What began as a "bold idea" in the 2017 Bold Ideas Challenge has now come to fruition in Fresno State's newest employee recognition program — High Five. Click here to read about how the program began.

High Fives are easy to give — simply go to the High Five website on the Organizational Excellence webpage, click “Give a High Five” and fill out the form to send kudos to anyone on campus. Your message will be delivered straight to their inbox, and recipients will be acknowledged weekly in Campus News.

Read below how your colleagues are going above and beyond to help the campus community.

(Note: Campus News edited comments only for misspellings and missing or incomplete words. They appear mostly as written for each employee.)

Goes Above & Beyond

Mark Plattner, Auxiliary IT
With a critical deadline looming, Mark took great initiative to quickly learn and implement a new process, which enabled us to complete our project ahead of the deadline. Without his willingness to go above and beyond, it would have been incredibly difficult to complete this project in a timely manner. I am very grateful to have Mark as a trusted colleague.

Alexis Castro, Admissions
Alexis is always willing to step in when needed. I appreciate her willingness to help when needed and her quick turn around time. You are appreciated!

Traci Obata, Admissions
Thank you Traci for your willingness to step in and help where needed. I appreciate you and the support that you provide your lead and managers.

Brian Beamer, Technology Services
Brian recently assisted me with something I needed for an important and urgent project. He has assisted me in the past and he always goes above and beyond to help in any way that he can. He also provides excellent customer service! No matter what it is that he has helped me with he is always so patient and very helpful. If he does not know the answer, he will go out of his way to make sure that he finds out and gets right back to me. I appreciate him very much and our department is so lucky to have him as our IT Liaison. Thank you, Brian!

Brian Beamer, Technology Services
On a number of occasions, Brian has come to our rescue! When we first faced the challenges of Zoom, Brian was our hero. When we faced technical or connectivity issues, he solved our problems. When we needed to locate missing files, he "miraculously" helped us relocate them. Whenever we had a problem that Brian was not sure about, he would always troubleshoot, before referring us to another person. (The majority of the time, he would resolve our issue). As a result, whenever he enters our office, he is acknowledged similar to "Norm" from "Cheers" — instead, we say "Brian," with much respect, reassurance and appreciation!

Monica Acosta, Continuing and Global Education
Monica is an exceptional person who goes above and beyond to work with other departments in meeting common goals. For example, whenever joint system testing is required between offices, she immediately begins her process to prevent others from being adversely impacted in their testing. She also offers others her assistance whenever possible--without placing blame and/or taking credit for her own accomplishments. She is a humble "behind-the-scenes" person who has much wisdom, insight and historical knowledge. The positive relationships among various departments is attributed to Monica in many ways, for she is always a pleasure to work with and is very much appreciated!

Robert Salinas, Services to Students with Disabilities
Robert is always working above and beyond for students, faculty and staff. On a daily basis, he brings awareness to the accessibility needs of students and he does what he can to make sure that Fresno State, as a campus, is doing all that we can to help students. Typically, he will schedule extra appointments with students to review programs, accommodations and more with them! He is such a patient and caring individual and he does not get recognized enough. Thank you, Robert for always going above and beyond for all students!

Gayle Sherwood, Research and Sponsored Programs
Gayle provided invaluable assistance on Dr. Karine Gousset's recently awarded SC1 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her expert knowledge and support throughout the proposal development process played a key role in securing the highly competitive grant, which ranks among the largest NIH research awards ever received by Fresno State. Gayle consistently goes above and beyond on every project she touches, and this is just one of many examples of her exceptional support of research activity on campus.

Juan Torres, Technology Services
Juan was very instrumental in helping our department with phone extension updates, phone trees and with the ACD software installation. Whenever we have a question, require training or need to make modifications — he is always cordial, patient and respectful. He ensures that individuals have a full understanding of the system, are familiar with the various options, and are aware of the pros and cons. In addition, he is always readily available to assist us — even on his days off! Thank you Juan, for continually providing us with excellent customer service!

Provides Excellent Customer Service

Pam Weiner, Admissions
Pam is always willing to go above and beyond when it comes to assisting applicants. She is very thorough in her responses and ensures that all details are taken care of when communicating to the applicant. I appreciate her communication process. Thank you, Pam, for providing the highest customer service!

Hope Hardwick, Facilities Management
Hope provides excellent customer service. Thank you, Hope!