The Career Service Council at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has given its Traditions of Excellence Awards for January and February to Gayla Schlei and Monica Darrow respectively. Schlei is a senior secretary in the Office of Residence Life, and has been employed at School of Mines since July 1993. Darrow is a Financial Aid Assistant in the Financial Aid office. She has been employed at the School of Mines since January 2000.
The Career Service Council gives the award to someone who has performed their assigned duties at a high level or above and beyond expectations, who has taken the initiative to promote the concept of successful job completion, and has promoted a positive working relationship with students, faculty, and staff.
Schlei's nomination stated, "Exceptional initiative in making things happen. As Residence Life worked to transition from Palmerton Hall to the newly renovated Connolly Hall, there were a million and one details that needed to be taken care of . . . at the center of this project — reassigning the 180+ students who have to move in January and finding space for new applications for spring semester. Gayla agreed to coordinate this process . . . successful completion took exceptional attention to detail, creativity in finding spaces and dedication to coordinate roommate requests, preferences for types of accommodations as well as providing tours to numerous students as we utilized all nooks and crannies of our apartment-style housing. Gayla not only met this challenge, she also assisted with the million other details needed to open a 160-bed facility in the middle of winter."
Darrow was selected for this award based on statements included in her nomination package, "Monica is a joy to work with! Her sunny disposition and quick smile put customers at ease regardless of the reason that has brought them to the Financial Aid office. She gives customers her undivided attention to ensure accurate and timely information is provided. Customers are treated respectfully and their concerns are dealt with professionally, confidentially, and with the utmost care. She understands that many of our students would not be able to afford post-secondary education were it not for the various financial aid programs available at the School of Mines. She knows that accuracy in the performance of her duties can make the difference in the success of our students, their time needs to be spent preparing themselves for their future careers and not on whether their financial aid will be available when they most need it. "
