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

Chris Cruz, College of Social Sciences - Information Technology
This year many of us teaching statistics in the COSS have had our students use Apporto, a virtual computer lab. There are several issues the students may encounter from the program crashing to not being able to log in. No matter what the issue or what time of day, Chris has really been amazing at working with us as faculty or with our students one-on-one to get the issue fixed. He really has gone above and beyond this semester. Thanks, Chris!

John Wagenleitner, Technology Services
John has contributed greatly towards cloud adoption at Fresno State and continues to provide a supporting role in many units within our department. How does he do it all? He is very deserving of this high five!

Nicole Lane, Auxiliary Human Resources
I am submitting this High Five in honor of Boss's Day to my friend and colleague, Nicole Lane. Talk about an unsung hero — Nicole is simply amazing. She has provided thoughtful and steady leadership in Auxiliary Services for many years at Fresno State but this year she has stepped up in such a huge way. She leads with kindness, accountability and one of the best — just-get-it-done attitudes I have ever seen. And she sure gets it done! She is a champion for all auxiliary, foundation and athletic corp employees and we are so fortunate to have her serving the university at this time. Thank you Nicole! I am grateful for you!

Lisa Kao, Environmental Health Safety and Risk Management
Sending a High Five to my friend and colleague in honor of Boss's Day. Our campus is so very fortunate to have Lisa leading our EHS office during this challenging time. She has the technical expertise to navigate, communicate and enforce complex health and safety guidelines and policies but most importantly she brings heart and compassion to all she does. Anyone who knows Lisa would agree that she works above and beyond and cares deeply about our students and colleagues. Thank you for all you do to keep us safe. We appreciate you!

Saved My Bacon!

Monica Jolly, Admissions and Recruitment
Monica is awesome! She is always willing to help the team out when we need her. Whether it be for residency questions or assisting customers that only speak Spanish. Monica never hesitates to help when in need. We appreciate you very much, Monica!

Teresa Knapp, Dean's Office – College of Health and Human Services
Teresa is my RTP MVP! She was always available. She helped me avoid problems by paying attention to detail and she made me feel supported when there were issues. She really went the extra mile!!! Thank you Teresa!

Brian Beamer, Technology Service
I had a very important webinar to host at 10 a.m. My home internet was out and acting up. I chatted with Brian and ran to campus to use the internet. When I showed up, he had a temporary workspace set up and saved me! I am very appreciative! Thank you Brian!

John Fugatt, Financial Services
In honor of Boss's Day, I am submitting this High Five to John Fugatt, AVP for Financial Services. Thank you, John, for bringing clarity to complex financial reports and questions. Thank you for supporting our Accounting Services, VPA colleagues and the entire campus with your positive energy, care and can-do attitude. We appreciate you and are glad you are part of the Fresno State family.

Provides Excellent Customer Service

Lars Newlander, Technology Services
Lars exemplifies excellence in customer service. During this virtual transition, we had to deliver couple of external training programs (weeklong), which required substantial preparation in Zoom. Lars made himself available for these preparatory meetings and elaborately shared his expertise in IT (specifically Zoom), enabling us to successfully offer the training in a seamless manner. He is a great asset for the University and IT Department!

Brian Cotham, Procurement and Support Services
I am submitting this High Five in honor of Boss's Day to my colleague, Brian Cotham. What a challenging seven months it has been navigating the pandemic, economic crisis, wildfires and so much more. Through it all Brian as remained steadfast in his commitment to our university, his employees and the important work he does as our director of procurement. He is a Bulldog in every sense of the word — ensuring the university always gets what we need to serve our students, and at the best price. We are so fortunate to have him at Fresno State and I'm grateful to be able to call him my friend and colleague.

Tinnah Medina, Facilities Management
In honor of Boss's Day, I am excited to submit this High Five in recognition of my friend and colleague. Thank you Tinnah for your steady and thoughtful leadership of the Facilities Management team. You model an intense commitment to customer service, and we appreciate all that you and your team do to keep our campus safe, clean and beautiful. We appreciate your energy, creativity, passion and positivity!

Modeled Principles of Community

Debbie Astone, Office of the Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer
This High Five is submitted in honor of Boss's Day. Thank you, Debbie, for serving our university community with impeccable integrity and compassion. We have watched you carry so much for the past many months and you do so with courage, kindness, a commitment to always doing the right thing, and an unwavering focus on the greater good. You model our principles of community — respect, kindness, collaboration and accountability. We appreciate you every day but today is the day we are reminded to say thank you for all you do.

Jim Watson, Public Safety
In honor of Boss's Day, I am excited to submit this High Five in honor of my friend and colleague Chief Watson. Jim, thank you for all you do to keep our campus safe. Thank you for your steady leadership in public safety. Thank you for modeling our principles of community in how you lead and care for our campus community. You are respectful, kind, collaborative and oh so accountable. Thank you Jim — we appreciate you!

Marylou Mendoza-Miller, Human Resources
Managers and supervisors often get left out of the conversation when it comes to appreciation. Yet they are a key part of the success of any team. I am submitting this High Five in honor of Boss's Day this week to my friend and colleague. Marylou has provided steady leadership in HR since she arrived at Fresno State, but this year her leadership has been more important (and challenging) than ever. She has led the HR team and the campus as we transitioned mostly to remote work, navigated complex leave programs and handled difficult personnel decisions during challenging financial times. Marylou models kindness, empathy and professionalism in all she does. She is thoughtful and thorough and has tender heart. Thank you Marylou — we appreciate you!

Jamie Pontius- Hogan, Title IX
In honor of Boss's Day, I am submitting this High Five to my friend and colleague, Jamie, director of Clery and Title IX. Thank you for all you do to serve our students and faculty and staff. We know your role is complex and you manage really hard issues. We are grateful that you do so with integrity, professionalism and heart. Thank you Jamie!