Colleen Whitman Named Global Campus Employee of the Quarter

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Colleen Whitman, center, accepts the Global Campus Employee of the Quarter award from Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education and head of the Global Campus (left), and Jamie Loftin, assistant vice provost for distance education administration (right).

Colleen Whitman has been named employee of the second quarter by the U of A Global Campus.

Whitman, the online student support manager for Global Campus, was praised for empowering her staff through training and daily support. Her efforts, and the work performed by her teams, help the U of A increase enrollments and retain students. Whitman also shares Global Campus' innovative procedures with other educational entities. Most recently, she hosted a poster at UPCEA MEMS 2022 in New Orleans and gave two presentations at UPCEA SOUTH in Atlanta in November.

"Colleen is taking the lead to elevate her team to handle student support now and to scale it for the future," her colleagues said in her nomination. "She has done this by implementing a detailed employee training process for both full- and part-time staff in the Online Student Liaison Office (OSLO). This training enables OSLOs to get up to speed quicker, meaning students get better and faster support."

Whitman first joined Global Campus in 2002. She currently manages teams supporting online students going through the application process and transitioning to the university. She supervises the Online Student Liaison Office and the Coaching for Online Students Office for Global Campus.

"I appreciate the support I receive from Dr. Milner!" Whitman said. "We've hired and trained over 20 employees since the Online Student Liaison office started in Fall 2019. Four full-time liaisons were hired in Fall 2022 who have already helped me improve current materials and develop new ones."

Patty Milner, assistant vice provost for student outreach and innovation and Whitman's supervisor, has only praise for Whitman's contributions to Global Campus.

"Colleen's work touches many of Global Campus' core values," Milner said. "She lives them in her daily work: empowerment, people, excellence, innovation, access and reach. Such dedication is priceless."

Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education, recognized Whitman as the employee of the quarter at the January staff meeting.

"Colleen is a treasure," Murphy said. "She has many skills, but one of her finest is her ability to understand the needs of new and prospective students and help meet those needs. Supporting her staff and helping students is her top priority."

The Global Campus awards the employee of the quarter to recognize outstanding achievements 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.

This is Whitman's third time to receive the employee of the quarter award while with Global Campus. She received the award in 2017 and again in 2020.

Other second quarter nominees include:

• Adam Brown, instructional designer, Instructional Design and Support Services
• Kerry Garcia, grant compliance specialist, Professional and Workforce Development
• Kyle Hellier, human resources analyst, Financial Affairs and Human Resources
• Katie Ricardo, program coordinator, Professional and Workforce Development

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.