Central Wisconsin News

Karlyn Jakusz has been recognized for her extensive service in Information Technology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with the 2025 Carolyn Rolfson Sargis Award. This award honors employees with over 25 years of service who work behind the scenes.

Jakusz's career began in telephone support when phones were ubiquitous across campus. Over time, she took on multiple roles, now serving as Postmaster, IT Purchasing, and Telephone Administration. Her responsibilities include managing accounts, distribution lists, email support, hardware and software purchases, and overseeing the university's telephone system.

“I’ve always said if there is a way to break it, there is a way to fix it,” said Jakusz.

Her daily tasks are unpredictable due to unforeseen issues that arise. “We have to put out the biggest fires first,” she explained. Despite planning her day around specific tasks, unexpected problems like server failures demand immediate attention.

“The best days in IT are when you get no calls at all and everybody ignores you because that means everything is working as it should be,” she noted.

One significant project Jakusz undertook was implementing Teams Voice on campus. This change required substantial effort but ultimately saved $191,000 by reducing costs.

Jakusz attributes successful transitions to her colleagues' collaborative efforts in finding cost-effective solutions. “Luckily, the campus was in a really good place...we could change easily and cheaper than a lot of other institutions,” she said.

She emphasized that IT aims to assist rather than complicate users' lives. “People think that sometimes IT is out to make their lives difficult when we are trying to do just the opposite.”

Looking ahead, Jakusz hopes to prepare her department for future technological changes as effectively as past employees did for her successor’s benefit.

Chief Information Officer Peter Zuge praised Jakusz: “Karlyn has been an invaluable part of Information Technology not only in performing these roles but also from offering practical solutions and having a ‘we can do it’ attitude.”