Ruth Kirkstatter Receives Service Excellence Award

For Ruth Kirkstatter, Friday, January 13th brought not one surprise, but two major surprises. The first surprise was that during the college’s Opening Day, Kirkstatter learned she was the recipient of the 2005-06 Service Excellence Award. The second equally big surprise was that her brother and sister were both in the audience to see her receive the award. Kirkstatter’s siblings had traveled from the east coast to spend a special weekend with her, with all arrangements made secretively by the faculty and staff of her department.

Kirkstatter is the Adminstrative Assistant for the Nursing/Allied Health Division and received numerous detailed nominations for the Service Excellence Award from faculty and staff. She was lauded for her organization, patience, professionalism and competence. In her 13 years in the nursing department, Kirkstatter has consistently gone above and beyond. According to the nominations, she handles problematic situations in a calm and caring way, gives faculty and students her full attention and assistance and is always looking for ways to do things better. Nearly every nominator mentioned Kirkstatter’s efficiency and ability to keep a busy department organized and running smoothly. In addition, she has a great sense of humor, is always willing to help out in a crisis, and remembers how to make others feel good through simple gestures like flowers on a desk or a new plant in the office.

The following are some comments about Kirkstatter from the nominators:

“She is extremely knowledgeable regarding program regulations – which there are a lot of!”

“I would not be able to do my job without Ruth. She is truly the wind beneath our wings!”

“Ruth is unfailingly courteous and professional…Ruth is the personification of service excellence, kind, knowledgeable and efficient.”

When asked about her award, Kirkstatter was surprised and appreciative of the recognition from everyone in her department and deeply touched by the thoughtfulness to invite her brother and sister and make arrangements for them to spend a special weekend together.

Established as an endowment fund by the Foundation Board of Directors, the Service Excellence Award recognizes distinguished performance and excellence in service at Cuesta College. As recipient of the award, Kirkstatter received a $500 check from the Cuesta Foundation.