Daisy Stieger serves as office manager and staff advisor for the Department of Biomedical, Industrial, and Human Factors Engineering, where she has worked for the last 15 years. Her colleagues describe her as “a lifeline in the department” and “the glue that holds things together.”
Stieger supports new faculty members when they join the department, helping them understand all the details of the programs and making them feel at home.
“Daisy is like a mother to the junior faculty members in our department,” said one professor. “When I came to Wright State, she gave me a warm welcome and helped me get familiar with important policies in the department and the university.”
Even with a full load of staff and office duties, Stieger will drop everything to help a student. She is constantly interrupted with advising or scheduling questions, yet she never complains. Instead, she stays late to finish work or takes work home. Her enthusiasm for the program and its students make her one of the department’s most valuable resources.
During the last few years, the department has seen a significant increase in the enrollment of international students, particularly those from China, who have difficulty communicating in English. Stieger is always very patient in helping these students, going so far as to create a list of academic vocabulary words along with their Chinese translations.
“It would be devastating to lose her,” said Jennie Gallimore, Ph.D., a professor in the department. “In the 23 years that I have been here, I have to say she is one of the most important assets we have.”