Recipients of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh STAR Award have been announced for September, October and November. STAR Awards recognize and thank University staff members, limited-term employees and project appointment employees who go above and beyond their normal job description. They are handed out monthly. The nomination form is available here.
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• Gordon Jones, a custodian, earned the STAR Award for September. He was nominated by Anthony Blaskowski, buildings and grounds manager, and Maddie Boerman, a UWO student.
Boerman’s written nomination:
I am writing this email to recognize someone on this campus who works hard, helps with anything, and cares about the people around him – that person is Gordy. Gordy has been the custodial staff on my floor since I first moved in. He is the first to help us clean up a mess, solve a problem, or help with a problem. He deserves to be recognized for all the hard work he does. Gordy is one of the most hard-working people I have met on this campus, I have never seen someone embrace a job as much as he does. Just by the few minutes I talk to Gordy on a daily basis I have learned so much about him. He is someone who is always willing to help the university no matter what the situation is. He is someone who genuinely cares about the students that he gets to “work” with. And most importantly he is such an understanding person, he is the first person to clean up a mess on this floor. Now, yes I understand that is his job but Gordy doesn’t do it for the money, the reason I say this is because he has said to me on multiple occasions that he never wants us to have to live with a mess and wants us to be comfortable in the space we call “home”. Gordy makes the second floor of South Scott feel like home for me and many others that live on this floor.
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• Angie Burgett, a custodian, earned the STAR Award for October. She was nominated by Deb Suess, an administrative assistant.
Suess’ written nomination:
Angie is a ROCKSTAR! Angie joined us as a custodian in Albee this year. Albee has been neglected for a bit so it is quite the task to bring the building back to clean. Angie was assigned only the first floor of Albee to clean. No. 1: The Fitness Center in the basement had not been touched in quite awhile. It needed attention badly. Angie stepped up to assist us knowing no one else would. She helped move some equipment, wiped up the floor and cleaned the equipment. No. 2: No one seemed to be cleaning second floor. Angie found a huge coffee spill in the classroom on second floor and she cleaned that up. Again, not her job, but since she saw it, she cleaned it. No. 3: One of our new faculty received an office chair from storage, it had a huge coffee spot right on the front, again Angie stepped up to clean it. Angie is busy the entire time she is here. The bathrooms actually sparkle, the floors are clean, and she does it with a smile on her face and always asks us if there is anything we need. I know she is leaving for another building, and we will miss her. She has truly become part of the Albee family. I nominate Angie for the STAR award because she is amazing!
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• Brian Ugorowski, Fox Cities theatre technical director, earned the STAR Award for November. He was nominated by Susan Rabideau, theatre director.
Rabideau’s written nomination:
In July of 2021 the theatre suffered extensive damage when the smoke doors on the fly tower opened allowing rain in. These issues are still ongoing. Brian has been instrumental in getting various items repaired due to that damage. This is well beyond the scope of his job, and it has been terribly time-consuming. One example is the replacement of Perry Hall floor. He supervised the replacement of the floor twice and then when the floor failed a third time, he personally hand-scraped half of the stage floor to then re-prime and paint it. He also installs lab mods for the campus. He also is spearheading a charge to fix a water leak in Perry Hall. He is helping troubleshoot possible solutions to this ongoing leak. He is upbeat and dedicated to his job, spending much additional time trying to make sure the facility is at its peak.