Todd Belcher, HVACR Specialist II in Facilities Maintenance Services, and Georgia Grundy, Library Technician in University Libraries, have been named Employees of the Month by the Staff Employees Council.
Belcher, according to nominator Robert Hernandez, has played a critical role in ensuring that all HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) equipment on campus remains operational.
"Todd is an outstanding employee who brings to his job a high degree of energy, commitment, flexibility and professional conduct," Hernandez wrote. "To say that Todd Belcher exceeds the expectations in Facilities Maintenance Services would be an understatement. As the Lead HVACR Specialist in the HVAC Shop, Todd has performed his job for only a short period of time. However, his high standards and willingness to go the extra mile has far exceeded the requirements of the job."
Just one example Hernandez cited occurred while in the HVAC PM Shop, Belcher noticed that the HVAC Shop, HVAC PM Shop and the Central Heat Plant were lacking in safety areas.
"He took it upon himself to set up safety training for the crews as well as to ensure all personnel had the proper safety equipment," Hernandez said. Hernandez added that with a shop supervisor's recent retirement and another lead person out for an extended period, "Todd stepped up and volunteered to assist and become the acting lead person for the HVAC Shop. He has organized the work and set the example for efficiency within the shop." Concluded Hernandez: "Todd is the kind of employee that makes UNR look good. ... Todd exemplifies the excellence of our classified employees."
Said Belcher: "What I like most about working the HVAC department at the University of Nevada is the people I get to work with, day-in and day-out. Our department has a way of making coming to work every day fun and eventful. It is truly never a dull moment."
Grundy, according to nominator Jen Hill, "doesn't wear a super hero cape out in public, but I do know this: she regularly saves the day for teaching faculty and stressed students, and she does it calmly and kindly."
Grundy, wrote Hill, is responsible "for getting thousands of documents online each term, after having chased them down in their paper versions and in the ether, and vetting them for copyright and fair use." Throughout this often time-consuming process, Hill said that Grundy is "always accommodating and seemingly unflappable."
"To put it simply," Hill wrote, "UNR could not deliver the high quality of instruction it does without people like Georgia who continue to give their best despite budget cutbacks, unpaid furloughs and the other depressing realities of recent times. She works hard and does her job very well, in relative anonymity, and her actions have real impact on the campus."
Hill also provided a sampling of comments from other professors on campus who had worked with Grundy. From Sarah Purdy: "She always responds so quickly to requests. It's incredible. She's precise in her work, helpful, knowledgeable, and kind. She consistently supports students and faculty efficiently and with a positive attitude. She epitomizes all the finest qualities of University support staff."
Hill concluded that she had recently complimented Grundy for work that made Grundy seem like a "national treasure." In typical humble fashion, Grundy told Hill that Grundy's "national treasures" were actually her student assistants. "That's when I thought, okay, perhaps I can't nominate her as national treasure, but I can make a good argument that she should be UNR's Employee of the Month," Hill wrote.
