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Division of Finance and Support Services (FSS)
Texas State Division of Finance and Support Services (FSS) Awards Finance and Support Services Quarterly Team Award

Finance and Support Services Quarterly Team Award

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  • 2022

    • Kristy Aldape, Lisa Gonzales, Lisa Luera, Sandra Martinez, Rocio Ortiz De La Rosa, Lauren Williams

      Fall 2021 welcomed the largest freshman class in Texas State University history. In addition to this large class, many students were returning to in-person classes for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every one of these students needed new Bobcat ID cards, which would have been quite the difficult and frustrating process if not for the innovation and initiative taken by the ID Services Team.

      This team actively promoted the Photo Upload Portal whereby students could submit photos for Bobcat IDs. This not only significantly reduced students’ wait time but ensured the safety and health of those who would have otherwise had to come on the San Marcos Campus to take their photos. The ID Services Team proactively reached out to students once they registered for New Student Orientation (NSO) to encourage them to use the portal and followed up with them to ensure the best experience for students and ID Services staff. Additionally, the team developed a training video for how to use the portal, and updated instructions and links to the video on multiple platforms. For those who signed up for in-person NSO, the team made sure that IDs were printed and ready for pickup from specially designated areas on campus.

      The ID Services Team was able to improve the experience for new and returning students as well as reduce the potential frustration that could have resulted from the significant number of students that ID Services served at once. Their work is a fantastic example of how they continuously look to improve students’ experience while working as a cohesive team. 

       

    • Todd Engram, Eric Guerrero, Richard Kelsey, AJ McMillan, John Rodriguez, Joel Soto, Lee Torres, Jessi Turnbow-Cao, Joseph Valdez

      Texas State University named two streets on the Round Rock Campus in honor of Adolfo “Sonny” Barrera, and Dr.  Elvin Holt, for their work in multicultural programming and curriculum development. President Trauth hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and reception to celebrate the naming of these streets for which the Round Rock Campus Signage Team created specialized street signs for the event.

       

      The Facilities Team collaborated with the Coordinator for Facilities Inventory to produce full-size replicas of the new street signs that were featured during the ceremony and reception and were then given to the honorees as unique souvenirs to recognize their contributions to the university. Additionally, smaller versions of the signs topped the tables of each respective honoree. This team came together to contribute their individual and professional talents to create proofs, stage photos for height demonstrations, and onsite assembly and set-up. Their efforts made a special event to honor diversity and multicultural teaching and learning at Texas State even more meaningful.

  • 2021

    • Maria Alvarez, Bruce Banks, Rick Boasi, Delfia Chavarria, Margie Flores, Val Marrero, Mary Pacheco, Guadalupe Urrutia, Steve Williams, Mike Aleman, Iliana Camarillo, Maria F Gonzalez, Candy Martinez, Rosie Ortiz, Robert Roten, Gina Sanchez, Phillip Vasquez, Blanca Castillo, George Ferrer, David Garcia, Delia Gonzalez, Sally Harris, Maria Hernandez, Felipa Prado, Miguel Sandoval, Martin Mercado, Rodrigo Rodriguez, Jeremy Nybro, Phillip Williams, Fermin Torres

      Custodial Services staff deep clean all restrooms, classrooms, stairwells, elevators, entrances, and all door knobs in Old Main, Lampasas Hall, Chemistry, Comal, Flowers Hall, Evans Liberal Arts, Taylor-Murphy History, Roy F. Mitte, and JC Kellam Administration, which includes daily disinfecting and sanitizing. They spray classrooms and high traffic areas with a hospital grade disinfectant and restock classroom and computer lab sanitizing kits daily with gloves, face masks, and microfiber cloths. The team monitors and refills all the hand sanitizer dispensers in their areas. When a positive case is reported, this team performs another deep clean, disinfection, and sanitization of the area, to reduce the risk of further cases. The hard work and dedication of these employees has contributed to the continuing safety of the campus community.

