Jessie Payne 'transformed the Music Department'

Do you work with an outstanding colleague at Western Washington University? The Western Way program provides the opportunity for faculty and staff to recognize the great efforts of others on campus.

Any time throughout the year, folks in the WWU community can visit the Western Way website to recognize a Western employee who demonstrates excellence in serving students, visitors or colleagues, based on the characteristics that make them uniquely Western: inviting, engaging, distinctive, collaborative and adventurous.

Western Way honorees are recognized online on the Western Way Wall of Acknowledgment, in Western Today and in a slideshow at the Employee Recognition Ceremony in April.

Recent nominees include Jessie Payne, who was praised by Heather Dalberg in the Music Department:

"I met Jessie Payne when I first arrived to Western during an EPAF training course. She came over and volunteered to sit with me and help me enter in the music students that had been hired by my predecessor. After the class she walked out with me and told me about the opportunity I had available to hire work study students to the Music Department at no cost to my budget. From that moment on I started advertising for student employees that qualified for works study. Anytime I had a glitch, I called Jessie who helped me get students on lists, checked on funding, grades, eligibility, and heard me out when I described their situation and assisted me with any and all of my concerns. The Music Department has transformed because of this one person! We never had any of our concerts video recorded, or photos taken, and now we have wonderful student employees who work around the clock documenting and sharing on social media all of the beautiful music that is being produced by our students. She has been a tremendous resource to the Music Department and I wanted to publicly thank her for all of her hard work."

To view more information on the nominees to date, visit the Western Way website at www.wwu.edu/westernway/.