Elizabeth “Beth” Koen, Administrative Assistant III in Faculty and Academic Resources, was selected as the Texas State Employee of the Month for June 2022.
Faculty and Academic Resources (FAR) manages employment processing for faculty and graduate students. It is a fast-paced office with a high volume of incoming forms, packets, and mail. Beth is the front-line employee in this office. As such, she is the first contact person for faculty hiring, documentation, criminal background checks, tenure and promotion, awards processes, tenure-track reappointment, and a host of other processes that support and benefit the university’s 2,000 faculty members. At any point in time, Beth is managing hundreds of requests, transcript arrivals, emails, phone calls, faculty qualification justifications, rehire paperwork, policy questions, and other inquiries.
Beth has an unmatched dedication to the office and the university, as well as a strong commitment to ensuring academic units receive excellent customer service and fast response times, that all faculty are hired and paid promptly, and that they receive the support they need to be successful. Even during high-stress situations, Beth has always been kind, cordial, and compassionate. She has excellent communication and teamwork skills that make the workplace a positive environment, as well as an attention to detail and organization that is instrumental to her success in this role.
Beth works cooperatively with other departmental staff and always goes the extra mile, taking on additional duties such as Personnel Change Request processing, tracking faculty packets, and background checks. Beth not only executes her duties with skill but also works to improve processes and procedures. For example, Beth created onboarding packets via Adobe Sign which has drastically shortened the amount of time it takes the paperwork to reach FAR. In the past, departments had to route hard copies of the documents through different offices for signatures.
Beth’s colleagues in FAR and across the university describe her as kind and utterly invaluable.
Congratulations Elizabeth, on your dedication and hard work, and being recognized as the June 2022 Employee of the Month!