Meet Gold ‘U’ recipient Amy Dodson

How does one follow a good act? Amy Dodson, administrator in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology, would be a good person to ask.

About seven years ago, Dodson took over for a popular departmental administrator, Barbara Roberts, who in the words of former chairwoman, Judith Christman, Ph.D., “spoiled all of the faculty members.”

Amy Dodson

But before Roberts retired, she suggested that the department hire Dodson as a replacement.

“Amy turned out to be a marvel,” said Dr. Christman, Stokes-Shackleford Professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology.

Dodson picked up where Roberts left off and, then, she instigated a major change for the better.

“She trained the other staff members in the basics of the everyday chores that were needed to keep things running smoothly,” Dr. Christman said. “I cannot think of a better candidate for the Gold ‘U’ than Amy Dodson.”

The department’s current chairman, Surinder Batra, Ph.D., also is a huge Amy Dodson fan.

“She is a huge asset to UNMC,” Dr. Batra said. “She is obviously an outstanding example of the kind of person UNMC needs to recruit, retain and reward.”

Below, Dodson takes a few minutes to talk to UNMC Today.

Describe your job in 25 words or less?

My job is to support the department faculty, staff and students with financial planning, budgets, HR, grant submissions and lots of “duties as needed.”

What is your best on-the-job memory?

My best/craziest on-the-job memory is having the UNMC internet go down 20 minutes before a grant deadline. Luckily, one of our faculty lives close to UNMC. We raced over to her house to connect to the internet. With sponsored program’s help, we got the grant submitted with about 20 seconds to spare. We still talk about that day.

What is the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is all of the UNMC employees who I am privileged to work with — within my own department and all throughout campus.