Hawkeye High-Five: Colleagues send kudos to recognize excellent patient care, service to students

Hawkeye High-Five is a recognition program that allows faculty and staff across the university to give a "high-five" to a colleague for their contributions, teamwork, or extra effort.

Developed by University Human Resources, the program is a great way to show appreciation and highlight the positive impact employees are making across campus.

Since its launch in the fall of 2025, hundreds of nominations have been received. Below is a selection of high-fives submitted in January through this easy-to-use recognition form.

Congratulations to everyone who received recognition.

Susan Scott, nurse practitioner, UI Health Care, was recognized by Natalie Rickels

^{Your dedication on Friday, Jan. 2, was truly inspiring. In the middle of a relentlessly busy day at the QuickCare clinic, you never once let the pace compromise the quality of care you gave.}

^{Every patient was met with patience, attention, and genuine compassion, making each person feel seen and valued despite the constant demands. Your ability to balance efficiency with humanity is admirable and reflects the very best of what a nurse practitioner can be.}

^{Thank you for showing up with such professionalism, kindness, and unwavering commitment - it made a meaningful difference for every patient who walked through the door. We need more providers like you. I admire your passion for health care and humanity.}

Jennifer Barr, assistant director, Scientific Editing and Research Communication Core and grant writer, Large-Scale Proposal Development Service, was recognized by Christine Blaumueller

^{Sending a huge thanks for all your work keeping up with with large-scale projects -especially one that had to be completed over the holidays on an extremely compressed schedule, was on a topic entirely new to us, and required lots of attention to detail.}

^{Thanks so much for going above and beyond with your commitment to producing an excellent product when you should have been able to devote your time to family!}

^{We're very lucky to have you as part of the Scientific Editing and Research Communication Core/Large-Scale Proposal Development Service, and at the UI more generally.}

Derek Ikoma, associate registrar, College of Engineering, was recognized by Greg LeFevre

^{I want to give a heartfelt thanks to all that you do to support both students and faculty at the College of Engineering.}

^{Over the course of multiple years, if an advising question arises, you are able to provide an answer (or get the student to a solution) quickly and professionally. This enables faculty to advise students in a way that focuses on value-added experiences for students, while knowing that the support for the mechanics of advising is there from you.}

^{Sometimes the quirks of prerequisites and minors get confusing, and I never want to tell the student something wrong, so it's so meaningful that you have my back. You consistently go above and beyond, and are a superlative solutions person.}

^{The student experience in Engineering would literally not be the same without you, and your dedicated performance over the course of years is inspiring.}

^{Thank you for all that you do!}

Dave Tingwald, licensure and standards coordinator, Office of Student Services, College of Education, was recognized by Shannon Patrick

^{I thought I'd add extra, official appreciation for all of your help and expertise on understanding, standardizing, and correcting the historical College of Education degrees in the Center for Advancement's database over the last months.}

^{That has been a complex and high-detail endeavor that has been made both easier and more effective by your efforts and impressive know-how. There aren't a lot of people who can say things like, "as it happens, I have a copy of the University of Iowa Catalogue 1939-1940 on my desk. . .", and I'm grateful to work with one of those few!}

In addition to a Hawkeye High-Five, consider other ways to celebrate your colleagues:

• Employee recognition notecards: Send a handwritten thank you note with Iowa-branded cards.
• Supervisor guide to recognition: The guide provides practical tools for recognizing employees, including recognition types, tiers, policies, ideas, and resources, as well as using AI as a recognition partner.