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Phillip Hajra is the latest recepient of the Travelling Tommy Service Award!

Traveling Tommy recipient Julia Foster recently pass on the award to Campus Safety Security Officer Phillip Hajra for his diligent service to the campus community. Thanks to Hajra, “students, faculty, and staff alike are able to study and work safely and most effectively,” Julia says. “He handles even the most difficult situations with such a positive attitude, and therefore invites constructive solutions. I am sure my colleagues would join me in saying thank you to Phillip for his dedication to Rollins!”

Congratulations Phillip!

It Takes a Village

Clean Sweep happens every year thanks to the help of many volunteers and partners

Now in its seventh year, Clean Sweep has become one of Rollins’ most anticipated events of the year. But while attendees are busy digging through tossed-aside treasures ranging from television to frying pans, not many stop to think about how much effort and partnership it takes to pull the whole thing together.

Director of Residential Life Leon Hayner does. His office takes the lead in coordinating Clean Sweep but he and his team are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of all the people that assist in bringing it to fruition. “Campus safety helps us block off parking spaces for the event area. They also unlock/lock the PODs each morning and night. They have also been great at helping organize the PODS. The Office of Community Engagement helps us connect with community partners, such as Mustard Seed and AMVETs, who will take any leftover items. Sodexo donates water and coffee for the volunteers. Purchasing helps us order the PODS, and Facilities helps us with the set-up of more than 30 tables,” Hayner says.

There are also the more than 50 volunteers that help sort all the items left by students, including kitchenware, microwaves, futons, bikes, and clothes. “There are a lot of clothes,” Hayner says. “There is usually 10 to 12 tables just of clothes each year.” All of it is sorted and folded by volunteers who begin their work hours before the event begins.

This year, Clean Sweep will take place on Friday, May 17 from noon to 2 p.m. and will be attended by hundreds of people from the Rollins community. You may have already noticed the PODS all over campus, which are slowly filling with items that will be given away or raffled off at Clean Sweep. Thanks to this event, it will all end up in a new home, rather than in a trash heap. “All this stuff that could end up in the dump but Clean Sweep ensures that it gets reused and recycled, and it helps us clean out for next year,” Hayner says. “Plus it’s a great way to bring our campus together in a collaborative way.”

Jonathan Miller accepting the ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries award

Olin Library Amps Up Its Offerings For Library Users

Every few years, Olin Library conducts a survey asking library users to comment on Olin’s services and amenities. Once collected, the feedback is carefully considered by the library team, and then used to determine ways in which the library can better service the needs of students, faculty and staff.

It’s this kind of responsiveness, a cornerstone of Service Excellence, that earned Olin a 2013 excellence in academic libraries award from the Association of College and Research Libraries. “ONE of the reasons they gave for us winning is that we consistently listen to our users and use evidence about them to design the services, spaces, and collections they need,” Jonathan Miller, library director, says.

Olin’s renovations this past summer are a good example of how the library team responds to the needs of users. “We have designed quiet floors for people to study and social floors where people can work in groups. We enlarged the café, installed a robust wireless system, and added more computers,” Miller says. “We’ll also be tripling the number of group study rooms by the start of the fall 2013 term.”

A request that did not go unheeded was an appeal for 24/7 access to the library. “We now have the entire main floor open 24/7 to anyone with an R-Card. The entire library is open 24/7 the week before and during exams.”

Changes to the Bookmark Café have been well received. Once simply a coffee cart, similar to something found in a hospital, the coffee shop has now expanded to merge with the common learning space. Café hours have expanded as well to include earlier mornings, later evenings, and Sunday hours. “We also depend on great service from the Sodexo staff, ” Miller says.

In an effort to make working in the library easier and more efficient, Information Technology tripled the number of desktop computers in the research area, quadrupled the strength of the wireless network, and added power outlets wherever they could. “We also brought Tutoring & Writing Consulting to the main floor of the library so students can now quickly and easily get the assistance they need at any moment. This integrated model means more seamless support for students, and it has allowed those service providers to start working together to collaborate and coordinate their offerings,” Miller says.

