The Debbie Waggoner “Above and Beyond” Award

Debbie Waggoner was a Chattanooga State employee who worked in the Career Planning and Counseling Center. Unfortunately, cancer took her from us prematurely, but not before she left her legacy of student advocacy. Debbie worked ardently on behalf of students, and as the award is named, she went “above and beyond” the call of duty. In order to continue to show our respect and admiration for all that Debbie did for us at Chattanooga State, at the end of each school year, The Chattanooga State Student Government Association sponsor the “Debbie Waggoner Above and Beyond Award”. We celebrate those individuals who reach out and make a positive impact on those around them.This year, the award was presented to the winning staff, Ms. Aleta Lenyard, at “Hats Off To Excellence” Awards Night, on Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. Ms. Lenyard is the Manager of the Mathematics Center which is the heart of the mathematics curriculum.  As such, she interacts with almost every student enrolled in a mathematics course in a given semester.  She tutors students, oversees testing, and the hiring of peer tutors in the Mathematics Center. Aleta works enthusiastically with students and faculty.  She is always positive and obviously enjoys her work.  She handles difficult situations with grace and wisdom.  She helps keep the Mathematics Center operating smoothly and efficiently.  Also, she serves as the campus liaison with Pearson and helps resolve technical issues with the ChSCC network and MyLabsPlus. One of Ms. Lenyard’s responsibilities is to supervise student tutors working in the Mathematics Center.  She is an advocate for the student and professional tutors as well as our adjuncts.  She is respectful of both faculty and students in addition to being a gifted listener and uses her gift to communicate the importance of each person. She exhibits commitment to student success by her dedication to create a positive learning experience for every student who walks into the Mathematics Center.  She coordinates the help sessions for students and oversees student focus groups for ideas on how to improve student learning.  She continually finds ways to improve the operation of the Mathematics Center.  Her goal is success for all students. Ms. Lenyard is not only a hard-worker, but she strives to make the department head and assistant department head’s job easier in the process.  She anticipates what needs to be done and does it.  She is dependable, reliable, and a forward-thinker. Every faculty and staff in the Mathematics Department is a better worker because Aleta has gone “above and beyond” for them. Students who take mathematics classes in the department share similar experiences working with “Ms. Aleta.”