“We did not have computers when I started at CU; everything was done using typewriters!” says Administrative Assistant Ellen Romig about her start at CU’s Department of Chemical Engineering in August of 1979. Romig was honored at this year’s Staff Council Years of Service banquet, an annual tribute to long-serving members of the Boulder campus staff. After 36 years of service to CU, Romig is retiring at the end of October.
Hired in 1979 as an undergraduate secretary, Romig helped several professors and took over management of the department seminars. During those early years, she also typed up myriads of papers, proposals, exams, and other requested items. When Dean Robert Davis, then a professor, was appointed department chair she became his assistant.
“Ellen has assisted me – and many others – since 1983,” Dean Davis recalls. “She has always done a fantastic job in typing up materials for me, as well as keeping track of my files, vitae, homework sets and other materials. I would not have been successful as a faculty member without her. I always told her that she can’t retire until I do, so now I don’t know how I will get along without her help! She has always gone the extra mile, and with a great attitude.”
Through the years, Romig has continued to add more tasks to her list. She now assists with faculty recruiting, annual evaluations and faculty awards. She also helps with expense reports, accounting reports, travel and any general requests faculty may have.
“As a ChE graduate student in the 90’s, I remember Ellen arranging my travel, assisting with GAANN reporting and helping me decipher Dean Davis’s hand-written remarks,” remembers ChBE Instructor Wendy Young. “When I returned years later, she was just as helpful and kind. She follows up with requests and always makes sure they are completed."
Romig’s coworkers echo those sentiments, stating that “Ellen is a pleasure to work with” and “I really appreciate Ellen’s dedication and commitment to getting things done.”
We will greatly miss Ellen and all she does for the department. We wish her all the best as she pursues new adventures!