Staff Stars
Three Ohio Wesleyan Employees Recognized for Stellar Contributions to Campus
Three Ohio Wesleyan University staff members were presented with Special Thanks and Recognition (STAR) Awards this spring in recognition of the bright light they bring to campus.
The STARs were announced May 9 during a luncheon to celebrate the conclusion of a successful academic year. During the event, two 2020 awards (postponed from last year) and one 2021 award were announced. OWU’s annual STARs are nominated by their co-workers and selected by the University Staff Council.
The University’s newest STARs are Judy Arlington, academic assistant for Schimmel/Conrades Science Center (SCSC), and Tracey Little, office manager for the Athletic Department, for 2020, and Jason Timpson, director of Multicultural Student Affairs, for 2021.
Arlington was unable to attend and will be celebrated officially in the fall, but was nominated by five co-workers including Nathan Rowley, associate professor of Environment and Sustainability, who shared: “She just oozes positivity, which is contagious. … She just is OWU. She gets it. She wants the best for the institution: her fellow staff colleagues, her faculty, and the SCSC students. She’s so thoughtful and works hard to get folks to thrive.”
Little, who joined OWU in fall 2008, was introduced to the crowd by Doug Zipp, director of athletics. Of his valued office manager, Zipp said, perhaps, her title should be revised:
“Tracey Little is our office, department, sport, personnel, personal, fiscal, transportation, requisition, spending, counseling, life coach manager in athletics,” he said.
In asking other of her co-workers to share their thoughts, Zipp compiled these replies: “She is awesome, amazing, fabulous, honest, funny, genuine, organized, a troubleshooter, a listener, my friend, what OWU is all about, loves Fridays, and just simply the best!”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Zipp told Little. “You are truly deserving of the STAR award each and every day.”
Timpson, who joined Ohio Wesleyan in fall 2020, was introduced and celebrated by Dawn Chisebe, OWU’s chief diversity officer, who shared just how much can be accomplished in two years, even during a pandemic.
“Since he has been here,” Chisebe said, “Jason is going into his second year with the Summer Bridge Program, he has served on search committees, sits on the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Council, is a part of the Athletics DEI group, has helped plan two MLK celebrations, started the Global Majority Block Party, is part of the First Gen Task Force, planned and facilitated the Lavender and Multicultural graduation ceremonies, is part of the DEI strategic planning group, has led workshops, and he leaves on this week with a faculty member and 19 students to go to Alabama on a Civil Rights travel-learning experience.”
Chisebe said Timpson also has made a tangible impact on the lives of OWU students.
“Jason became an immediate support for our students going above and beyond in his role as director of OMSA and finding those students who are falling through the cracks to pull them back up and help them succeed at whatever their next step needs to be,” Chisebe said. “If students don’t already have a support network, he helps them to create one.”