Pat Davenport, the Business Office, Security and a Warm Smile

Most people don't think twice about handing their credit card to a stranger ­ not if that stranger is a waiter at a nice restaurant. But when it comes to giving out credit card numbers on the Internet, or over the telephone, those same people often are more concerned about security.

Pat Davenport, Special Studies' business office manager, has been overseeing the noncredit programs registration process since 1987 and has handled thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of credit card transactions in that time. "Some people are concerned about the security issue, but in fact, this is a very safe process, something we do every day," Davenport explains.

"When a student calls in to register and gives us their card number, we're directly online to the bank and the transaction is automatically authorized while the student waits," she says. "Credit card registrations make up approximately 60 percent of our business. We make it our business to know what we're doing."

Handling well over 5,000 calls each term, the registration team is an essential component of Special Studies and Davenport says her staff is trained and seasoned, ready to answer students' questions about courses. The registration team also knows when to turn a call over to the appropriate coordinator for more detailed or technical questions and can also put students directly in contact with instructors when that is called for.

With her warm smile and gentle, sunny disposition, Davenport is like a mother to many at Special Studies, and through the years, her gestures of kindness and goodwill have made her beloved and admired. Never does an unkind word pass her lips, her coworkers say, and her attitude is a constant positive force. Pat Davenport is just one of those good, kind-hearted people you have to like.

"Our motto is 'Customer satisfaction is our number one priority,'" she says before excusing herself to get back to work. "If we don't have the answer, we'll get it for you."