News Release

CONTACT: Della Elliott, Public Information, (619) 644-7690, della.elliott@gcccd.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                           March 24, 2006

College district employee-recognition program now in its 10th year

100 behind-the-scenes workers recipients of Chancellor/Classified Senate Award

EL CAJON – – Administrative secretaries. Computer programmers. Warehouse workers. Electronics technicians. Groundskeepers. Sign-language interpreters. Public-safety officers.

These are but a few of the jobs held by the 100 non-instructional employees hailed during the past decade at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges and the district office as recipients of the Chancellor/Classified Senate Award.

In May, the 70 of the 100 awardees still working for the colleges and district will be treated to a luncheon to mark the 10th anniversary of the employee-recognition program, which has just undergone a retooling to increase its cachet and promote participation. The quarterly award now includes in its bounty, a $250 gift certificate from Barnes & Noble, lunch with the chancellor and governing board president, and an engraved, acrylic trophy.

“The memento will be something our honoree will treasure for a lifetime,” Classified Senate Vice President Maggie Gonzales said this week at the district governing board meeting, where the revamped award program was unveiled.

Chancellor Omero Suarez, who, along with the person making the nomination, presents the award at governing board meetings, said it’s an uplifting feeling to reward the behind-the-scenes classified employees for work well done.

“This award is something that I always look forward to announcing,” he said. “Recognition is an important part of employee growth and leadership. The awards that are made throughout the district are carefully awarded and highly valued when received.”

Classified Senate President Pat Murray said the award is a way to publicly thank employees whose dedication to their jobs is unparalleled.

“One of the nicest things about awards programs like the Chancellor/Classified Senate Award is when we see family members come to the meetings,” she said. “Often, the awardee will thank everyone for the award, but tenderly thank their family publicly for providing them the liberty to, at times, give top priority to the duties of their job.”

Murray added that it’s her hope the award program also serves as a reminder that, even outside of the classroom, classified employees play an important role in ensuring the college experience is a positive one for students.

“It is my hope that my colleagues will all feel more aware of the impact they can have in the lives of students,” she said.

Any college or district employee may nominate a deserving classified staff employee; nominations are judged by a committee of the Classified Senate and the name of the chosen recipient is forwarded to the chancellor for final selection. Nomination forms are posted at www.gcccd.edu/class_senate.

For more information about the district and the colleges, where a series of eight-week classes in subjects including art, business office technology, computer information science, English, math, geography, history, psychology, nursing and more starts April 1, 8, 22 and 24, go to www.gcccd.edu.

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Intergovernmental Relations, Economic Development, and Public Information
8800 Grossmont College Drive  El Cajon, CA 92020-1799
Phone 619-644-7573 Fax 619-644-7924