University News

Eck Named November Employee of the Month

November 23, 2021

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MACOMB, IL – Western Illinois University Administrative Information Management Systems (AIMS) University Applications Manager Jeff Eck has been named the Al and Elaine Goldfarb Civil Service Employee of the Month for November 2021.

Eck began working in AIMS at WIU in October 2012 as a Computer Programmer II. He was then reallocated by audit in August 2013 to Applications Programmer I. In April 2015, Eck was promoted to Information Technology Technical Associate in Institutional Research and Planning (IRP), and, in September 2017, he was reclassified by audit to Research Associate Level II. In December 2017, Eck was promoted to Computer Analyst II in AIMS, and in July 2018, he was reallocated by audit to his current position.

Eck's nominator said his actions and support of WIU's COVID response demonstrate his commitment to communities in the region.

"The job of creating a few reports became more involved when the Delta variant was introduced," said his nominator. "Jeff assisted with data entry, report generating and other auditing methods that led him to create an entire workbook, script and a series of different data points to help develop a real-time record for the University. WIU would not have documentation of compliance, vaccination percentages and breakdowns of different student populations without these records."

Eck spent more than 120 hours working on a data set for students taking online and arranged classes. Many had to be done on a case-by-case basis and Eck did the bulk of the work in the evenings and on weekends.

"At the end of the day, all of the pandemic-related policies and procedures were created for infection control," said his nominator. "If we ignored these things, we have a very high chance of seeing outbreaks and a possibility of more stringent restrictions and/or possible even temporary suspension of in-person instruction. Jeff's actions are allowing us to get very detailed and strategic as we work to get compliance and keep the campus community safe."

In August 2010, the Goldfarbs established an endowment to permanently fund the University's Civil Service Employee of the Month award. The Goldfarb endowment is used to fund a $100 award for the recipient of the Civil Service Employee of the Month, as well as a plaque.

The WIU Foundation provides a $500 stipend for the Civil Service Employee of the Year. Western faculty, staff and administrators, as well as community members, wishing to nominate a civil service employee for the monthly recognition should contact the Civil Service Employees Council (CSEC) at csec-nominations-g@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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