With such a relentless dedication to Service Excellence, it’s no surprise that Olin Library was named the recipient of the inaugural Service Excellence Department Award in 2011. “We take the concept of Service Excellent very seriously at Olin Library,” Miller says. “Everyday we strive to partner with faculty in the education of students, to be responsive to student needs, and to collaborate with information technology and tutoring and writing consulting. The Service Excellence standards are a great framework for our work."

Rollins Celebrates National Student Employee Appreciation Week

More than 550 students have employment on campus in over 150 roles; Office of Student Employment Director Norah Pérez thinks it is about time those students were celebrated.

This year, Rollins launched the campus’s inaugural celebration of National Student Employee Appreciation Week, a weeklong series of events designed to recognize and celebrate the important contribution that student employees make in their on-campus jobs.

Celebrated the second full week of April at colleges and universities across the country, the endeavor gives supervisors, administrators, and departments a chance to highlight and give thanks for the invaluable services that students perform with dedication, enthusiasm, and initiative.

Between April 8 through 12, Pérez and her team hosted several events, including an Appreciation Coffee Break where complimentary coffee and muffins were served. Additional events included a resume workshop, professional headshot photo shoot, and an interviewing seminar. Students received raffle tickets for $25 gift cards at all events and a Student Employee of the Year competition was held.

In additional, a large banner and more than 30 lawn signs were placed all over campus with messages of thanks and encouragement for Rollins’ student employees.

“This is the first time that Rollins formally celebrated the outstanding work and service to the College,” Pérez says. “Throughout the week we encouraged supervisors and departments to show appreciation for student employees’ hard work and dedication to their on-campus jobs in different, creative ways. Departments gave personalized thank you cards, gifts cards to local shops, held pizza parties, created fun coupon books, posted pictures of their students employees with messages of appreciation on their Facebook pages, and so much more. I think we all succeeded in conveying how much they mean to us.”

Julia Foster is the latest recepient of the Travelling Tommy Service Award!

Traveling Tommy recipient Kevin Griffin recently passed on the award to Assistant Professor of Voice and opera Julia Foster. "She served on a search committee recently for the department and was an invaluable team member," said Griffin. "She was always ready, always cheerful and provided superlative insight. She is someone you want to work with because you know she will be there for you and truly has the students and the college foremost in her thoughts."

Congratulations, Julia!

The Staff Advisory Committee is proud to announce the February winner of the You Are Remarkable Award!

During the move from Bush to the Science Village, our 12-year-old floor model glass washer died. Many people were summoned to try to fix it, among them the contractors, facilities, and the technician from Steris (whom we have a maintenance contract with for repairs and quarterly inspections). Everyone, including the technician, said there was no hope for the unit. The search for a replacement unit and the prices fluctuated from the low $20,000 to the $40,000 mark. (This is just after having replaced our -80 freezer!) With nothing else to lose, I spoke with Wil Kersey and begged him to take a look at it. Wil, who loves challenges, accepted to check out the unit. Wil had never worked on this washer before. Slowly but surely, he began to learn the system, do his drawings, and perform systematical tests to see what was the function of x on y. With a grand expense of less than $50 in parts, he began tweaking here and there. He thoroughly cleaned it inside and out, and the result of his efforts had fixed the washer.

Wil’s excellent service not only saved us a large potential expense to replace the unit, but also thousands of dollars on a cancelled maintenance contract where the technician could not do what Wil achieved!

I am very glad that he took on the challenge and thrilled that he got that unit working again and saved lots of money!

Ana Rodriguez, C.S.M.M.

Laboratory Manager

Kevin Griffin Honored for Service Excellence

Kevin Griffin, assistant professor of Lighting Design & production manager in the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance, is the fifth recipient of the Traveling Tommy award.

“Kevin has been our main contact for reserving the Annie this semester, and he’s been very collaborative in the booking of the space,” said previous recipient Megan Joyner. “He diligently works with us to let other departments use the space when it’s not being used for class or stage productions. I can always count on him to respond to my requests, as well as set the stage, work with Robert on sound, and create a lighting look for nearly any event. I can’t imagine what we would’ve done this year without him!”

Join us in congratulating Kevin for all of his hard work!

