Cody Dayley, 28
Process Plant Technology, City College
Billings, MT
March 18, 2016
By Blair Koch, University Communications and Marketing intern
2016 Student Employee of the Year
In his nomination letter, supervisor and instructor Andrew Sullivan said Dayley’s performance, “is among the highest I have witnessed in my experiences that include hosting five Work Study students, supervising chemical engineers and being responsible for the shift organization at a local refinery representing 124 employees.”
The Process Plant Technology Program at City College at Montana State University Billings will certainly have a positive impact on Cody Dayley, but he will leave his mark on the program for years to come as well.
Dayley was named Student Employee of the Year for his service as the Process Plant Laboratory Technician, a position he has held since fall 2015 under the Federal Work Study program.
The Student Employee of the Year winner is honored for accomplishments in which they demonstrate reliability, initiative, quality of work, professionalism, uniqueness of contribution and community and campus services. The award effort is coordinated by the MSU Billings Office of Advising and Career Services. They solicit input and nominations from offices across the university as well as off-campus, non-profit organizations that employ work study students.
Dayley’s dedication not only to his major but his commitment to his job at City College earned him the honor. His nomination was also submitted to the state-level competition to compete against the campus winners from other institutions around the state.
In his nomination letter, supervisor and instructor Andrew Sullivan said Dayley’s performance, “is among the highest I have witnessed in my experiences that include hosting five Work Study students, supervising chemical engineers and being responsible for the shift organization at a local refinery representing 124 employees.”
Not only has Dayley completely reorganized the lab and rewired computer stations, the 28-year-old student took initiative to make improvements in the lab including working with another student to develop what Sullivan called, “a cutting edge Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System for our process control systems.” The system decreased lab costs and increased accessibility.
Dayley said his intellectual spark had all but died prior to enrolling in the program.
Before coming to City College, Dayley was already married and father of four. He also had quite the career journey behind him. He had attended seminary school and was an Evangelical pastor for five years, enjoyed food service management and could sell cell phones like nobody’s business.
“But I wanted something more,” he said.
Dayley had friends who had gone through the Process Plant Technology Program, encouraging him to took a serious look at what the course could do for him.
“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into but it completely revitalized my curiosity to learn, my passion to seek out solutions and my technical abilities,” Dayley said. “It’s amazing all of the opportunities that I’ll have now, that I see, that I didn’t have before.”
In the future, he doesn’t know yet if he’ll be working with a local oil refinery but he knows the demand for skilled and educated workers exists.
In January, Cody Dayley, process plant technology major at City College, explained to Gov. Steve Bullock the system control project he is working on at City College.
“It’s awesome because this program gives us a leg up and the industry is really moving toward wanting graduates from it,” Dayley said. “They consider it two years of experience.”
Dayley’s drive to get more skills enabled him to work toward earning his boiler’s license and he will be the first process plant student to graduate with one.
“He has also utilized work force development opportunities such as first aid, rigging and fork lift training, and has completed welding classes to complement his skills,” Sullivan said.
He even has experience working with industry. Some of his community service includes work with the Phillips 66 Citizens Advisory Council in which he has participated in several community events.
For now, Dayley is focusing on completing the two-year program at City College and he knows his future looks bright.
“The skills and opportunities that this program showed me…it’s just wow. I’ve gotten so much more out of this experience than I ever thought. It’s been a great experience, just great,” he said.
The Student Employee of the Year is an award program coordinated by the Western Association of Student Employment Administrators (WASEA) and the National Student Employment Association (NSEA). MSU Billings is a member of both organizations and the award honors work done by student employees and to encourage students to take pride in their contribution to organizations for which they work.
For more about student employment or co-operative education opportunities, contact the Office of Advising and Career Services at 657-1618.
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