It is my pleasure to nominate Catherine (Kate) Shaner, Assistant to the Chair, of the Department of Chemistry, for a Regents KUDO Award.

Kate is responsible for the management and oversight of state, federal, private and foundation funds for fiscal activity. She is also the grant liaison person for proposal processing and is responsible for the pre- and post-award processes.

Kate has been with the Department of Chemistry since 1989, but with the UNL since 1977. She started as a departmental secretary in the Department of Educational Psychology and Measurements and transferred to the Polar Ice Coring Office in 1979. While there, she worked as a Staff Secretary and was promoted to various management positions. In her current position, her knowledge and expertise in university processes and procedures has been an asset to the department, and the university.

The monumental task of monitoring all of the expenditures in the department is no small feat. Kate is very detailed in her work and makes sure that all charges are posted appropriately and in a timely manner. She provides a monthly status report for all active grants to the faculty that documents real-time budget, expenditure, and projected balance information. These reports have been a very helpful tool to project how best to use the funds for the remainder of their contract period. At the same time, Kate is always on top of the departmental state funds so that they are expended before fiscal year end. Her expertise in this area is a real asset and provides to me the necessary information I need to make appropriate decisions on how to best use our remaining state funds. Her data are always more reliable than that provided from the College.

Kate 's expertise in the grant management area is also instrumental in providing the necessary assistance to our faculty in completing their proposal applications. She works very hard and is dedicated in her service to process the applications in a timely manner. Kate has spent countless hours working over her lunch periods and even on weekends to assist the faculty in getting their proposals done to meet deadlines. So important is her work, and so high her competence that several faculty have told me that were Kate to leave, our grant production would decline seriously!

Kate has taken a lead role in SAP implementation. At Vice Chancellor Joan Leitzel's request, she was a member of the initial task force in 1995, to determine if we need to improve the current financial management system or purchase a new one. She attended the vendor demonstrations, and once the vendor was selected, she has been a project partner during the university's implementation of SAP. Kate has been the SAP coordinator for Chemistry and works with our staff toward a smooth transition to SAP. She is currently a member of the A&S Dean's Office Committee for Enhanced Support Services to assist the College in SAP implementation. Jim Lewis, Chair of that committee, has told me that he regards her as one of the key members of his committee - one who gives the needed perspective from "the trenches".

Kate has been very active in various committees and groups throughout the years. She was a member of the UNL Financial Management Task Force (as mentioned above), first co-Director of the NULOOK users group, served on the Business Operations advisery Team to recommend organizational structure, alignment of responsibilities and work flow processes in Chemistry. Her contributions to this effort were top-notch, timely, thoughtful, well conceived - and was appreciated by all who participated in the project. Kate also has been on search committees for the A&S Dean's Office Assistant to the Dean positions and for Chemistry's Administrative Assistant position.

Kate has been and is a highly valued resource person. She has the knowledge of and expertise in university policies and procedures. On countless occasions, she is the go-to person for answers to questions from students, staff and faculty alike, both within and outside of the department. She interacts frequently with staff members from other departments, and they have come to rely on her expertise.

Kate is knowledgeable, efficient and always willing to help others. She is a team player. Her dedication, loyalty, and exceptional technical skills have served this organization very well. She has earned the respect of the faculty, staff, students and members of the UNL community. More than any individual, her wide-ranging experience, superb work ethic, and willingness to assist in multiple areas helped carry the department through some tough times, especially in the past three years. In addition to her strengths, Kate brings to this organization professionalism, experience, and a "can do" attitude. She is committed to getting the job done and doing it right. Kate is smart, decisive, involved - she identifies problems quickly. With Kate, this organization can approach excellence; without her, we would be struggling with low experience levels and day-do-day work demands.

I cannot imagine anyone more qualified than Ms. Shaner to receive a KUDO award from among the managerial/professional staff of the university. I am pleased to make this nomination.

Sincerely,

Lawrence J. Parkhurst

Professor and Chair

Department of Chemistry