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Lincoln Trail College is launching a program designed to help recognize students, faculty, and staff doing good things. The Statesmen Standout program recognizes and promotes positivity in the people at the College.
Angel Kerner is spearheading the program. She says she picked up on the idea as she was learning about the retention part of her role. “The Statesmen Standout was an idea that had not been implemented. I picked up the name, used my previous experiences and developed the program. I wanted it to have a modern, personal touch. One of the greatest retention tools we have is to make it personal…get their buy in…make them feel welcome and included…everyone! Once I had a basic layout, I reached out to my counterpart, Dana [Goodwin] and gathered her thoughts and ideas. From there, I needed to make sure that faculty was part of the program also, so I discussed the program with Phil Thorsen. He had some great ideas about implementing values from the Statesmen Blueprint.”
Kerner says there will be boxes and forms located throughout campus and when someone witnesses someone demonstrating positive behavior, they can complete a form and drop it in the box. Each week an advisor will coordinate with faculty and come to class to present the Statesmen Standout award which includes the handwritten form and a small treat. The names will be tracked, and a grand prize winner will be drawn in December for a $100 Walmart gift card.
She says there are four categories of positive behavior. They are: put others first, learn something new, recover from failure, and demonstrate professional behavior.
Kerner says it is very important to recognize those traits. “It builds pride and inclusion in our organization. This program will also help us learn to look for the good in others and bring unity across the entire LTC family. Simple programs are what work best and hearing that you have done something positive just brings satisfaction. We are making positive deposits into our emotional bank account. That way when life makes a withdrawal, we are strong enough to carry on!”
The Statesmen Standout program launched on October 11. Kerner says even though the program is just starting, she’s already hoping that it will expand and there are some ideas in place to do just that.
