Genean (Dede) Hering, supervisor at the switchboard and information desk, is the first recipient of the Acts of Kindness Award.
“Dede always answers phone calls with a kind, ‘Can I help you?’ attitude,” her nominator said. “She is always available to assist staff members with questions regarding events on campus, phone numbers for staff and faculty, and she helps out with whatever she can.
Dede Hering was presented the Acts of Kindness Award for January by Father Erich Rutten and Tommie.
“Dede does volunteer work and has been a valuable member of the UST community for several years. Her kindness has made a difference to the callers and to the staff she works with at UST.”
Hering started working at St. Thomas 10 years ago in the Multicultural Student Services office. She moved to the switchboard and information desk about eight years ago. In 2005, she completed a bachelor's degree in sociology at St. Thomas.
The Acts of Kindness Award is a traveling trophy that will be presented monthly. Hering won for January.
The UST community is invited to nominate a student, faculty or staff member, a UST organization or a department that has done something kind to make St. Thomas a great place to learn, work or live. To nominate someone, fill out the form on the Acts of Kindness Web site. Nominate deadline is the last Friday of the month.
The award is part of the UST Acts of Kindness Campaign, which identifies, promotes, supports and inspires acts of kindness across the UST community. The campaign was created by the Office for Mission and Edna Comedy, associate vice president of human resources.
