Alisa Kushner honored with CEHS Staff Star Award

06 Oct 2021    

Alisa Kushner, program coordinator for the Nebraska Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology (NICPP) and the Counseling and School Psychology Clinic in the Department of Educational Psychology, has been named the recipient of the latest Staff Star Award by the College of Education and Human Sciences Staff Council.

The NICPP is the largest predoctoral internship program in the United States. In her role, Kushner assists over 50 interns with moving to Nebraska, finding housing and getting settled. She also manages the intern handbook, evaluation forms and other documentation. It’s estimated that Kushner’s work has saved each of the 11 NICPP supervisors a minimum of 15-20 hours of professional time annually.

“She has been the consistent presence ‘behind the scenes’ in making sure that our nationally prominent and accredited internship program is reliably administered and meets and exceeds all standards for our performance,” wrote one of Kushner’s nominators.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Kushner rapidly transitioned the consortium’s face-to-face meetings to virtual delivery. She was committed to developing new and alternative strategies to ensure the trainings were delivered on schedule without sacrificing quality. She also helped the Counseling and School Psychology Clinic setup a touchless check-out system using QR codes, making the process of accessing clinic materials safer and more secure.

“The Consortium and the Clinic would not function without Alisa,” wrote another nominator. “She is an invaluable asset and is very, very deserving of the CEHS Staff Star Award.”

The Staff Star Award recognizes staff members who go above and beyond their scope of duties. To nominate a staff member for a Staff Star Award, click here. The next deadline for nominations is October 31.