Mark Shellhammer Named KU Employee of the Month for May 2026

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Congratulations to Mark Shellhammer, client technology specialist, Information Technology, on being named Kutztown University Employee of the Month for May 2026.

Shellhammer's nomination came from several individuals, which can be read below.

Kara Barrell, Psychology
"Mark has been extremely helpful in setting up new faculty members' offices and troubleshooting office tech. He always goes above and beyond to help."

Marilyn Hardy, Music
"Mark is dedicated to helping both the students and faculty/staff with all things IT related. Countless times, he has dropped what he was doing and helped me and other people without being asked. Professional and personable are two things I can say he brings to the table. The smile on his face and the look of 'let's get this done' are why Mark is an asset at KU."

Vanessa Smith, Information Technology
"Mark is one of the best persons to work with. He is always willing to help out with whatever is needed. He's very knowledgeable and has amazing communication skills. When he's helping with something, he makes sure everything gets done right from beginning to end and will not leave any loose ends. Mark is also very professional, polite, and always has a smile on his face."

Diana LoChiatto, Society, History and Culture
"In my almost four years here at Kutztown University, I have had the privilege of working with Mark on numerous occasions and for numerous projects, including 1) dozens if not hundreds of ad hoc IT requests, 2) several office moves, and 3) building project moves (carpet project in Ed House, setting up multiple temporary work stations in MSU, and currently the massive multi-department move to Old Main). For every interaction or project, Mark shows up on time, with a 'can do' attitude, an ear of listening and a kindness that sees each and every job done to completion thoroughly, efficiently and competently. Most recently in my return to KU, Mark went above and beyond to not only warmly welcome me back but to ensure my equipment was set up ahead of schedule and with great care and attention to detail. I know when Mark is assigned to my IT work order that it will be done with excellent customer service and accuracy. His work is always reliable and timely.

In my career of 20+ years, I have witnessed here at KU that the IT support and infrastructure is unparalleled to anywhere else. Without a strong, smart and consistent IT workforce, employees have to spend hours managing, troubleshooting and/or struggling through to get their IT needs taken care of. Here at KU and at the front of this organization, Mark ensures hours of time and frustration are non-existent because Mark is taking care of our day-to-day IT needs as well as bigger, temporary IT project needs. Mark's friendliness, promptness and expertise ensure he and we are all able to do our jobs serving the mission and vision of KU well. 

In action and consistency, Mark has proven to serve and work always with a collaborative spirit, mentoring on work processes, IT best practices; he builds 'intentional, positive working relationships and embodies what it means to be a caring community. I am proud to know Mark, and proud to call him a colleague and friend."

Nominations are collected from students, faculty and staff, and the Employee of the Month is selected by the Human Resources Advisory Council. A winner will be selected each month, and out of the 12 monthly winners one will be selected as Employee of the Year. The Employee of the Month will receive a plaque, reserved parking and a monetary gift.

For more information on the award or to nominate someone, please visit the KU human resources website.