Ury Foist Selected as UW Staff Employee of the First Quarter

Michele Ury Foist is required to communicate with members of many audiences in the University of Wyoming’s Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering -- such as students, faculty, UW administrators, external industry professionals, and prospective students and families. In all of those interactions, she adjusts her communication characteristics based on her targeted audience.

That is just one of the many praises Ury Foist received from her department colleagues that led to her selection as the UW Staff Employee of the First Quarter. The award, sponsored by Staff Senate, recognizes UW staff members for their efforts toward excellence in the workplace. A reception for Ury Foist will be from 9:30-11 a.m. Tuesday, May 30, in the Wyoming Union Family Room. The event is open to the UW community; refreshments will be served.

Ury Foist, a senior office associate, has been in the department seven years since the official separation of the combined chemical and petroleum engineering department. Before that, she worked in the College of Health Sciences for the Division of Social Work for almost five years.

“This is a great honor, given the large number of extraordinary staff members on campus. To be selected from this large group is just amazing,” Ury Foist says about her award. “That people took the time to submit nominations on my behalf is a very humbling experience to me.”

She has been a tremendous help to the department since its inception, advocating for the students in the department, the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences and all across the university, a colleague says.

“She is constantly changing her workflow to help new students as regulations and requirements for admission and graduation change,” a nominator adds. “Michele has managed to work with several interim and permanent department heads over the past six years and has been a pillar of stability in our department.”

Ury Foist credits her great faculty and advisory board members who “make it possible for my success,” and it is the students in the program who make her want to come to work every day.

“Working with the students and industry is what I do all day, every day, and I thoroughly enjoy my work here,” she adds. “But, most of all, I love working with our students. We have such a wonderful group of students in this department and throughout the college, too. I have been very blessed to work with many through their bachelor’s program and into grad school. It is a joy to watch them succeed, knowing I played a small role in their success.”

She says she loves it when students come back to the department as alumni who want to get involved with current students. The graduates indicate that they want to help with the department’s newest program initiatives.

“Working with our industry advisory board members, I have gotten to know many more alumni of our program, and it is always interesting to hear about the history of this program from the student perspectives,” she adds.

Another colleague praises Ury Foist’s efforts in helping to put the department in the best position moving forward.

“She participates fully in brainstorming to find the best solutions, regardless of the problem presented,” the nominator says. “She is a thoughtful listener and asks questions when necessary to clarify what is needed. Michele has noted frequently that she appreciates when others take the time to educate her about issues she may be unaware of in order to help her develop good solutions to problems without any perceived bias.”

An Employee of the Quarter nominee can be any UW staff employee, and each must receive three nomination forms from three separate individuals. Nominations must be submitted to the Staff Senate office. The form can be found here.

Nominations are now being accepted for Employee of the Second Quarter. The deadline to nominate someone is at 5 p.m. Friday, June 9.

For more information, call the Staff Senate office at 766-5300.