Sandy Gellner
Administrative Business Assistant / Department of Animal & Food SciencesAFTER A DECADE ON THE JOB, Sandy Gellner has developed into one of those key "go-to" persons who assist those who need help navigating the sprawling activities and facilities of Texas Tech University's Department of Animal and Food Sciences.
This year the administrative business assistant for the department was awarded the 2008 College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Staff Award in recognition of her many beneficial efforts to improve department and university.
Customer-Friendly. "Sandy is one of those outstanding examples of a staff member with a service plus attitude; an outstanding example of personnel that makes Texas Tech a customer-friendly climate whether working with students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, visitors or friends," said Leslie Thompson, interim chairman and professor in the Animal and Food Sciences.
"She is truly the organizational glue that holds Animal and Food Sciences together," Thompson added. "We're lucky to have her on our team."
Today, Gellner is the primary person to meet and greet people coming into the department. That task has enlarged in scope since 2004 when the department moved into its new $17 million Animal and Food Sciences Building, on the west side of campus. Use of the new facility by Texas Tech units and external groups outside the department has exploded, Thompson said.
Ready to Help. One of Gellner's tasks is to assist anyone needing help whether they're individual students and their families, a student group or million-dollar donors, Thompson said. And that's in addition to helping rearrange room set-ups, find items that participants forgot to bring with them, as well as assist visitors with travel problems and arrangements, she said.
Separately, the Department of Animal and Food Sciences annually conducts more than 20 FFA and 4-H contests over three weekends in the spring. During that time, some 1,500 high school students attend these contests, making it a great recruiting opportunity to showcase the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and Texas Tech in general. Gellner often aids in recruiting additional help, and has volunteered to help on occasion.
'Organizational Glue'. Gellner grew up in Portland, Oregon, and received a bachelor's degree in education from the University of North Texas. After retiring with the rank of major in the U.S. Air Force, she moved to West Texas where she began her second career at Texas Tech in 1995. Gellner's first position at the university was in the Department of Natural Resources Management. Three years later she moved to the Department of Animal and Food Sciences.
"The diversity of this job is wonderful," Gellner said. "There are just so many different and interesting programs from research to academics. Also, I love working with the students." Written by Norman Martin
CONTACT: Leslie Thompson, interim chairman/professor - food science and safety, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University, at (806) 742-2805 ext. 224 or leslie.thompson@ttu.edu
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