Christina Smith has been named employee of the year by the U of A Global Campus.

Smith excelled in performance and productivity by taking on the responsibilities of former staff members while the Global Campus worked to hire new staff.

Smith, assistant to Patty Milner, assistant vice provost of student outreach and innovation for Global Campus, was recognized for her outstanding service by Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education and head of the Global Campus. Murphy named Smith the Global Campus Employee of the Year for 2020-21 at the quarterly staff meeting on July 20.

"Christina has stepped up and shouldered more responsibility every time we reached out to her," Murphy said. "Christina epitomizes the Global Campus spirit of teamwork and collaboration.

"In addition to her routine duties in support of recruitment and student outreach, Smith was instrumental in assisting the Financial Affairs and Human Resources team of Global Campus with procurement-related transactions in Workday, the university's purchasing system, and many human resource matters when the department had multiple vacancies. Her willingness to learn new skills and take on new duties helped Global Campus to pay invoices, order supplies and hire new employees."

Smith's supervisor, Patty Milner, also praised Smith's exceptional work performance.

"Christina's positive spirit, commitment to excellence and attention to detail have made her a critical member of the recruitment and student outreach team since her first day," Milner said. "Our team is thrilled to that others at Global Campus have had the chance to see what a skilled and dedicated team member Christina is as she has helped bridge gaps during these staffing transitions."

Smith began her career at the U of A as a Razortemp at Global Campus in February 2019 and became a full-time employee in June of that same year. Prior to joining Global Campus, she taught pre-school part time in the Mother's Day Out program at Central United Methodist Church and was a stay-at-home mom.

"I'm grateful that everyone appreciates what I've done," Smith said. "I have the most amazing team to work with. Global Campus is a fun, collaborative and supportive place to work."

Others nominees for Global Campus employee of the year were Noel Sharif, data analyst, and Mary Price, senior instructional designer.

The Global Campus employee of the year is chosen from among the year's four employee of the quarter recipients who remain employed with Global Campus. The award recognizes outstanding achievement and accomplishments that relate to the unit's goals and the U of A mission. The award recipient receives a commemorative certificate and a monetary award.

The Global Campus supports U of A academic colleges and schools in the development and delivery of online degree programs and courses, self-paced online courses and workforce development programs. This unit provides instructional design services, learning technology support, media production services and assistance with financial administration, recruitment and marketing.

The Global Campus also supports the W.E. Manning Memorial Scholarship, which is open to undergraduate and graduate students studying in online degree programs.