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NEWS
from Central Connecticut
State University Honored as a "Leadership Institution" by the Association of American Colleges & Universities Media contact: Peter Kilduff, Director of University Relations (860) 832-1791; Kilduff@ccsu.edu EMPLOYEES CONTRIBUTE TO A POSITIVE CAMPUS EXPERIENCE Anne Alling, chief human resources officer, Central Connecticut State University.  In
1992, Congress proclaimed that the first week of October would be
celebrated annually as Customer Service Week. To honor the service
excellence of CCSU employees during this nationally recognized week, the
Human Resources Department brings a speaker to campus each year, to
remind faculty and staff of the importance of service excellence to our
students, parents, campus visitors, and each other, and to honor the
employees on the “front lines.” This year, on October 5, employees were
treated to a presentation by Gina Ohanesian of Performance Alternatives,
LLC. Patti Specter of Information Technology Services found the workshop
“stimulating” and The Department of Anthropology’s Melinda Baumgartner
said it was “helpful and inspiring.” 116 employees, including faculty, administrators, and support staff, the largest turnout ever for a Service Excellence presentation, came to hear Ohanesian’s presentation, entitled “In Service to Each Other: Building Teamwork and Morale.” Ohanesian, a New Britain resident, has been offering organizational effectiveness and management training programs to a broad range of clients both here and abroad for over 20 years. Her client list ranges from Aetna to Yale University. Ohanesian has served as a faculty member for many corporate leadership programs, including General Electric and The Hartford. Ohanesian asked the participants to think about what makes them proud to work at CCSU. “Serving students” was mentioned over and over again. Supporting education was another reason. Many employees at CCSU are also alums, proud and happy to be working to support the mission of their alma mater. Workshop participants were asked to rate themselves on how well they practiced their “service skills” such as “making others feel important” and “following through.” Ohanesian identified five service dimensions taken from Ziethaml, Parasuraman, and Berry’s Delivering Quality Service: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles such as the physical surroundings. Staff members were encouraged to evaluate their own service excellence techniques by focusing on these areas. The group spent time talking about the importance of teamwork. When asked what qualities make others enjoyable to work with, participants listed courtesy, a positive outlook, a sense of humor, and pulling one’s weight as important factors contributing to great teamwork. The Student Satisfaction Inventory ™ issued in 2004 by the Student Affairs Division showed that students feel welcome on our campus. When the Inventory is issued to students again this month, the results should prove that CCSU employees’ pride in their work, and their efforts toward service excellence, contribute greatly to a positive campus experience for our students. ### |
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