Service Excellence Continues at Rollins College

The spirit of Service Excellence at Rollins College is going strong. The initiative is now in its third year and the effect of the initiative can be felt across campus.

The results of the 2012 Service Excellence Survey were distributed to department heads in the summer of 2012. 78.6 percent of those departments rated received an overall score of 5.0 or above, achieving the baseline service excellence score identified by the Service Excellence Team. Compared with the 2010 survey results, wherein 75 percent of departments achieved this baseline score, the improvement is encouraging.

“Overall, since the Service Excellence Initiative was implemented in 2010, the College has made significant strides in weaving the four service standards - respectful, responsive, collaborative and competent - into the fabric of our daily work lives,” said chair of the Service Excellence Team, Matt Hawks. “We commend those departments receiving high scores as well as those undertaking meaningful improvement efforts.”

A number of departments improved their scores significantly in 2012 as compared to 2010, including Scheduling and Event Services, the Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office and Institutional Research.

Over the course of several months in mid-2012, the Service Excellence Team’s Management and Accountability sub-team met with the heads of several departments that did not achieve the desired baseline survey score and engaged them in discussions regarding their scores and the improvement efforts and plans underway.

“We wanted to make sure that departments were taking their results seriously and were pleased to learn about the many significant service improvement efforts already underway,” said Hawks. “At the same time, we wanted these departments to know that the Service Excellence Team was there to support their efforts. It is important that the campus community know that we are using the data to improve service.”

Chief Information Officer Pat Schoknecht studied the results from the first survey and noted that the Information Technology department was not perceived as being sufficiently responsive to calls. From the survey responses, she learned that some customers did not feel they were being communicated with in a way that indicated to them that their problem was in the process of being resolved. She determined quickly that the department model needed to be changed, and met with her staff to determine how communication with customers could be improved.

IT Help Desk helping students

“We are in a complex business, so I wasn’t asking the team to come up with a solution to each problem within 24 hours,” said Schoknecht. “But I was asking that they respond to the customer in regards to what might be an appropriate time frame to have their problem fixed.”

“We focused specifically on one area, responsiveness, and worked on making that a change of mindset in our department,” said Schoknecht. “The campus community noticed the change, so that conscious effort paid off.”

More recently, IT has focused on improving consistency of service. The department determined that one area that could use improvement was student training. So the department placed more focus on student training, and reduced the number of student workers from 75 down to about 25.

IT is also being more collaborative with campus partners. A new graduate assistant works with departments on how to best leverage the use of SharePoint. Schoknecht worked with the Olin Library to get print release stations in the library, resulting in a more sustainable printing model, in addition to improving privacy, as items are only released as the individuals are standing next to the printer.

“We had some issues of standardization; we had different people in our department labeling reports different ways,” said Campus Safety Operations Coordinator Bayrex Rodriguez. “IT worked with us to improve everything from online vehicle registration forms to incident reports and made these more standard across the board. It has been a productive partnership.”

The Facilities Maintenance Department took their survey results to heart and immediately enhanced their customer service training efforts for staff.

Facilities hard at work

“Customer service is critically important to how we are perceived, so we talk about quality every day,” said Kirk Hemphill, maintenance manager of Facilities Management. “What we do – maintenance, housekeeping, grounds – all of these are important components to the Rollins community, and we see our role and that positive in-person experience as a chance to excel.”

The department has been using electronic service requests, a more sustainable model, as the department used to make two or three paper copies of each request. The new online form features more functionality and also provides instant feedback via an automatic email update to the customer.

“We learned from the survey that while we were taking care of issues, the customer wasn’t always sure of the status,” said Hemphill. “We are working hard to close that communication gap.” The new focus on communication is paying off. For example, in November 2012, of the 428 maintenance requests received, 390, or 91 percent, were answered within 48 hours.

Next month, Facilities will roll out a door hanger to leave behind on people’s doors, explaining if there is a bigger issue that may take longer to fix.

“We always encourage feedback,” said Hemphill. “This spring we have started some focus groups with key administrators and different customer groups to help us learn even more about what we are doing right and wrong. We’ve already received some excellent ideas and feedback.”

Campus Safety has also implemented several improvements across all functions of the department.

