Amy Schmitt (left), who serves in the main office of the School of Music, receives the Poummit Secretarial Award certificate from Associate Provost Judith Horowitz.
Amy Schmitt, an office assistant in the School of Music, has received the Poummit Secretarial Award, named in honor of Janet Marks, a former secretary to the Fredonia president.
It was noted that Ms. Schmitt greets everyone entering the School of Music office – a busy place that steadily attracts faculty, work study students, music students and visitors – with a smile. She’s an avid supporter of the School of Music, sharing events on Facebook and promoting attendance. Schmitt connects with students, attends these events and has become somewhat of a surrogate mom to many students.
Just how closely Schmitt has bonded with the School of Music was demonstrated by the disappointment she felt when she could not see students, who were first-year students in 2016 – the year she began working in the School of Music – graduate in Steele Hall Arena.
Since the coronavirus pandemic prevented students from easily signing out their lockers, Schmitt developed an Excel spreadsheet that she shared with the department. A huge undertaking, considering there are hundreds of lockers, it enabled students to sign out their lockers. And while staff worked from home during the pandemic, Schmitt made a point to have daily contact with many of them.
When the School of Music class schedule had to be revised due to pandemic guidelines, Schmitt printed schedules for each room in Mason Hall, and posted them to the door of each room to help guide students and faculty. It was described as a large and very helpful undertaking.
The Fredonia College Foundation presented a $250 cash award and framed Poummit Secretarial Award certificate to Schmitt. The award was established through the Fredonia College Foundation to honor secretarial staff members for an outstanding service attitude, creativity, resourcefulness, demonstrated team effort and personal integrity and leadership.
