COE staff members of the year: Brian Lane, Patty Lefevers
Posted April 21, 2009
One is a main cog in the college’s vital grant application operation. The other has been a stabilizing force during her department’s reorganization implemented over the past year as part of the university’s budget reduction plan.
Meet Brian Lane and Patty Lefevers, this year’s College of Education’s Staff Members of the Year. Their selections were announced recently at the college’s Staff Appreciation Luncheon “fiesta” held at the Norman Hall courtyard.
Here’s why their peers selected them . . .
Dean Catherine Emihovich presents the award to Brian Lane.
(Co-winner Patty Lefevers was not available for photo.)
Brian Lane
Grants Specialist
Office of Educational Research
Brian has been called the calm that brings the storm–the storm, that is, of guiding grants through the arduous application process.
Brian works meticulously on contracts and grant proposals, especially the budget portions, calms the faculty down, massages the details, and coaxes the proposal through the various departments necessary to get research award funds for our college.
The proposal process is very stressful for faculty members. Brian shows initiative in working around the obstacle of Faculty’s wonderful and creative ideas that don’t’ quite fit within normally accepted accounting principals, is persistent in pursuing necessary information and signatures, and diligent through the whole process. When warranted, he has used chocolate to calm the nerves of over-stressed faculty proposal writers.
With his involvement in the college’s new CAPES (Collaborative Assessment and Program Evaulation Services) program, Brian’s value and impact now extends well beyond Norman Hall. He’s assisted CAPES in the negotiation of grants for units and programs across campus and in local school districts.
As a method of preparing doctoral students for academia, grant writing courses are often in the curriculum. In the interest of furthering research and assisting students to get funded, now and in the future, Brian has been known to guest lecture in grant-writing courses offered to doctoral students.
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Patty Lefevers
Office Manager
Human Development & Organizational Studies in Education
Members of the newly restructured School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education (name still pending formal approval) have been impressed with Patty’s ability to bring cohesion, efficiency, professionalism, a commitment to excellence, and to lead by example through the unit’s chaotic restructuring process.
Her co-workers say the professional manner in which she defines staff responsibilities has provided stability in the unit at a time when it was most needed. She assigns tasks that play to individual staff members’ strengths, organizes workflow so it is evenly distributed and makes sure all faculty and student needs are met daily. When extra assignments are given, she distributes the work so no one feels overwhelmed and the reports are completed in a timely manner.
One faculty member describes Patty as “a great leader because she is committed to helping others succeed.” She shows her commitment and dedication to the college and the university with initiative and creativity, willingness to go above and beyond expectations, and fulfill any role necessary to best serve the faculty and students.
