Roland Oliver, Servicing Support Specialist for Campus Partners, works in the hub of our company. Even small errors in Servicing Support could lead to big issues so his work must be accurate and performed with an eye to processing standards. Fortunately for our staff and customers, Roland is an expert at his job. Roland’s varied duties include data entry of borrower payments, assisting with the imaging of processed work, maintaining borrower addresses, handling weekly mailings to modified customers, assisting in the vault, and opening incoming mail. Over the past few years Roland’s job duties have expanded to include the mail run on a rotating basis, and he really likes it. “I don’t have to sit all day. I always greet each employee that I deliver mail to, and it is fun getting out there,” Roland told us.

When Roland first came to work for our company, he worked exclusively in data entry. He was honored for his work by being named Outstanding Employee of the Month. With a processing rate of one error per 4,656 keystrokes, he was very happy to make such a positive contribution and be recognized for it.

Roland has worked for Campus Partners for 12 years, and he cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. He previously worked at Wachovia Bank for five years as a proof operator, where he entered encoding on checks. While at Wachovia, he had the good fortune to work with Kathy Saunders, who preceded him in coming to Campus Partners. “Kathy really helped me understand my job here and also was a friend at Wachovia,” Roland said.

Roland is quick to point out how much he appreciates his coworkers and supervisor, Paula Hall. “Susan Henderson has helped me so much. I have learned how to process mail from her,” he related. He also recognized Johnny Scales-King, who helped him learn about imaging, indexing, and validating documents.

And of course, he especially singles out Paula for praise. “Paula has helped me with many things. Deaf people need jobs, too,” he said in recognition of Paula’s support over the years. “We continue to get better at communicating. We don’t have to write as many notes these days,” Roland continued. Paula is very enthusiastic about him saying, “Roland is very conscientious and always strives to do the best job possible. His strong commitment to accuracy clearly reflects his desire to provide a high level of service to internal and external customers. I feel fortunate to have Roland as a member of the Servicing Support team.”

Roland likes all aspects of his job, but he finds helping others and learning new things very rewarding. Using math to balance accounts remains one of his favorite job duties, and he considers his commitment to quality and accuracy as his greatest strength. Meeting deadlines is one of the most important parts of his job, but he is always ready for a challenge.

Life challenged him early when he lost his hearing as a result of contracting spinal meningitis at age four. His family and especially his mother always taught him to focus on the future. He has also adopted one of his mother’s favorite quotes as his own. When he was younger, she often told him, “Shame me once, shame on you. Shame me twice, shame on me.” That quote is now his motto.
After attending a school for deaf children in St. Louis from kindergarten through eighth grade, Roland returned to North Carolina for high school. He attended Parkland High School for his junior and senior years because the school had an interpreter. In high school, he was named Most Valuable Player on the tennis team, and served as a Homecoming King, as well. Roland explained that he was asked by a girlfriend to escort her to their school’s Homecoming festivities. When she was elected Homecoming Queen, Roland proudly accompanied her as King to her Queen onto the football field during half-time that night.

Later Roland attended the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he graduated with degrees in accounting and data processing from their National Technical Institute for the Deaf. He also likes to play chess, and he is very close to becoming a Grand Master with a rating of 1754. He has a tournament scheduled as this article goes to press and he is hoping for the best. Another hobby is stamp collecting, and he has several very old stamps, including one from 1880.

Roland is very close to his entire family, including his mother, a homemaker, and his father who is a retired dentist. Siblings include a brother, who took over his father’s dental practice; a sister, who is an attorney in Maryland; and another sister, who is a social worker in Atlanta.

Roland likes to watch all sports, such as basketball, tennis, and baseball on television. His favorite team is the Chicago Cubs. He is a big fan of all Terminator movies, and enjoyed watching the Chronicles of Sarah Conner on television this year. In contrast, another favorite movie is A Walk to Remember, based on a book by Nicholas Sparks, which tells the story of a girl with terminal cancer, who helps a boy escape the wild side of life.

So whether he is the Homecoming King or the Chess Master, a Terminator enthusiast or a fan of romantic drama, Roland has a broad set of interests. He is delightful to know, works very hard, and is a huge asset for this company. Go Roland! Hail to the King!