    • UPD Dispatch Team
      Carrie Solitto, Jennifer Paterson, Jimmy Hicks, Eric Marsh, Chelsey Bogner, Adrianna Lindsey, and Monica Suarez

      The UPD Dispatch Team improvised and didn’t miss a beat in responding to emergency calls resulting from the weather emergency. The team shared personal cell phone numbers to keep the lines of communication open with resident assistants, students, police officers, and even parents when power and phone service was down. Because of their commitment and persistence, UPD delivered quick and reliable emergency services during the weather event.  Several team members stayed overnight on campus to ensure they would be available for their next shift.

      Utilities Team
      James Norton, Xavier Lopez, Joey Kristoff, Samuel Brakhage, Chris Olivares, Roy Eastwood, Hector Vasquez, Kurtis Crocket, Michael Kocay, Greg (Scott) Hode, Daniel Moran, Neil Bascos, Chris Castro, David Flores, Michael Kubin, Enrique Llanes, Robert Miller, Hilario Villarreal, Gilbert Morales, and Brian Rabel

      The Utilities Team stood up backup generators to supply electricity to key buildings and a portable generator at Jackson water well which provides water to most of campus. The team maintained system water pressure levels above minimum limits by manually operating the transfer pumps at the well house and refueled the generators around the clock by making trips to the Transdev Shuttle Maintenance facility. The multiple recurring blackouts prevented the boilers at Central Plant, the source of heating on campus, from refiring until power was fully restored.  However, the boilers at West Plant were operational when intermittent power was restored and the team focused its attention on maximizing run time on these units. Once the main boilers came back on, the team had to switch the load to feed steam to Texas State buildings, including residence halls.  Many members of this team worked long hours, stayed overnight on campus, and continuously turned the university power back on manually. The Utilities team was the liaison between the university and San Marcos Electric Utility.

    • The July Finance and Support Services Division Quarterly Team Award was presented to the Direct Digital Access (DDA) Team

      The staff team members include: Martha Fraire-Cuellar, Marcus Bryant, Elizabeth Hewett, Renae Smith.

       

      The third-party team members include: Cole Johnson and Sabrina Heatherley, both from Follett

       

      The Digital Direct Access Program is a partnership between Texas State University and Follett Press. Through this program, faculty can offer textbooks and lab set-ups digitally, a practice that has been essential for transitioning in-person classes to a remote format during COVID-19.

      This program required coordination and shared responsibilities amongst the Offices of University Registrar, Auxiliary Services, Student Business Services (SBS), and Follett. SBS created a data review model to aid in determining discrepancies between Follett and Texas State data. Using this data model, SBS created multiple reports regarding Course Setup Validation, Section Summary Comparison, and Follett Invoice/Recon Discrepancies. Previously, there were many areas where mistakes went unnoticed until students or faculty members issued a complaint. However, the team’s reports and models ensured that errors could be identified much earlier in the process and that the University would be able to rectify the issue before it impacted students. The team made a collaborative effort to provide improved services to all parties, save money, and dramatically reduce the error rate. The commitment members showed, such as the over 100 hours that Marcus Bryant spent writing programs to identify the errors, was lauded not just by Texas State, but by Follett’s upper-management who described Texas State’s program as “the most detailed and fluid amongst all their partners.”
       

      Congratulations to the DDA Team on its achievements and outstanding efforts!

    • The October 2021 Finance and Support Services Division Quarterly Team Award was presented to the HR Exit Process Team.

      The staff team members include: Katie Bonner, Tammy Coyle, Heather Houston, Lori Kinser, Tammy Sharp, and Jeremy Thomas

      The HR Exit Process Team created and implemented a new exit process, including a new survey in Qualtrics, which impacts all Texas State University employees, but particularly supervisors and employees transitioning away from employment at Texas State.

      Over the course of a year, the team conducted significant research into best practices, surveyed peer institutions, and explored new technologies to create an improved and more accessible offboarding experience. Their project gave particular emphasis on prioritizing the end-user experience to provide greater clarity and more resources for those going through the process.

      The team made a collaborative and thoughtful effort to ease the transition for faculty and staff completing the exit process. Their collaboration and teamwork serve as a true model for others.  

      Congratulations to the HR Exit Process Team on its achievements and outstanding efforts!