Strickland Recognized with ITS Service Award

January 13, 2017

In the Division of IT Services at Georgia Southern University, being nominated for the ITS Service Award is a badge of honor. This annual recognition of IT Services professionals has pretty rigorous criteria: members of the University community are asked to base their nominations on performance in the areas of customer service, job knowledge, dependability, human relations, departmental interaction, self-motivation and improvement orientation. Nominees must then be evaluated by their peers based on these same criteria. The winner of the award receives a $500 prize.

For the calendar year 2016, IT Services received an outpouring of 70 nominations for this award. Comments from the University community in support of ITS staff members exemplify the customer service culture that the division strives to embody:

• “Most noteworthy is her patience, grace and professionalism exhibited in the multiple hats she wears and champions each day for her department and our University.”
• “He is always professional, friendly, caring, and knowledgeable. He takes pride in finding solutions for all issues. It is a pleasure to work with him. It is easy to acquire new equipment because we know that he will quickly get up to speed on all facets of the equipment. He is a huge asset not just to IT but to the University.
• “He is very knowledgeable, intelligent and has a willingness to support any scenario until it is completed successfully.”
• “There should be a bumper sticker placed on her vehicle that reads, ‘Well done will always be better than well said.’”

During the ITS Annual Holiday celebration on Dec. 17, 2016, these quotes and others were read in front of ITS staff members and their families. Past winners of the award were also recognized before CIO Ron Stalnaker began to read quotes that were submitted about the 2016 award winner, Jonathan Strickland. One nominator said of Jonathan, “He is always quick to respond to any issues we are having. He also always checks back to make sure we are happy with the outcome. He is easy to get along with and is liked by the entire department.”

Another submission detailing his customer service abilities read, “Jonathan goes above and beyond what his job requires. He makes sure that we are not having any issues every morning and is quick to respond to all of our IT needs. He is an asset to his department, Georgia Southern, and especially our department.” As Jonathan stepped forward to accept his award, he was met with applause and cheers from his ITS colleagues. On receiving the award, Jonathan remarked, “I feel incredibly honored to receive this award and very lucky to provide support to some wonderful people. My first year at Georgia Southern has been great so far and I am looking forward to many years to come!”

Mr. Stalnaker congratulated Jonathan on his award, stating, “Being recognized by your peers and the customers you support is one of the most humbling and honorable things you can experience. Our focus within the Division of IT Services is service, simplicity and speed, meaning that we measure our success based on our customers’ experiences as opposed to the technology they use. I am extremely proud of the service mindset that Jonathan and our other nominees have portrayed.” In closing, Mr. Stalnaker added, “We are all one team at Georgia Southern and we pride ourselves on providing services that ensure student and faculty success–that’s what makes us GATA everyday!”