Campus Safety hard at work

“We are trying to see through the eyes of our customers,” said Director of Campus Safety Ken Miller. “While there are areas of safety and security enforcement in which we do not have a lot of flexibility, we certainly can provide them with a high level of service and competency, and communicate with them with a positive tone.”

“We are partnering with more student organizations and providing education throughout the year,” said Miller. “We are working with Fraternity & Sorority Life and are being invited to Peer Mentor trainings to talk to them about what we do.”

The department now schedules a female officer on every shift, should a student want to speak with a female officer. The department can also serve a wide population as officers speak Spanish, French, German, Arabic and Italian.

Crummer students now apply for their R-Card in advance of classes, and avoid long lines by sending a JPG of a photo to be used on their R-Cards.

Recognizing that members of the campus community are parking further away because of construction on campus, an officer is now on duty to provide courtesy escorts on campus from the parking garage from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The department made the website more functional and also produced videos, such as how to update the emergency alert system.

Student Records is a key service department that every student interacts with during their time at Rollins, so their focus on Service Excellence is critical.

Student Records Office Assists Student

This past year the department has turned over two key support staff positions, and, working closely with Human Resources, made a concerted effort in the recruitment and hiring process to identify candidates with strong customer service skills. The department also brought in an outside consultant to facilitate an off-site teambuilding and customer service improvement planning retreat and has realigned staff responsibilities in a manner that will better enable the department to deliver an improved service experience for students. The department is also working internally to improve communication with other departments regarding student records policies and services in order to better serve students.

“We have taken our survey results seriously and are making meaningful efforts improve how we serve our students,” said Student Records Director Robin Mateo.

Rachel Newcomb Receives Recognition from Service Excellence Team

The Service Excellence Team recently recognized Associate Professor of Anthropology Rachel Newcomb at one of her Zumba fitness classes. Newcomb’s Zumba class is not only helping Rollins faculty and staff improve and maintain their health and wellness, but her efforts are helping build relationships across boundaries and exemplify the collaborative spirit the College strives to promote.

“I was walking on Cloud 9 all day, feeling so honored that you gave me the Service Excellence award,” said Newcomb. “The Zumba classes are a reward in themselves, just to see other people feeling happy, and I'm glad if they also bring people together who might not normally meet. Thank you so much for thinking of me

Megan Joyner Receives “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence Award

Associate Director of Scheduling and Event Services Megan Joyner is the fourth recipient of the “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence award. Zakiya Brown recognized Joyner for consistent support that has gone above and beyond expectations. Thanks for your great work, Megan!

Human Resources Honored for Service Excellence

Zakiya Brown Receives “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence Award for Work on MLK Week

Zakiya Brown, program coordinator in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, is the third recipient of the “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence Award. Brown was recognized for her leadership and service in organizing Rollins’ annual Martin Luther King, Jr. week. The success of the week depends on the coordination of many events and Brown did a great job organizing all of the moving parts.

Please join us in thanking Zakiya Brown for embodying all of the traits of Service Excellence!

Oriana Jimenez Receives “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence Award

Human Resources Associate Oriana Jimenez is the second recipient of the “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence Award. Luis Villafuerte recognized Jimenez for her exceptional customer service, inspiring attitude and commitment to continuous improvement of our resources and department. He noted that she is a fundamental piece in our world and she is appreciated across the College.

Join us in thanking Oriana Jimenez for the excellent service she provides at Rollins College!

Luis Villafuerte Receives Inaugural “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence Award

Housekeeping Services Manager Luis Villafuerte is the first recipient of the “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence Award. This newly-debuted Service Excellence award recognizes individuals who provide customer service experiences that go above and beyond the call of duty.

This summer, Villafuerte was faced with multiple challenges including last-minute requests, inclement weather, and major department moves. He responded to all needs professionally, efficiently, and with an exceedingly positive attitude. His performance, without exception, reflects and embodies the four cornerstones of Service Excellence–respectful, responsive, collaborative, and competent.

The “Traveling Tommy” Service Excellence recognition award will reside with Villafuerte for a period of up to two weeks. It will then be Villafuerte’s honor to pass Tommy on to a fellow employee who has provided an exceptional service experience. Each recipient will host Tommy up to a two week period, before being presented to another deserving recipient.

