By TODD GOTTULA
UNK Communications
Chelsea Swarm, payroll manager in the Office of Human Resources, received the University of Nebraska Board of Regents KUDOS award on Friday.
KUDOS awards recognize university staff for their professional expertise, service and “superior dedication” to UNK and University of Nebraska. It is the university’s top staff award.
Swarm joined the UNK staff in 2008 as payroll technician and was promoted to her current position in 2012.
She processes approximately 36,000 paychecks for 2,400-plus employees each calendar year. In addition, she creates campus reports, monitors and interprets federal and state regulations to ensure payroll procedures are in compliance, conducts campus payroll training, reconciles work study expenditures and generates billing for off-campus work study employees.
Swarm also monitors taxation of non-resident aliens, monitors and authorizes SAP security, processes court-ordered garnishments, completes employment verifications, directs preparation of government reports and responses to audits and processes unemployment requests and claims.
She also serves as an employee relations specialist, oversees personnel-related SAP information, and is the go-to person regarding employee leave time, pay and tax filing status.
“Chelsea comes as close to being irreplaceable as any employee I have had in 35 years,” said Director of Human Resources Mary Chinnock Petroski.
Swarm was also recognized for her campus and community involvement. She has served two terms on Staff Senate, holding positions of treasurer and president; is a Leadership UNK graduate; and serves on Employee Recognition and Student Employee of the Year Committees. In 2010 she received UNK’s Employee Recognition Award, and in 2013 was recipient of the Staff Award for Excellence.
“Everyone on campus likes her. Not only because of her ready smile, pleasant personality, gracious manner and outstanding work ethic, but also because she is responsible for getting everyone paid,” read her nomination form.
Swarm was recognized and given the KUDOS award at the Board of Regents meeting, which was attended by UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen, Petroski, NU President Hank Bounds, her parents Jim and Janet Karr, and her husband, Tom, and sons Graeson and Jaxton.
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