VIPs - Very Important Ponies  

Some of our VIPs this month are:

KUDOS to Kelly McMillan from the Department of Veterans Affairs to Dr. Turner -"Thank you for the courteous assistance given our representative during his recent visit to Southern Methodist University.  We especially appreciate the assistance Ms. Kelly McMillan provided during the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) compliance surveys that were conducted during the visit. . . "  Congratulations on a super clean VA audit!!!!  And, in 30 years of reading VA reports I've never heard such glowing praise.  Great job, and one that largely goes unappreciated, but is ever so important to SMU.  Keep up the good work. (from John Hall) 

James Swenson - He actually went down to check on my refund check.  This was much appreciated.  Thank you for helping me with my account.  I am heading to Cambridge tomorrow so I thought I had better touch base with you.  I really appreciate all you have done for me.  I am very impressed by the level of customer care I have received from you.  I am a former Graduate School administrator, and I pay close attention to the service I give and receive.  Have a great summer.

June Hagler and Laura Del Rio - were excellent in helping with the Guildhall students.

Norm Lieber - Norm dealt very professionally with a former student today.  The student was extremely rude and biting.  However, Norm kept his cool, even when the man insulted him.  Norm is a shining example that everyone can learn from.  His customer service is top notch.

Joe Papari, Monica Cordero, Darrah Rippy - Thank you for the great effort in running the dprs.  We really appreciate it.  Bert Greynolds (Cox School) [Joe P. shared that Monica worked through the night to get these run and Darrah stayed late and started early to help Monica.]

Rod Del Rio - Rod is always available and willing to help.  He goes out of his way to help students and parents, even after hours.  As a co-worker, all you need to do is ask.  Thanks for all you do.

Donna Rodriquez - I think she was great with everything.  Good Job!

From Transfer Admission - "We are processing transfer survey cards and noticed that several students have commented that the web site was particularly helpful . . . of course they didn't specify which part of the website.  At any rate, I thought I would share the good news.  One student was specific and noted:  'good pictures of campus 360 pictures.' I have not received any negative comments about the website."

Epi Ramirez - My sister, Margot asked me to email the following information to you [about her academic record].  She first wanted me to thank you in advance for your very kind willingness to handle this for her so quickly.  It is a great help.  Margot asked that I write and thank you again!  You went way beyond the call of duty, and we are both very grateful.  By the way, I graduated from SMU in 1973, and as I am sure you have already figured out, Margot and I are among the vast number of gray-haired "old ladies" who found themselves back in school after nearly thirty years out!  (I went back in 1998, not even knowing how to send and email!)  I hope you will have a wonderful week.

Sondra Pena - I want to thank you PROFUSELY for all of your help in processing my loan.  I was able to pick up my check in the office Wednesday morning, and everything seems to be fine on my account.  Ironically, the original check from 4-11-03 that you stopped payment on finally showed up in the mail the same day!  Anyway, I really appreciate your efforts to track down the problem, to update me on the status, and to see this thing through to the end.  Thanks, again.

Laura Phelps and Monica Gomez - What a great surprise!  Laura and Monica provided an ice cream break to their co-workers during the busy graduation processing period.  What a nice stress reliever.

Student Financial Services - Many thanks to Student Financial Services for providing donuts one morning to the Registrar's Office during the graduation processing period.  Not only was it a tasty treat (Krispy Kreams at that), but it was really nice to be recognized at that time.

Stephanie Nonemacher - Stephanie was such a help.  she was very pleasant and I enjoyed meeting her and speaking with her.  Everyone should know about Stephanie's kind and warm demeanor!  Thanks for getting back to me so soon.  I appreciate all the help that we have received from the SMU summer school staff and financial staff.  Have a great summer.

              

Under Construction
Coping with Change in the Workplace

If there's one thing about change that you can count on, it is that it's never far away. Some change is good, some change is bad, and some change is what you make of it. That's where I try to take control. How many times have you faced change that appeared negative, only to find out it was a blessing in disguise? So when I'm facing a change with a negative connotation, whether it is in my personal life or professional life, I always look for the silver lining. It helps my stress level, morale and performance stay on par and ultimately helps the positive changes take precedent over the negative.

I have found three articles that can help you deal with change and make it work for you. [see articles in Staff Development Section below] The first article deals with facing change as a part of your life; how to embrace it and more importantly, how to handle it. The second article details the best ways for management and employees to handle organizational change (sometimes, the scariest of all changes). Lastly, I put in the third article in an attempt to influence you to affect change. The best way to control change is to make it yourself!

Of course reading these articles won't stop negative change from happening from time to time, but keeping in mind what we learn will help us deal with it in the best possible way and still come out on top. As the classic REO Speedwagon song says, "Just roll with the changes!"

Thinking positive ... your friend in continuous learning,

From Emily -  National Seminar Group - Training Alert Editor

DON'T FORGET

August
Division Meeting
August 6
8:30am H-T Forum

Dealing with Organizational Change - from National Seminar Group - Training Alert

Are You Trapped Inside Your Comfort Zone? - from National Seminar Group - Training Alert