Natalie Ehleringer, program officer in the Office for Prospective Students, and Benjamin Prest, digital telecomm specialist in Information Technology, have been named November's Classified Employees of the Month by the Staff Employees Council.

According to Theodor M. Meek, director of the Nevada Student Ambassadors, Ehleringer exudes a positive, forward-thinking mindset that is "contagious across the division."

"Natalie empowers her student employees and staff members to take charge of situations, and serve as the 'one stop shop' for any student, parent or professor that we may come in contact with," Meek said. "Natalie's emphasis on answering every question correctly and fully is contagious across the division, as she fronts an initiative to train our division on customer service. When confronted with a student's problem, Nat's forward-thinking mindset not only addresses the student's problem, but also predicts the next issue that the student may face, and addresses all concerns before it becomes an issue."

Meek added: "As a student leader at the University, Nat has been an incredible resource. Nat is extremely knowledgeable about our University and will absolutely go out of her way to have her students taken care of. As an unofficial adviser to the Nevada Student Ambassadors, Nat supports club members by attending meetings, socials and retreats in addition to having an open door policy."

Prest, according to nominators Kathie Stanfield and Johnson Makoba, possesses a "can-do" attitude and has consistently "gone out of his way" in helping members of the Department of Sociology.

According to the nomination letter, Internet connection was lost on the third floor of the Mack Social Science Building in mid-July. It was a complicated process that required coordination between building and grounds for asbestos abatement, telephone and technology crews that were charged with repair in the wake of a water leak in a fourth floor supply closet.

"Ben acted quickly to provide loaner laptops and made sure we were able to connect to the wireless network, without any prompting from us," Stanfield and Makoba wrote. "When he saw how serious the problem was, he contacted people in IT to check availability of laptops with wireless capability and a printer to borrow for the department. He checked them out and helped us get connected so we could maintain some level of productivity." In closing, the nominators added, "We appreciate his cheerful and helpful attitude and his responsiveness which made our lives easier."