Administrator Performance Review at Vassar College (2005–2006)
Administrator’s Name: Donny Truong
Position and Department: Web Designer, College Relations
Supervisor: Carolyn Guyer
Period covered by this review: April 2005 – April 2006
Areas for Discussion
to be completed by the supervisor
Job Knowledge
Like his colleagues in the web group, Donny necessarily keeps up with changes in web technology, learning and refining skills almost constantly. He not only seeks out research and study of both technical and graphic design technique, but also joins and adds to what others in the group share and discuss. As the most senior of our web designers, Donny exhibits a grasp of Vassar practices and expectations that comes from his almost four years of experience here.
Quality Of Work During This Time Period
As ever, Donny can always be relied on to work quickly. And, while his design skills have continually improved over time, this year, I observed a distinctly strong upturn in his ability to hit the mark right away. He himself attributes this to the change in his office location, which puts him in central proximity to the others. His receptiveness to more interaction with colleagues has definitely improved his overall abilities.
Communication
In my opinion, Donny is a born communicator. Moving to the U.S. from Vietnam when he was eleven radically altered his ability to communicate in his new environment. He spent his playground time in those early years trying to learn English. He learned quickly, and even prior to the time I’ve known him, he has been publishing an online blog, or journal, where he reviews music, books, film, and software, and keeps up conversations about life in general with others who read his writing. This past year, he became a rather high-profile figure among the population of the international Vietnamese diaspora, and others interested in Vietnamese culture, for his Flash pieces combining music with images of Vietnam. As a result of his public voice on his own website, he has corresponded with people from all parts of society in different countries. Donny is clearly not a person who needs perfect English to be a communicator, yet he sets as a goal for himself working to perfect it. He has my respect and admiration for that.
Innovation
As a web and graphic designer in College Relations, Donny is expected to respond to assignments with creative solutions. He not only does this, but when numerous versions become necessary, he does not lose patience and always remains flexible. Sometimes, when a refining process has slowed too much, he jettisons it and comes up with a completely new and fresh design that almost always hits the mark precisely, based on all the earlier iterations. This is a wonderful and valuable creative ability.
Working Relationships/Teamwork
Teamwork underlies everything we do in web development and Donny has always participated with great respect and generosity with his colleagues. He quietly listens and is often one of the last to speak in a group discussion, but he does not hesitate giving an opinion if he feels it will help. His willingness to aid others was particularly evident this year as he worked across somewhat undefined boundaries with the new web designer in Development. Donny, who redesigned the Development site last year, helped the new designer to transition into taking over responsibility for it. Ego issues must be put aside in this kind of situation and that never seemed to be a problem for Donny.
Summary of Overall Performance
After almost four years of working at Vassar, Donny clearly shows evidence of his accumulation of institutional knowledge. He remains a steady and reliable web expert, devoted to his work, and always trying to improve. His willingness to carry the extra load we’ve all felt this past year while we were shorthanded was exemplary for how he did not let it noticeably impact his legendary speed.