Employee of the Quarter Winner: Betty Fisher

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Betty Fisher, Employee of the First Quarter Winner

On Nov. 8, the University Staff Senate recognized Betty Fisher as Employee of the Quarter from the Skilled Crafts/Service/Maintenance category for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012-13.

Fisher began working for the U of A in January 1991 and is the day shift custodian in the Science and Engineering Building. The first sentence of Fisher’s ‘official’ nomination letter, written by Mary Lawyer Powers, reads: “Betty is the best janitorial worker I have ever known. I don’t say that lightly as I come from the world of industry and manufacturing and I’ve probably seen the work of hundreds of janitors over many years. As a business owner I would’ve been thrilled to have someone as conscientious, meticulous, and reliable as Betty.”

A consistent theme throughout the letters of recommendation supporting Fisher’s nomination is that she is not just an exceptional employee who consistently goes above and beyond her job description, but everyone in the department considers her a member of their extended family. Bernard Madison, former dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, writes, “Some years back, someone in Facilities Management decided to reassign Betty to another area. Departmental personnel protested because of Betty’s value to our daily lives and work. Betty was not reassigned much to our relief.” Consensus is that Fisher doesn’t have bad days or, if she does, she never shows it and performs her job with a constant smile on her face regardless of the nature of the task facing her at any given moment.

Fisher is also famous in her department for, as Allan Cochran states in his supporting letter that she is “going above and beyond the call of duty to anticipate needs ahead of time and makes arrangements to meet those needs.” Professors, instructors and administrative personnel in her building agree that if Fisher is asked to take care of something, not only will the actual task be taken care of, every detail surrounding that task will also be taken care of and that is just one of the many reasons why she is so highly regarded.

On behalf of the Staff Senate, congratulations Betty Fisher on your award and thank you for your enthusiastic and unwavering service to the YOU of A!