PSU names student employee of the year

Student Honor - 2008 Student Employee of the Year Jennifer McFall, on the left, receives her award from Mindy Cloninger, director of Career Services, and David Hogard, assistant director of Career Services for experiential education programs.

Jennifer McFall, a junior English major from Roscoe, Ill., was named the 2008 Student Employee of the Year at Pittsburg State University on April 8. McFall was honored at a ceremony sponsored by the PSU Office of Career Services, where it was also revealed that she has also been selected as the Student Employee of the Year for the state of Kansas.

McFall works as a student police dispatcher in PSU’s Police and Parking Services office. She was nominated by communication specialist Kimberly Grissom.

In a nomination letter, Grissom praised McFall’s professionalism, maturity and cool head in stressful situations. She related one instance from last summer when McFall was working with just one officer when a tornado warning was issued for Crawford County. Grissom wrote that McFall made arrangements for 500 football campers to take shelter in the Dellinger Underground, directed an international student to safety and dispatched emergency help to the stadium, where a man was having a heart attack, all while the storm sirens wailed.

“I don’t know a more unique contribution a student could provide to the university than the assurance that if you call for assistance…you will receive the best possible service,” Grissom wrote.

McFall is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Larry McFall of Roscoe, Ill.

Two other student employees were honored at the ceremony. Jacklyn “Kim” Welch, a student assistant in the Department of Social Sciences Office, was named first runner-up and Nicole Pflug, a student data input clerk and peer counselor in the Office of Student Financial Assistance, was named second runner-up. Welch is a graduate student in communication from Olathe, Kan. She is the daughter of Larry and Connie Welch of Olathe. Pflug is a senior accounting major from Arma, Kan. She is the daughter of Mrs. Denise Pflug.

The Student of the Year Award is sponsored by the National Student Employment Association, the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators and the PSU Office of Career Services. Next week will be National Student Employee Week.

---Pitt State---