Olivet Nazarene University recently recognized junior Lindsey Kinnersley as Student Employee of the Year and Darlene Swanson ’08/’10 M.O.L. as Student Employment Supervisor of the Year for 2018–2019. Both award recipients enjoyed a celebration with their respective departments.
“Student Employment touches almost every area of campus, and is vitally important to the success and mission of Olivet,” says director of human resources, Tom Ascher ’08/’17 MBA. We are grateful for the important contribution of each student employee, and are proud of the professionalism they display in their work.
Student employees add immense value to Olivet’s campus every year. During 2018, Olivet employed 1,192 students who collectively earned $2.6 million.
Lindsey Kinnersley is a junior biology major from Kankakee, Illinois. She is a student employee in the interlibrary loan department of Benner Library.
Lindsey’s supervisor, Sandy Harris, said in her nomination of Lindsey: “Lindsey goes beyond the basic procedures to find solutions to problems and to assist the other student workers. She develops training aids, and visual diagrams to help new students master and remember confusing processes. Lindsey finds errors in patron requests and researches the correct citation information so that we can serve our local and sharing patrons effectively. This is a skill far beyond the normal expectation of student worker!”
The interlibrary loan department handles over 13,000 items per year and works behind the scenes to support undergraduate students as well as those in the Olivet Online graduate program. The efficiency of the department impacts other departments, resulting in a strong support for all ONU patrons.
Sandy reiterates, “Lindsey works hard to keep the process flowing in a timely manner. By supporting our faculty, staff, and students, she is helping to create a stronger university.”
Darlene Swanson serves as the assistant director of international engagement and as the assistant to the registrar in the Office of the Registrar. She has served the University since 2007.
Student employee, senior Luke Peterson said in his nomination of Darlene: “She knows that she is representing both Christ as well as the university when she interacts with students and she has mastered the art of being a professional Christian. This shows itself when Darlene goes the extra mile to help students figure out how they can make their four-year plan work, assists coworkers in tracking down an elusive piece of student information, and allows flexibility in scheduling (like when I needed to rearrange my shift last minute for an internship interview). Through her leadership, professionalism, and mentoring of students, Darlene is an example of how Christians ought to act in the workplace. In all she does, it is obvious that she cares for the people she works with. She has set a high bar for what I expect in a supervisor.”
Alyssa (Eilders) Bass ’13 manages all student employees and the presentation of both awards. Nominations came from students, staff and faculty members in recognition of nominees for attributes, expectations, leadership/style and impact to their department or office.
To learn more about how student employment opportunities benefit Olivet students, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@olivet.edu or 800-648-1463.
Published 4/15/19
