Jordan Hanzon, Marketing Account Executive at the Marriott Library, recently received the University of Utah’s Staff Excellence Award. He is one of eight employees campus-wide to have received this prestigious award in 2023.

Jordan was a film student in 2015 when he took a part-time job in the library’s Knowledge Commons. Jordan began doing more work for the library’s marketing department and two years later, after he graduated with his bachelor degree, he was hired fulltime as Marketing Associate.

The first thing Jordan did was to create a unique outreach tabling program where he offered-up library services and collections specifically geared to new students. He found clever ways to draw students in and they responded enthusiastically.

Jordan went on to direct the big student welcome event held at the beginning of fall semester called Fall Fest. This last September, at this event alone, more than 4,100 student interactions were documented.

One of the biggest initiatives Jordan has developed is what we call Stress Buster Week – a week-long program meant to support students at the most critical moment, as they’re prepping for final exams. Jordan has collaborated to bring campus units such as the Counseling Center, ASUU, UMFA, and others into the library to provide students with a host of activities, giveaways and food. You can find Jordan front-and-center facilitating everything from therapy dog visits to the Build-A-Bear table that ASUU sponsors.

Jordan has a natural ability to connect with people, and in an upbeat, gracious and genuine manner all his own. He has made it his mission to inform students of valuable library services, friendly help, special programs, databases and collections (the list goes on). Last year — thanks to Jordan, the library reached, face-to-face, more than 17,000 students.

Of course Jordan has a number of other job responsibilities, everything from creating videos, to growing the library’s social media, to crafting press releases and blog content; and he readily volunteers to work on projects outside his department. He’s a very busy person! But even on his busiest days, Jordan is happy to help a co-worker with a miscellaneous task or offer-up a bit of kindness to someone who’s having a hard day.

Congratulations to Jordan on this marvelous award!