CSI recently recognized its Employees of the Month at a ceremony in the Campus Center.

The 2012 Employee of the Month Honorees were recognized for their hard work and dedication at the 2012 Annual Employee of the Month Luncheon in the Campus Center’s Green Dolphin Lounge on October 19.

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At the luncheon, coordinated by the Office of Human Resources and the Employee Recognition Committee, CSI Interim President Dr. William J. Fritz congratulated the honorees as he spoke briefly about the accomplishments of the honorees and the department where each one works.

Dr. Fritz quoted Abraham Lincoln while addressing the honorees, saying, “Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.”  He went on to say, “Each of you has strived to be worthy of recognition without the demand or expectation of credit. You are motivated in the purest and most honorable sense—by pride in self and pride in work.”

Dr. Fritz also mentioned the many reasons for the CSI community to celebrate this month, noting the College’s recent Convocation, that CSI was recently reaccreditated by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and the College was recently named by Washington Monthly as one of “America’s Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges.”

Following Dr. Fritz, committee members read a short speech for each honoree as they were presented with a certificate and posed for a photo with Dr. Fritz.

This ceremony was part of October Recognition Month at the College, celebrating the many achievements of the College community.

 

The 2012 Employee of the Month Honorees include:

January: Joe Nasella—Maintenance Supervisor—Office of Buildings and Grounds

Joe is a true example of a dedicated and well-informed supervisor. He can go to a problem area, assess the situation, and come back with a solution; he is always willing to go the extra mile. His friendly and knowledgeable approach has managed to defuse a number of potential problems. During the hurricane of 2011, Joe was proactive; making sure that all basements were equipped with working sump pumps.

February: Karen Martucci—College Assistant—Department of World Languages and Literatures

When the only full-time office staff member in the department needed to take an extended leave in august 2011, Karen successfully balanced her own job responsibilities as well as those of her colleague.  She helped her department through the time-consuming fall semester preparations and start-up with “grace and success.”

March: John Santorelli—Plumbers Supervisor—Office of Buildings and Grounds

John has been the Supervisor of the plumbers in the Office of Buildings and Grounds for the past eight years. He has always made his focus the students, staff, and faculty at the College. He has come in on weekends, nights, and holidays, and has helped to avoid catastrophic disasters with the same professional attitude and large smile on his face. Due to his superior organizational skills, he is great at multitasking. John is very knowledgeable of the CSI campus and is extremely helpful to the contractors because he knows where the pipes are located throughout the campus.

April: Janet Arata—Administrative Assistant—Office of the President 

Janet’s job has a demanding portfolio, which includes the handling of budgetary transactions and, most importantly, serving as the President’s travel secretary. This is a responsibility with no room for error, and Janet has done this job in an exemplary manner, serving in the President’s office since 2006.  She keeps the President on schedule and makes sure that his bus, train, and plane arrangements are always appropriate and accurate. In spite of the demands of her job, Janet always takes time out to assist her colleagues. She is known for her attention to detail and persistence.

May: Marissa Fiume—College Assistant—Office of Technology Systems

Marissa is responsible for helping students, faculty, and staff with their account credentials and with problems in accessing the College’s electronic systems, such as email and student accounts.  Although the people who come to her for help are often feeling frustrated, they always leave happy and satisfied that their inquiries were handled quickly and efficiently by a knowledgeable employee with a pleasant attitude. She always gives 100 percent to satisfy the needs of the College population.

June: Lynne Furnell—CUNY Office Assistant—Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs

Lynne plays an important role in the handling of the Petrie grants and emergency loans for the students while maintaining confidentially and concern. She offers advice and assistance to the students to help them understand that her office is interested in addressing their needs. Lynne maintains a close working relationship with the CSI community and assists the Vice President and the Assistant Vice President in planning and implementing projects.

July: Patti Fontana—CUNY Office Assistant—Office of Diversity and Compliance

Patti possesses excellent organizational skills and her attention to detail is an integral part of her office duties. Through personnel turnover, she has reliably and seamlessly maintained the day-to-day work of the office.  In addition to her other duties, Patti helped revise the recruitment procedures that the College uses when hiring new employees and she expertly navigates CUNYfirst. Patti is hard-working and conscientious.  She helps to make sure that every “T” is crossed and all the “I”s are dotted, which is crucial when it comes to compliance paperwork.

August: Vincent Manz—College Assistant–Receiving

Not only is he one of the College’s most dedicated drivers, Mr. Manz, or Vinny, as his co-workers call him, is also a great ambassador, for he is usually the first person with whom many College visitors have contact, and his great personality is an asset to the College. Over the years, Vinny has driven the President of the College, many VIPs, and dignitaries, and when needed, our hybrid bus. Vinny is a great go-to person; no task is too big or small. He can also be counted on to manage the fleet up-keep, making sure that all vehicles are in good running condition and, at times, he acts as the city messenger. Working with Vinny, you will walk away with the feeling that whatever you need he will be there, regardless of the time, just ask him and he it will get done. Vinny takes great pride in his work and is a true asset to the College community.

September: Eric Rosenstock—College Assistant—Operational Services

Eric delivers packages for Central Receiving and helps with deliveries for the Mailroom and Reprographics. He has shown great initiative and has increased his job duties. He has taken on the role of back-up messenger and driver for the executives and fills in when needed. Eric is very passionate about his job and will do anything asked of him. He graduated from CSI and continuously looks to excel on campus.

October: Eileen Parathyas—CUNY Office Assistant—Office of the President/Center for Student Accessibility

Eileen has earned this award in recognition of her excellent service in the President’s Office. She has handled the arduous and extremely important responsibility of managing the President’s calendar, as well as reserving conference rooms, securing parking permits for visitors, and managing the President’s transportation services. Eileen handled these demanding tasks with great skill and perseverance while exhibiting excellent communication and organizational skills in a highly visible and important office. She is conscientious, dedicated, and extremely good at her work.

November: Maria Xenakis—Assistant Director,  Payroll Office

Maria goes above and beyond to make sure that all the payrolls of the College are completed in a timely and accurate manner. Maria was also involved in the CUNYfirst trainer’s program and has trained many employees on the new system. She makes time for all employees when they come to her office with questions and problems and she helps to solve their problems in an easy-to-understand and efficient manner. Her duties also include running many different reports for various departments, attending numerous meetings in Manhattan, and supervising the Payroll Office.

December: Cesare Barreca—Information Systems Assistant—Office of Information Technologies

Cesare is an invaluable asset to both the Office of Information Technology, as well as the Business Department. He helps faculty, staff, and students with system utilization and applications, and he performs hardware/software installation, configuration, and maintenance in the numerous computer labs. A key force in the success of the SMART classroom initiative, which encompasses everything from the labs to the regular classrooms, Cesare provides support for online courses and has been instrumental in the creation and maintenance of the departmental Webpage. He was also the main designer for the technological advancements in the Business Conference Room.