DUNMORE, Pa. — Penn State Scranton Chancellor Marwan Wafa has named Griff Lewis, instructional designer in Information Technology, the April Employee of the Month.
Lewis was nominated by several members of the campus community.
Griff Lewis is the April Employee of the Month at Penn State Scranton.
“During the [start of] the coronavirus crisis, when campus had to close and all classes moved online, my co-workers in the Information Technology department worked tirelessly to support the campus and get faculty and staff what they needed to work from home, in order to continue serving and supporting the students. Because I can't nominate them all, I have decided to nominate Griff Lewis," stated Shannon Lewis.
"I saw first-hand, each day, as he sat with faculty outside of my office to get them up-to-speed with the technology they need to teach their students online, in a way they may have never done before. He was patient and calm, and often juggled serving and training one person, while answering questions for another who just dropped by unexpectedly, including me. While he was obviously worried about his family and the situation at hand, he never complained about it and kept right on working and making himself available to those who needed it while everyone else had already left the building and were working remotely.”
Academic affairs administrative assistant Suzanne Morgan wrote: “Griff has always been of great assistance with our part-time faculty new hires with Canvas, Office365, etc. He meets with each to ensure they have the software tools and skills they need to succeed in the classroom. He works collaboratively, patiently, and is prompt to respond to all calls for assistance. These past few weeks I have had multiple part-time faculty comment to me about the extraordinary patience and gracious attitude Griff has maintained during the upheaval with online classes. One faculty member mentioned to me that while he was sitting with Griff to cover some issues, he was interrupted multiple times by individuals looking to make an appointment with him for help. His exact words were 'Griff has the patience of a saint.' Griff has done an outstanding job at helping to make this online transition less daunting for many faculty and I believe he deserves this recognition.”
Adjunct accounting lecturer and campus Advisory Board member Pat Sheridan said, "During this unprecedented pandemic situation, Griff Lewis has assisted the faculty, both full-time and part-time, in responding to the challenges to continue to provide classes. He has quickly and effectively provided us with the tools we needed. My sincere thank you to Griff and all those who have assisted us in the process.”
Joseph Annacarto, an adjunct lecturer in accounting, said: "Griff has shown incredible diligence in teaching ZOOM to faculty that had high anxiety. His patience in his emails and phone calls shows how much he cares about his fellow employees.”
The Employee of the Month is a recognition award created by Wafa to distinguish staff members who "go above and beyond the call of duty" in serving the campus.
Nominations can be made at: https://scranton.psu.edu/form/employee-month-nomination-form
Congratulations, Griff!