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Employees of the month

Robert Szabo

January University Support Staff Employee of the Month

Started at KU: 2001

Title: Library associate and library manager for Anschutz Library

What that means: Szabo oversees the operation of service points in Anschutz Library, including service desk activity, gate counts, binding, interlibrary loan/lending and shelving. He also provides students and staff with information and training to ensure compliance with KU Libraries and campus policies and procedures.

Notable: During the past year, Szabo has been challenged with a series of complex collection moves. The moves eventually will create open spaces for the future Learning Commons development and interim study space for thousands of students who use Anschutz each week. He supervises a large staff of student employees and does so with warmth, good humor and effective public relations.

Szabo has been a member in the Living Green Community of Interest. He is dedicated to sustainable practices and has contributed and implemented many ideas about sustainability in the libraries. His engagement with student governance and campus energy managers led to Anschutz being selected as the site for wind energy emphasis on campus. His voluntary efforts have led to reductions in energy use in Anschutz and were recognized with an award from Chevron Energy Solutions.

Alex Wong

January Unclassified Employee of the Month

Started at KU: 2003

Title: Director of information technology, Office of Vice Provost for Finance

What that means: Wong manages all IT functions for offices that report to finance — the comptroller’s office, budget office and KU Card Center — and for several related offices, including Human Resources and Equal Opportunity; Space Management; Institutional Research and Planning; and Environment, Health and Safety.

Notable: Wong’s skills extend far beyond his defined job duties. One example is his support of the KU Card Center’s equipment for producing ID cards. Though it is vastly different from the equipment he maintains for his other units, he provides top notch support. He goes above and beyond the expectations of his “customers,” accommodating their requests easily and in user-friendly fashion. One of Wong’s colleagues said, “he approaches technical issues in a human way. He is extremely knowledgeable, but never condescending.”

Click here to nominate someone for employee of the month.