YEARS OF SERVICE: 20

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Crabtree and her team have built a support network that provides the UO’s 700-plus international students with solutions to whatever challenges face them — academic, financial, personal. Rather than simply referring students to university partners, her office provides case management, handling all problem-solving for the student.“‘A home away from home’ — that’s our mantra for students,” Crabtree said. “It’s a very holistic approach — it’s all the little things that, over time, communicate to students a profound sense of belonging and well-being. I’ve lived abroad, I’ve studied abroad. I know how hard it is to uproot yourself from your own culture and move to another country and live and work and study. I have the utmost respect for our international students. They have so much courage and passion and they bring so much talent and diversity and perspective to our university.”

FLOURISHING THROUGH PURPOSE: “I’ve been doing this for more than 40 years now, and there is an extremely deep sense of purpose. I don’t think in terms of my own success so much as, ‘How can I help others be successful?’ With the team, I’m always thinking about growth and helping them understand their place in the work that they do and how it meets the mission of our division and the university. With students, it’s giving them a sense of well-being and a sense of belonging in our community. I’m very much a perfectionist — I like to do things correctly — but that’s balanced with service. I try to be really empathetic and compassionate for where others are.”

ADVICE TO NEW EMPLOYEES: “Focus on learning. Not just the job, but the culture of the office that you’re coming into. Observe and ask a lot of questions. Be curious about people. Build relationships with intention and a long-term perspective. Get to know what people do — what makes them tick? Be supportive of one another. And be proactive in communicating with your supervisor about what’s expected of you in your position — ‘am I meeting your expectations? Am I on track?’” 

YEARS OF SERVICE: 15

TRAINING STAFF, GAINING TRUST: Gilbert and her team have developed trainings that guide faculty and staff through the management of complex concerns such as the new student workers collective bargaining agreement, protected leaves and summer appointment requests. The work requires gathering information from subject matter experts and translating it into accessible resources for users. “I’m proud of the relationships I’ve built,” Gilbert said. “There’s a lot of trust involved. You’re working with a subject matter expert to get the information out of their head, and you’re getting feedback on the trainings from users and sometimes it’s not great but having people feel safe enough to give those comments is huge for improving the trainings.” 

FLOURISHING THROUGH RESILIENCE: “If you fail and something doesn’t work, it’s ‘Let’s try it again.’ We’re all human and we can do it better the next time — that’s my experience; the institution keeps moving forward and the people who work here have positive intent. People want to do good, want to do better, and just want to feel the support is there. And that’s what I’ve had.” 

ADVICE TO NEW EMPLOYEES: “Ask questions. Be patient. And find some good friends. That gets you really far — somebody you really can confide in or who holds you accountable.”