UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
Chancellor’s University Staff Excellence Awards
2020 Jamie Dunn and Jason Winget
Jamie Dunn
Custodian, Prucha Hall
University Staff- List A
Jamie Dunn, a custodian in Prucha Hall, has been honored with the 2020 Chancellor’s Recognition Award for University Staff. Dunn has spent more than two decades as a custodian at UW-River Falls and along the way, has earned the admiration and respect of both his peers and students.
In their nomination materials, one of Dunn’s nominators emphasized how his ability to both pivot and go the extra mile have contributed to the university over the years and notably during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When COVID-19 hit, Jamie was one of four custodians that stayed on campus to clean rooms so that the remaining students could be moved to one hall,” explained the nominator. “He also played a key role in the spring 2020 move-out process, working extra time on weekends to ensure that touch points were cleaned hourly and serving as a resource for students and parents who had questions.”
Dunn has been nominated by Prucha and Johnson Hall residents many times for the “Of the Month” awards coordinated by the National Residence Hall Honorary. In one nomination, a student noted Dunn’s ability to go above and beyond.
“Jamie is so much more than just a person who cleans Prucha Hall. He is the kind of person who would do literally anything for a resident and genuinely wants to get to know the staff and residents of Prucha Hall. His work doesn’t go unnoticed in the sense of how much he really adds to the community through the connections [with residents] that he makes,” remarked the student.
Dunn’s nominator also emphasized his ability to connect with students: “Jamie doesn’t search out recognition, he just focuses on getting to know the students, helping his fellow custodians and providing a clean and safe residence hall.”
Jason Winget
IT Manager, DOTS
University Staff- List B
Jason Winget, an IT manager in the Division of Technology Services, is a 2020 recipient of the Chancellor’s Recognition Award for University Staff. A UW-River Falls alumnus, 2021 marked Winget’s 24th year of employment with the university.
A member of the campus Emergency Management Team, Winget played an essential role in the UW-River Falls COVID-19 pandemic response. In their nomination materials, Winget’s nominators repeatedly referenced his resourcefulness, creativity and leadership abilities.
“In March 2020, Jason stepped up and took the lead on our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and worked to support the campus in the initial phase of our COVID-19 pandemic response. He spent every hour, literally 16 or more a day – and weekends – for several weeks making sure that our campus was safe until he was relieved,” explained one nominator.
Other nominators reiterated Winget’s commitment to the university, as well as the other skills that he employs in both his usual role as an IT manager and his role on the EOC.
“Jason’s role was performed with the utmost professionalism and always demonstrated his willingness to absorb other duties as assigned,” remarked a nominator. “He consistently applied creativity to the necessary initiatives, a list of which is too numerous to list.”
“The campus’ success last year was a direct result of Jason’s dedication, attention to detail and commitment to the UW-River Falls community,” added an additional nominator. “Though this was an incredibly stressful time for the campus with so many unknowns, Jason handled each bump in the road with the utmost positivity and professionalism.”
