Business Management announces 2013 Kaplan Award recipients
April 9, 2013
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The
2013 Eleanor Kaplan Award recipients are (from left) Jan Ogden, Kim Dixon and
Anna Anderson. (Photo provided)
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Three Business Management employees have been named recipients of the 2013 Eleanor O. Kaplan Award for Exceptional Customer Service.
The recipients are Anna Anderson, account clerk for botany and plant pathology; Jan Ogden, business assistant for the College of Health and Human Sciences; and Kim Dixon, assistant director of financial affairs for the College of Engineering. Chris Martin, director of business management, announced the winners during a ceremony on March 19.
Guest speakers during the ceremony were G. Logan Jordan, associate dean in Krannert School of Management, who knew and worked with award namesake Eleanor Kaplan, and James L. Mullins, dean of Purdue Libraries and the Esther E. Norton Professor of Library Science. Mullins spoke about the importance of customer service within Libraries and Purdue, and he reflected on his positive relations with Business Management staff and appreciation of their valuable efforts and contributions.
Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, Eleanor Kaplan and her legacy have been honored each year since 1996 by recognizing current administrative and clerical staff in Business Management who demonstrate excellence and leadership in providing customer service.
Winners of the Kaplan Award are selected each year by a committee of seven peers. Serving on this year's committee were Teresa Foley, Lynly Horine, Ann Templeman, Erin Aldridge, Elizabeth Rausch, Marshay Jolly, and John Globoker, chair.
Award recipients receive a $100 cash prize, have their names engraved on a plaque displayed in Freehafer Hall, and are recognized at an award ceremony. Up to three awards are made each year.
Eleanor Kaplan began her Purdue career in 1979 as business administrator in the Education Department. She transferred to the School of Management in 1981 and spent the remainder of her career as a business administrator. She is remembered for her positive and cheerful attitude and for illustrating the importance of customer-valued service.
Ogden shared how receiving the award holds a special meaning for her, and she also explained that in a recent correspondence with Kaplan's daughter:
"Yesterday, I was honored by being selected as a recipient of the Eleanor O. Kaplan award for outstanding customer service at Purdue University. It is indeed an honor to be recognized by my peers for outstanding customer service that your mother was committed and remembered for, but this award holds special meaning for me.
"You see, it was Eleanor that first hired me into Business Services back in 1979 when she was the Business Administrator for the Department of Education. I have such fond memories of my years with her. I remember Eleanor for her quick wit, her compassion and her commitment to excellence. She was generous with her praise and selfless with her commitment to helping others. She was a role model at work and was loved by all that knew her. I hope that yesterday as I accepted the award in her honor that she thought, 'I made a good hiring choice when I hired Jan Ogden.'"
Past winners include Nancy Allrich and Charlie Long, 1996; Terry Knight and Elaine McMindes, 1997; Shirley Farmer and Wanda Stevens, 1998; Angie Delworth and Neisha Kennedy, 1999; Ruth Burton and Ken Sandel, 2000; Phyllis Ferguson and Margaret Patterson, 2001; Jolene King, Jim Layman and Liz Rausch, 2002; Deb Dimmitt and Juanita Robertson, 2003; Carla Brady, Kim Mullen and Amber Vibbert, 2004; Tammy Emilson and Kathy Moore, 2005; Theresa Baker, Brenda Gunion and Cherise Hall, 2007; Christy Haddock, Lisa Higbie and Lynn Jacobs, 2008; Cory Back and Kim Van Meter, 2009; Karen Barnard, Kristi Hartwick, and Kathleen Poindexter, 2011; and Teresa Foley, John Globoker, and Lynly Horine, 2012.