their academic college orientation sessions, while April and her team coordinated every other aspect of MAMBO. This year's MAMBO was highly successful because of April's hard work and commitment to ensuring successful orientation and transition programming for students."

"LeeAnne is an employee who truly embodies all 4 of these core values. She is committed to excellence in all aspects of her work. She says that she is just "extra" but as her team we all see the intention and purpose she puts behind all of her decisions. Her innovation and discovery is unmatched. She’s always got solutions and is constantly thinking of ways to be productive and proactive without ever putting out her team members or unnecessary resources. Student Success is at the heart of all of her decisions. LeeAnne work countless hours on projects geared toward student involvement and engagement, often staying in the office until the sun has gone down."

"Dion works with 821 middle school and high school students with disabilities and their parents in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. His students come from an array of backgrounds, both culturally and economically. His goal is to give his students the best scholastic experience that they could possibly have, helping them academically, taking them on tours of postsecondary institutions, both in-state and out-of-state, and serving as a role-model. The students always return with wonderful stories of the experiences and having bonded with Dion and his staff. Mr. Dukes is continuously emphasizing the importance of education, citizenship, honesty, and compassion with his students and they take it to heart."

Amanda was nominated by THREE of her coworkers for outstanding service to the UNO community. Every day, Amanda focuses on trying to improve the residential experience so that students can focus on their academic endeavors. She is laser-focused on student success. Prior to her arrival, Residential Life was viewed as just a place where students live. Amanda has changed that perspective to instead focus on creating a living and learning community where students can succeed and thrive. She partnered with the College of Sciences to create a STEM living-learning community (LLC) where STEM students can engage with each other and with the academic content outside of the classroom. This program serves as a model for future LLC development. This month Amanda was also responsible for responding to a major maintenance issue in the residence halls as well. Whether it is her work in creating these exciting programs or helping students in crisis and emergency situations, Amanda is always putting student success first.

Reagan demonstrates her commitment to student success on a daily basis. Her work establishing the HUB and programs that encourage students to be self-advocates and her weekly shopping trips for the Privateer Pantry are just a few ways that Reagan has demonstrated this commitment. Reagan excels at identifying barriers to student success and then creating new ways to help students overcome these barriers. Reagan led the Krewe of UNO planning committee in bringing back the campus parade after it went virtual last year. The planning committee engaged staff from across campus to ensure that the parade return was successful and continued to build upon prior successes. Her leadership facilitated a bigger parade with more participants than in previous years and a growth in "watch parties" around campus. The successful return of the Krewe of UNO parade provide an excellent opportunity for all community members to celebrate the start of Mardi Gras season in a safe environment.