May 17, 2010

Pennell, Qualls earn student employee honors

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Matthew Scott Pennell and Lindsey Rae Qualls recently earned Student Employee of the Month honors from Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Recreational Sports and Services.

Pennell is from Jacksonville, while Qualls is from De Soto.

Qualls is a junior dental hygiene major. The daughter of Ken and Jamie Qualls, she is a fitness floor leader at SIUC. Working for RSS for more than a year and a half in the Lifestyle Enhancement Center, she plans to complete her bachelor’s degree at SIUC and then work in a private practice dental office or an orthodontic office.

“Lindsey is dependable, conscientious and goes the extra mile. She follows through and provides good customer service for our patrons. She is a good example to other staff,” said Lynne Thompson-Cundiff, assistant director of fitness.

Pennell, son of Scott and Chris Pennell, has logged more than two years as a customer and employee service worker in the administrative office. He’s a junior majoring in kinesiology/exercise science. After completing his bachelor’s degree at SIUC, he plans to go to Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis and then open his own chiropractic practice.

“Matt is very conscientious with his responsibilities. He always tries to stay on top of new information and procedures so he can give the best costumer service possible. He goes the extra mile and exhibits great patience with customers on the phone and in person. He takes the initiative and doesn’t wait to ask what he needs to do when he arrives for his shift. Several customers have gone out of their way to express their compliments for the service and smile he provides,” said Dee Donaldson, office administrator.

RSS presents the Employee of the Month awards in recognition of outstanding effort and service by student employees. Pennell and Qualls earned the recognition for January.