Wherever “Traveling Tommy” is spotted on campus, he will serve as a reminder that Service Excellence is alive and well at Rollins. It is our hope that Tommy will visit your office soon!

Please join us in congratulating Luis Villafuerte for embodying Service Excellence at Rollins.

Human Resources Honored for Service Excellence

Established as a means of recognizing an entire department for its members’ combined commitment to a culture of service excellence, the Service Excellence Departmental Award is given annually at the Annual Awards Celebration held in the Alfond Sports Center. This year, the service excellence selection committee recognized human resources (HR) as the department that most closely reflects and embodies the four cornerstones of Service Excellence: responsive, respectful, collaborative, and competent. Click here to read more.

STARSS Host Second Workshop In Series of Service Excellence Events

In keeping with our commitment to maintain a respectful working and learning community, the Service Excellence Team recently hosted three interactive workshops titled Productive Interventions: Skills for Addressing Disrespectful and Uncivil Behaviors in the Workplace. Hosted by Mark Freeman on October 28 and November 10, the workshops were attended by a total of 47 Rollins staff members.

Service Excellence Initiative: A Year in Review

As the Service Excellence (SE) Initiative celebrates its first-year anniversary, it seems like the ideal time to reflect back on the Initiative’s preliminary accomplishments. From executing campus-wide staff training to the launch of the SE Ambassador program, SE committee members have worked diligently to keep the movement’s momentum going. Click here to read more.

Service Excellence Initiative Launches Second Year with Series of Workshops and Discussion Forums

The Service Excellence Initiative heads into its second year at the College with a new program designed to engage and inspire the community. Striving to Achieve Rollins Service Standards (STARSS) is an ongoing series of workshops, discussion forums, speakers and events intended to foster dialogue, interaction, professional development and community building around Rollins’ four service standards. On Friday, September 30, Galen “Doc” Gallup and Associate Professor of Communication Rick Bommelje will host a forum on responsiveness. All staff and faculty are encouraged to attend this event, the first of four such forums planned for the academic year. Click here to read more.

Service Obstacles System Unveiled

With an uncompromising commitment to making the Service Excellence initiative a permanent change-agent at Rollins, members of the Service Excellence Committee launched another supportive tool. The Service Obstacle System (SOS), an online problem resolution system, has been designed to give the campus community the opportunity to identify and remedy obstacles that impede the delivery of excellent service. Click here to read more.

Olin Library Team Named Recipient of Inaugural Service Excellence Department Award

20 nominations for 19 different departments were received for the 2011 Service Excellence Department Award, making the decision difficult for the selection committee. “There were many, many departments who deserved the award and who are making a difference at Rollins,” Matt Hawks, director of human resources, said. “But the Committee was able to select a winner this year.” Olin Library was acknowledged for being a role model for Service Excellence and for being eagerly and cheerfully responsive to requests.” Click here to read more.

Service Excellence Electronic Recognition Card

Service Excellence… The Momentum Continues

New blogs, recognition tools, information about the Service Excellence Department Award, and a helpful Manager’s Toolkit are just a few of the fresh features recently unveiled by the Service Excellence Team. Click here to read more.

Bringing Service Excellence to Life

While the Service Excellence Initiative is new to the Rollins campus, the concept of providing great service is not. There are many Rollins employees who walk the talk every day—each of them embodying the philosophy of service excellence in their own special way. In an effort to bring the Initiative to life, the Service Excellence Team recently nominated six of these service role models as the inaugural Service Excellence Ambassadors. Click here to read more.

Rollins Embarks on Quest for Service Excellence

Rollins’ newly-launched Service Excellence Initiative strives to improve how we treat our students, how we treat visitors to our campus and how we treat our colleagues. Responsive, respectful, competent and collaborative were identified as the College’s four service standards by Rollins President Lewis Duncan and his extended leadership team. Each of the four service standards provide a list of examples so that employees clearly understand what is expected. The President’s leadership team also agreed upon Rollins’ new service philosophy: “Together, we inspire purposeful lives through distinctive, engaged learning and exceptional service.” Click here to read more.