The Staff Senate recently announced the University of Arkansas Employees of the Year for 2020-21 and two of those honorees are staff members in the Division of Student Affairs.
Andrea Allan, director for U of A Cares, is the “Professional/Non-Faculty – Academic” employee of the year.
“Andrea is a truly a consummate professional. She is an effective collaborator, problem solver, advocate, and navigator of resources for our community. She consistently approaches each student, despite their circumstances, with genuine care, concern, and compassion,” said Monica Holland, assistant vice chancellor for student life and associate dean of students. “Many times, Andrea serves as a bridge to a student’s current situation and where they need to be. She easily builds rapport with the students and is genuinely interested in their overall health, well-being, and success.”
A.J. Olsen, director of medical services for the Pat Walker Health Center is the “Professional/Non-Faculty – Administrative” employee of the year.
“A.J. is the heart and soul of the Pat Walker Health Center Medical Care. The framework that she has established and continues to fine tune benefits all of her direct reports as well as all of our patients,” said Mary Alice Serafini, associate vice chancellor and executive director of the Pat Walker Health Center. “We admire her holistic perspective and the fact that she always, always goes above and beyond to assure a safe and functional experience for all.”
Read more about each of these winners below.
A.J. OLSEN
First, tell us about your job and what you do. How long have you been with the University and Pat Walker Health Center?
I am the Director of Medical Services and I tell everyone that means I get to do what no one else may want to do. Policies, procedures, regulatory compliance, credentialing and more to assure that all the ‘behind the scenes’ minutia is complete so our fabulous medical teams can do what they do best – serve the medical needs of our campus community. I have been with the University since May of 1997. I started supervising medical records and primary care intake at the Pat Walker Health Center and over the years have evolved into supervising medical records, medical clinic intake areas, nursing, lab, billing and x-ray.
How did the job change during the COVID-19 Pandemic and has it gone back to normal or are we in a new normal?
Everything about healthcare had to alter during COVID and we remain with an altered treatment environment to this day. I do not believe we are at a new normal…yet! It will come and I am hopeful by the first quarter of 2022 we may be able to see some light.
What do you enjoy most in your job and what do you find most challenging?
The absolute joy of my job is my colleagues – our team!! I also enjoy the campus community and atmosphere. I was once told it’s like living in Neverland. Our main population stays roughly the same age, and we address many of the same issues over and over…yet are happy to do so to assist with healthcare education and consumerism. Like everyone we face challenges, yet they never seem daunting knowing I have the support of my colleagues and our collective brainpower to problem solve.
What does it mean to be recognized as Employee of the Year?
As I told the committee when I accepted – I will only accept this recognition if it is on behalf of the ‘entire medical team’!! I cannot do what I do without the support of our medical team. My successes are a direct reflection of our team’s effort. It takes us ALL to be successful and we are every day! I am incredibly proud of Pat Walker Health Center and more so of the incredible individuals I work alongside.
Is there anything else you want our readers to know about what you do, or what happens in PWHC?
Pat Walker Health Center is a robust campus community resource. We have three medical clinics (primary care, women’s health & immunization/travel), counseling and wellness and health promotion. I wish ALL students were aware of our services on day one as it’s heartbreaking to know someone could have benefitted from our assistance but didn’t know the resources existed. We’re here to help!
ANDREA ALLAN
First tell me about your work history with the U of A … when did you start and how did you get to where you are? How long have you been with the University?
July 1, 2021 was my official 10 year anniversary with the U of A! I started in July 2011 as a Coordinator for Residence Education and then transitioned to the Assistant Director for Conference Services after 5 years. In April 2019 I moved to my current role with U of A Cares. A fun fact about coming to the U of A for me is that I actually took my very first interview with the U of A as a practice interview at a placement exchange. It was not part of the original plan but I’m so thankful for the opportunities I’ve had while here and look forward to many more!
What do you like to do in your off time?
Most of my free time is spent with my dog, Zeus who is a miniature dachshund. I also attend any theatre production I can and enjoy live concerts. I recently started grad school so that has also consumed a lot of my free time, but I get a little bit of non-academic reading in with my book club, Pages & Pints as well!
How did the job change during COVID and has it gone back to the normal before or do you see things trending in the direction of students needing more help even as we come through COVID?
The biggest change during COVID was not being able to meet with students in person. There is a lot you can learn from being in front of someone about how they’re doing and to identify the immediate needs they have. It’s harder to do that and connect in a meaningful way in a virtual format. We have continued to offer virtual options for meetings now that we’re back because we understand the flexibility and accessibility they provide but we are happy to be back meeting with students and their families in person as well. I don’t know that we’ll ever truly be back to ‘normal’. We are still seeing impacts to students including mental health, financial, and academic concerns directly related to COVID or COVID adjacent impacts.
What do you enjoy most in your job and what do you find most challenging?
I enjoy getting to make individual impacts on a daily basis and getting to meet (in person especially) with students who need someone in their corner. I know that so many times students feel like they are lost in the sea of people on campus and getting to make individual connections and impact real change is the most rewarding part of the job. The most challenging thing is not being able to always provide the needed resources or interventions. There are some resources (housing/long term medical or mental health care) that we just do not have available.
What does it mean to be recognized as Employee of the Year?
I think this is the hardest question on the list! I was absolutely surprised to hear the news and after a hard year I can honestly say it feels almost surreal to even be where we’re at. There were times early on in COVID when we were working on processing cases and doing outreach to students who tested positive and their professors that I felt like we were missing other concerns because of the sheer volume of cases. Once we got a good system established (shout out to EmmaLe Davis, director of assessment for Student Affairs) and were able to get back to more ‘normal’ operations it was a huge relief to know we were still able to help students. I’m thankful for the support I received from Monica Holland (assistant vice chancellor for student life and associate dean of students) and Melissa Harwood-Rom (interim vice chancellor for Student Affairs and dean of students) who both stepped in to help with reports and follow-up. Overall I feel incredibly lucky to work for a department and supervisor who truly value the student experience and put the needs of students at the forefront of everything we do. I feel like this recognition is really a team effort and I can say with 100% honesty that I would not be able to do the work I do without the Dean of Students and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs staff who also support the U of A Cares mission.
Is there anything else you want our readers to know about U of A Cares?
U of A Cares strives to support students at all phases of their Razorback career to ensure they are able to be successful in their academic pursuits. We know that there are a lot of barriers that can make graduation feel impossible at times and I want people to know they can reach out to us no matter their current situation and we will do our best to provide support and resources. We are only successful if students, faculty, staff, and the community know we are here to help students. People often apologize for “taking up our time” and I always tell them my job is to serve students. No question is too small or barrier too obscure so please let us know how we can help make your time as a student a little easier!
Congratulations to these two outstanding employees for their hard work and service! They will be invited to celebrate with campus administrators and co-works at the Staff Celebration this fall and will be honored at the U of A Employee Banquet in the early spring. Each winner will receive a certificate and a monetary award for their selection. They will also be featured on the Employee of the Year display in the Arkansas Union beginning later this year.
Employees of the Year serve as the Employee of the Quarter/Employee of the Year selection committee for the following academic year.
For more information about the Employee of the Quarter program please visit the Staff Senate website.