Four Rhodes employees—Sara Harris, Kate Collier, Melissa Campbell, and Elisha Vego—were recognized with the college’s 2024 Outstanding Staff Awards at the annual Service Recognition Brunch held May 14. Staff members with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service also were honored at the program held in the McCallum Ballroom.
The Outstanding Staff Awards are by nomination and recognize employees who continually strive for excellence, keeping the mission of the college in focus.
The Outstanding Administrative Services Staff Award was presented to Sara Harris, housekeeper, and the Outstanding Administrative Staff Award was presented to Kate Collier, departmental assistant in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Outstanding Administrator Awards were presented to Melissa Campbell, dean of student success, and Elisha Vego, database analyst.
Here is what nominators had to say about recipients of the Outstanding Staff Awards:
Sara Harris
“Sara has been an employee in the housekeeping department of Rhodes for 30 years . . . She goes above and beyond to take care of students and staff. Her friendly demeaner, positive attitude. and strong work ethic has served Rhodes well!”
"Sara is a very quiet person and takes her job very seriously. She always has a smile on her face and will take that extra mile to help our students."
Kate Collier
“Kate supports departmental faculty and students; patiently deals with many Workday tasks; ensures all details are handled properly for department events; works collaboratively with various departments, and aids the department chair with making cost-effective budget-related decisions.”
“Kate is phenomenal at her job! She continually supports the students and faculty, helping to ensure that Rhodes has an optimal learning environment.”
Melissa Campbell
“Melissa Campbell is an exceptional administrator whose dedication and commitment have profoundly impacted our community. Her ability to lead with compassion and a clear vision has fostered an environment of growth and excellence. Melissa's exceptional problem-solving skills and willingness to go above and beyond have earned her the respect and admiration of her colleagues and contributed significantly to our institution’s success.”
“Melissa is warm, generous, and is a consistent contributor benefitting standing committees with her insightful perspective . . . Melissa is a doer with a capital D, who works tirelessly to empower and support students through challenges.”
Elisha Vego
“Elisha has played so many crucial, yet unseen, roles over the past year, assisting offices around campus with transitions to new systems. Whether she is helping a colleague with a technical issue or walking a student through a system access problem, Elisha is always very helpful and respectful, always willing to step forward and help anyone that needs it.”
“Since the Workday implementation, she has continually stepped up and done the work of and for other offices for the greater good of the institution. She works incredibly hard, does GOOD work, all while keeping the student experience front of mind in her work.”
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At the student-run Campus Life Awards ceremony held in April, two Rhodes staff who are critical to housing operations were honored by students. Cornett Townes was recognized as the Loretta Watkins Outstanding Housekeeper and Fred Garrett was recognized as Outstanding Campus Safety Officer.
