Jennifer Wilbanks, State Fair Community College’s registrar, was named the first Outstanding Employee of the Year recipient at the college’s annual Retirement and Recognition Dinner held on April 20. The new award, which was recommended by the Shared Leadership Action Project Committee, recognizes one employee who demonstrates excellence on the job, fosters admiration among colleagues, holds high performance standards, and exemplifies the college’s mission. Employees submitted nominations for the award that is facilitated by Human Resources.
Wilbanks began working at SFCC in August 1996 as an instructor in Business Management, teaching courses in accounting, computerized accounting applications, Excel, business math and federal taxation. In 2009, she became the registrar in Academic Records, which is part of Student Services.
Wilbanks is the primary custodian of academic records for former and current students and is responsible for the accuracy and integrity of all aspects of student records and registration. She works closely with administrators, faculty and staff to improve processes, implement and maintain technology while ensuring compliance with existing policies and procedures.
Nomination comments recognized Wilbanks for her leadership on the Curriculum Committee that encouraged division chairs, program coordinators, faculty, and administration to collaborate on course changes for the 2018-2020 catalog. She worked closely with stakeholders across all divisions to promote a sense of community and to work with each other in offering students the most effective education possible.
The nominator stated, “Jennifer’s high standards for curriculum has influenced the college to better prepare students than ever before … she expressed the importance of building curriculum that moves students out of their comfort zone, expands their experiences and prepares them for the workforce. The best way to describe Jennifer’s work ethic is ongoing high quality performance.”
