Assistant Registrar Tiffany Hearns, whose job it is to assign classrooms and meeting spaces every semester for every class and every student, is UAB’s Employee of the Month.This fall, UAB achieved record enrollment with nearly 21,000 students. With increased enrollment comes greater numbers of courses and more classrooms in use. It’s Assistant Registrar Tiffany Hearns’ job to assign classrooms and meeting spaces every semester — for every class and every student.
“I’d say that we have a good problem at UAB where enrollment is increasing,” Hearns said. “Last term, we had a spike in enrollment, which made classroom scheduling challenging because we had limited classroom space. This taught me to embrace change and challenged me to do better.”
Despite the challenges faced by the intricacies of her job, Hearns’ colleagues say she always remains calm and collected, even in difficult situations.
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“Even when things don’t work out as they should, the main thing is to stay focused, get the job done, go beyond the call of duty…” |
“Never once, with the pressures of fall term, especially, have I encountered Tiffany in a bad mood or short-tempered,” said Denise Joseph, who works in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. “She is always professional, pleasant and courteous, and before we hang up from a telephone conversation, we even manage to laugh. I was once told that a smile could be detected over the telephone — and that is indeed the case when speaking with Tiffany.”
Hearns said the secret to staying on top of her to-do list and managing stress while maintaining a positive outlook is simply narrowing her focus to the tasks at hand.
“I try to stay calm, even though it’s not easy at times, but it helps me focus on resolving whatever issues are in front of me,” she said. “I try to maintain a positive attitude and hope for the best.”
When Director of Academic Programs Kristy Barlow first began working at UAB in a small academic unit in the College of Arts and Sciences, she says Hearns took the time to train Barlow to use a software product her job required, “even though the number of courses our department offered represented the tiniest fraction of total offerings.”
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Each month, UAB recognizes an outstanding employee for their dedication, hard work and contributions to the university’s success. If you know of a great employee, you can learn how to nominate them for this recognition at uab.edu/humanresources. |
“Tiffany makes my life so much better,” Barlow continued. “I don’t know what we would do without her, and I hope to never find out.”
Hearns said her dedication to her work comes from her faith in God and mother, who raised her to always do her best and go above and beyond if you can.
“She always said, ‘Your work is a reflection of you,’ and I keep that in mind every day,” Hearns. “Even when things don’t turn out as expected, the main thing is to stay focused, get the job done, go beyond the call of duty and make sure our students, faculty and staff are accommodated.”
