Betsy Warren, event scheduling associate in UNK Facilities Management and Planning, received the University of Nebraska Board of Regents KUDOS award during today’s meeting.
KUDOS awards recognize university staff for their professional expertise, service and “superior dedication” to UNK and the University of Nebraska. It is the university’s top staff award.
Born and raised in Kearney, Warren’s ties to UNK run deep. She is a 1997 graduate (elementary education) and her father, Wes Hird, served as the College of Fine Arts and Humanities piano tuner and technician for nearly 30 years. She accompanied him to campus while he worked on pianos and performed on the Miriam Drake and Fine Arts Recital Hall stages as a young girl. The framed Board of Regents KUDOS certificate her father received in 2007 hangs on her office wall.
As event scheduling associate, Warren receives and coordinates reservations for on-campus, non-academic events such as conventions, commencements, LPAC activities and even a wedding reception a few years ago when flooding closed several venues in town. She works closely with the facilities event/moving team to coordinate the set-up and take-down of tables, chairs, platforms and podiums; invoices and collects fees; and coordinates locks and unlocks for after-hours events.
A hurdle this past year has been the renovation of Warner Hall and temporary relocation of almost 100 employees, many of them to otherwise available meeting spaces. Warren’s knowledge of campus and ability to think outside the box served her and others well.
Warren says she feels “a tremendous sense of pride when she reads about events that take place on campus, knowing she is part of the team that made them happen.” She is a 2020 recipient of the UNK Employee Achievement Award.
