UNK Employee Achievement Award
October 2009
Lonna Weiss
Administrative Associate – Division of Student Affairs
Since April 1989, Lonna Weiss and Judy Spellman have shared the position of the Secretary to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, and among the many changes since their appointment has been the transition to their current titles – now the Administrative Associate in the Dean of Student Affairs office.
Lonna works in the office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and is obviously, a large part of the personal success of a number of Students, Faculty, and Staff. Lonna is key in the balance brought to the position making sure that both the “nitty gritty” of detail and doing things for the right reasons are considered – which includes organizing everything from birthday parties, to getting important information needed for a background check on a student, or answering a parent or external administrative inquiry. She works hard every day to accomplish the mission for Student Affairs and to keep a balance between people and quantitative measures. She understands how important doing things right and giving that extra smile or pat on the back can be to the success of a project or individual.
Lonna oversees the budget issues for most of the offices within the Division, which has presented its challenges. When circumstances arise, that would cause most individuals to be less than accommodating, Lonna always goes out of her way to find and present solutions to every problem. She is able to address the multiple and varied requests from staff, yet maintains a sense of organization and composure. Lonna consistently shows her dedication to the University as well as the level of importance and pride she places on her employment at UNK.
Lonna remains a rock when it comes to supporting the Division’s various departments. Last year, when one department lost its lead secretary from a sudden death, Lonna took over the responsibility for, and for several weeks, managed all of that department's day-to-day business affairs. She stepped forward and, in addition to her regular workload, tackled the many, very challenging tasks, including that of wading through the business paperwork. Lonna saw what needed to be done and then she did it without complaint – as she has done throughout her many notable contributions to the Division and the University. She has kept her “can do” attitude in spite of having worked for six bosses (including two in the last two years) who were learning administrative issues from the ground up.
For all of her achievements on behalf of the Students, Faculty, and Staff at UNK, and especially for her contributions to the Division of Student Affairs, the UNK Staff Senate is grateful to recognize Lonna Weiss as the October 2009 Employee Achievement Award winner.