Kathy Green Named Global Campus Employee of the Quarter

Kathy Green's colleagues highlighted her professionalism and attention to detail, as well as her personal impact, in their nominations for her to receive the Global Campus Employee of the Third Quarter award.            

Green, an administrative support assistant in the Instructional Design and Support Services unit of Global Campus, received the award from Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education, at the April quarterly staff meeting.

In recognition of her commitment to both operational excellence and team success, colleagues noted that she regularly works with the university's Procurement and Legal teams, making sure new contracts with external suppliers are completed timely and accurately.

Beyond her technical contributions, Green's co-workers emphasized the impact her caring nature has had on the workplace.

"Kathy is always creating cards offering a personal touch for anniversaries, birthdays and moments of sympathy," the nominators wrote. "Through personal touch and commitment, she fosters a supportive and caring workplace. I am proud to have the opportunity to work alongside such an amazing, personable professional. She has the perfect blend of personal and professional balance, making it so easy to work with her."

When asked about receiving the award, Green said her initial reaction was simple: "Disbelief. We have so many talented people here doing such important work. I did not see myself as competitive in that arena, so I was very surprised and, well, grateful."

Green stated she was drawn to the university and Global Campus after hearing about the collaborative work environment from a friend.

"When I was looking for a job, I knew I wanted to work for the university," she said. "I spoke with a friend who at the time worked for the university. She advised me, 'You want to look at Global Campus. I think you would really like working there.' And she was right."

Miran Kang, director of Instructional Design and Support Services, has been Green's supervisor for the whole of Green's three years with Global Campus.

"Kathy is technically an administrative support professional, but that title doesn't quite cover it," Kang said. "She's our trusted partner, sounding board and occasional reality check—always helping us see blind spots and think through complex situations with clarity and calm. She also has a gift for reminding us what it really means to serve others, not just get things done."

In her position, Green provides support across multiple teams, including instructional design, learning technology and media production. In addition to general administrative duties, she also assists with online course scheduling processes and continues to take on evolving responsibilities.

"My first responsibility is to support Miran," Green said. "I am her assistant. I do the procurement and travel and miscellaneous other things, like support search committees and so forth for the three IDSS teams. I also support the online program manager in her work to ensure class scheduling accuracy. I think there may be an expanding role for me in project management support, but that's sort of undefined and something we're working toward."

For Green, the most rewarding part of her work is meeting the needs of others. She credits her colleagues as a major source of motivation and support.

"I would say that my teams have been consistently exceedingly helpful and patient," she said. "I admire my teams, and I want to show up and do good work for them."

Looking ahead, Green hopes to continue growing in her role.

"I would like to be better, quicker, more efficient at all of the things that I do, to make room and add a little flexibility to accommodate new things coming on," she said.

Other third quarter nominees:

• Chelsea Doty, Blackboard support specialist
• Suzanne Kenner, online program manager
• Karagin Miller, online student liaison
• Amy White, distance education compliance manager

The Global Campus supports the U of A academic colleges and schools in the development and delivery of online degree programs and 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.