Staff Senate Announces Outstanding Team Award

The University of Arkansas’ Residential Facilities Project Team will be honored for its team members’ efforts with the Outstanding Team Award. The award will be presented at the Staff Senate meeting on Thursday, March 14, in the Arkansas Union, Room 507-508. A plaque will be given to the team shortly after the start of the meeting at 9:30 a.m.

The team, under the direction of David Pitner, is a student-centered, building maintenance support staff. During 2012, the team completed 34 campus projects. Staff and faculty submitted nominations, and the Senate Staff Scholarship and Awards Committee made the selection.

Staff members chosen have shown exceptional teamwork over the course of the previous year, and are 100-percent-appointed university employees. The team members honored are David Pitner, project team supervisor; John Cornelius, electrician; Mike Rouse, electrician; Robert Powers, plumber; Bryan Finney, plumber; Chris Cooke, HVAC; Eddie Flores, carpenter; John Sugg, carpenter; and Nick Clark, painter.

“The project team is a valuable resource for residential facilities,” said Aaron D. England, assistant director for operations and maintenance. The team supports resident hall maintenance techs by helping with projects. When a task requires more than two hours for a tech, the team completes it so the tech can move on to other requests. Costs are kept lower and emergencies are handled more efficiently, which benefits the university.

A five-month remodeling project for Charles & Cappy Whiteside Greek Life Leadership Center was completed on time and within the budget. The team worked in Walton Hall, turning a space that was used years ago for U of A athletics into offices for the campus Greek community. Along with creating the office space, the team designed a, “Greek column by hand as well as added lively colors to the walls to make he office 'pop' and feel welcoming to our Greek student leaders,” said Parice S. Bowser, director for Greek Life.

Chartwells worked with the team to develop “Quad a Go Go,” a grab and go campus-dining option.  The team was “instrumental in the design, build and finish of the operation,” said Morgan Stout, director of operations, Chartwells Dining Services. “Quad a Go Go” accommodates the growing number of students in the dining halls on the north end of campus.

The team was posed with the task of transforming a residence hall basement into a facility that would serve Student Support Services, the Enhanced Learning Center, and the Office of Academic Success. The ELC renovation is almost complete, and “the work is amazing,” said Karen Hodges, executive director of academic success. Hodges praised their work and said they took “pride in doing things as a team.”

The team has continuously completed work that fully satisfies staff and faculty associated with the facilities. Temporary offices were renovated for the University Housing IT Office. “Not only was this project completed quickly, but it exceeded our specifications,” said Eric Roberts, associate director of information technology. Roberts further explains the professionalism expressed at all times by the team, which was observed throughout all of the projects completed during the past year.