How OLLU Built a Culture of Recognition with Teamflect

Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) is a Hispanic-serving institution located on the west side of San Antonio, Texas. Serving nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students across a wide range of disciplines—from cybersecurity to English—the university is dedicated to equipping students with critical thinking skills for their future careers.

Supporting this mission requires engaged, motivated faculty. For Stacy Ybarra, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, that meant finding tools that could strengthen recognition, accountability, and performance processes across the university.

The Challenge

Before Teamflect, OLLU lacked a way to provide consistent recognition and connect faculty contributions to larger goals. Their existing software only supported basic evaluations, with little flexibility for feedback, professional development, or appreciation.

“Teamflect gave us a way to recognize people with digital badges, kudos, and even simple things like birthdays. It’s a holistic, all-in-one tool compared to the limited systems we used before.”

- Stacy Ybarra

Implementation

Rolling out Teamflect at OLLU was straightforward.

“Training was simple and fast. Faculty could access everything right in Teams, get notifications, and manage it all in one place.”

The implementation process was virtual and highly supportive. The Teamflect onboarding team provided clear, structured guidance and followed up to ensure faculty and staff felt confident.

“Implementation was seamless. The onboarding was clear, supportive, and to the point—there was no confusion at all.”

Their Use of Teamflect

Today, OLLU uses Teamflect to support multiple aspects of faculty and staff development, including:

• Evaluations – Streamlined, easy-to-manage performance evaluations.

• Recognition – Digital badges, kudos, and celebratory messages like birthdays.

• Reporting – Clear insights into progress and responsibilities.

• Professional Development – Tracking faculty contracts and growth opportunities.

Faculty also embraced the platform quickly, weaving it into their daily habits:

“Teamflect has become part of our culture. Faculty now say, ‘Can you put it in Teamflect so I can see it and visualize it?’ It’s changed how we manage tasks and accountability.”

Results

A Culture of Recognition

Teamflect transformed how OLLU recognizes and supports faculty.  

‍“It’s refreshing, easy to use, and flexible enough to support everything from goals and recognition to reporting and evaluations.”

Clear Goal Tracking

Faculty can now create, visualize, and check off goals, making accountability and progress tracking simple.

‍“Our faculty can now set goals, visualize them, and check them off as they’re completed. It’s made progress and accountability so much clearer.”

Smooth Adoption

Because Teamflect is integrated into Microsoft Teams, adoption was fast and natural.

‍“Everything in Teamflect is straightforward, the tool is super easy to navigate.”

Outstanding Support

Support was responsive, flexible, and efficient—designed to fit faculty schedules.

‍“The support has been excellent. The turnaround is within 24 hours, and training sessions are short and efficient. 10, 20, or 45 minutes instead of hours.”

Continuing the Journey

For OLLU, Teamflect has become a cornerstone of their culture, bringing recognition, accountability, and performance into one space. ‍

“I would highly recommend Teamflect. It’s refreshing, easy to use, and flexible enough to support everything from goals and recognition to reporting and evaluations.”

With Teamflect embedded into daily processes, OLLU continues to strengthen faculty engagement and ensure its people are supported. Just as they prepare their students for future success.

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