Gerri Burke, President's Quality Service Award Winner

Even after 19 years on the job at UC, Gerri Burke works well beyond the requirements of her job description to help students and her co-workers.  Now with the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and National Science Foundation’s Center for Membrane Applied Science and Technology (MAST), she’s what Professor William Krantz calls “the most dedicated administrative assistant with whom I have worked in my 35 years in academia.”

Burke puts in whatever time is needed to get the job done – always on the job promptly at 8 a.m. and seldom leaving prior to 6 p.m. Moreover, she frequently takes work home with her, sending evening e-mails back to her colleagues with suggestions on how to make things work better. She has even been seen working on weekends.

Burke came up with the idea of rehearsing MAST students as a group for presentations they had to make to industry sponsors, volunteering her own time on Sunday evenings to do the run-through. She also took the initiative in planning cultural excursions to the Cincinnati Art Museum, Reds games and a raft trip for students involved in the MAST Research Experiences for Undergraduates Summer Site Program.

She manages the budgets of about a dozen research accounts, organizes conferences, provides timely and needed assistance to graduate and undergraduate student working on projects. Professor Krantz commends her: “The students really love Gerri Burke – she projects the image that makes our students feel good about UC!”

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