Latest news with #KathyDavis
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri State University adds former employees Don Simpson, Kathy Davis to Wall of Fame
The founding leader of enrollment management and a champion for academic advising will be inducted into Missouri State University's Wall of Fame, an official recognition for former employees who made a lasting contribution. The MSU Board of Governors voted May 8 to induct Don Simpson and Kathy Davis. Together, they devoted 66 years to the campus. A formal induction ceremony will be scheduled for the fall. Their names will join 147 others on the wall. Simpson, who worked at the university from August 1978 through July 2019, was the founding leader of enrollment management and services. According to Missouri State, he played a pivotal role in shaping the unit and guiding the university through more than 25 years of sustained enrollment growth and supported the university's transition from Southwest Missouri State to Missouri State. Known for his sharp attention to detail and clear communication, Simpson was meticulous in reviewing data and policies, often working through complex scenarios to improve university systems and student services. He prioritized students, championed quality service and modeled servant leadership. David was director of what was then called the Academic Advisement Center for more than two decades, September 1993 through December 2019. It is now the Academic Advising and Transfer Center. She secured funding to launch the Master Advisor Program. Other initiatives included advisor workshops, advising notes and the Provost Academic Advising Council. Her work improved advising consistency, professional development and student support, earning national recognition for the university in 1997. More: Southwest Baptist University decides to 'dream big again' with new campus master plan Their names will be added to the wall outside of the Plaster Student Union Grand Ballroom. They were nominated and had the meet the following criteria: Work at MSU for at least 10 years, stopped working full-time at MSU at least five years ago, and significantly contributed to the success of students. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State University adds two former employees to Wall of Fame
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Social Security workers in Maine raise alarm over DOGE's plan to cut jobs, shutter offices
Social Security claims specialists Christine Lizotte (left) and Ray Thompkins (right) retired Lewiston resident Kathy Davis. All three shared their concerns about proposed cuts to the Social Security Administration at a press conference organized by the Maine AFL-CIO on March 18, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Maine AFL-CIO) Social Security Administration employees in Maine are raising the alarm about the impact that proposed cuts — including the possible closure of an office in Presque Isle — would have on the 355,000 Maine people who rely on the program. During a press conference in Hallowell on Tuesday, 73-year-old Lewiston resident Kathy Davis, who is completely dependent on her monthly Social Security check, called on Maine's congressional delegation to 'not bow and cower to political pressure' but stand up to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. The Trump administration has announced plans to cut up to 12% of the Social Security Agency's workforce, at a time when its staffing is at a 50-year low. It has also floated closing several offices, including the only office in Aroostook County, and eliminating the agency's phone support service. Andy O'Brien, communications director for the Maine AFL-CIO, pointed to Musk's repeated comments that Social Security is a 'Ponzi scheme,' describing it as 'scare tactics and false claims meant to discredit the agency, which has never missed a payment in the over 85 years it's been around.' The agency has been 'tremendously successful at keeping 22 million people out of poverty,' O'Brien continued, saying that it's not just for retirees but also serves as a 'life insurance program for survivors and a social safety net for millions of people with disabilities.' At the press event, workers emphasized how devastating DOGE's proposals would be. Christine Lizotte, a claims specialist and Secretary Treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1164, explained the importance and complexity of the work. Despite that, she said agency workers are 'constantly asked to do more with less.' Should more of her colleagues get fired or accept buyout offers, 'the rest of us will shoulder the workload,' she said. 'That's why we are greatly concerned that the DOGE team is pressuring the administration to make deep cuts in staff,' Lizotte said, 'that will delay payments, cause more errors and could even crash the whole system within months.' Davis said after paying into the system for 46 years, she now has several medical conditions that prevent her from working, making her completely dependent on the less than $2000 a month that she receives from Social Security. 'It really is very frightening to think that I could have that all taken away from me,' she said of concerns that the agency will collapse from the disinvestment. 'Without that meager amount of money, I would be on the street, I'd probably be dead.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
