Recognizing Fisher’s tremendous commitment to undergraduate education, The Ohio State University recently named Melinda McDonald a winner of a 2016 Distinguished Staff Award.

McDonald, executive director of Fisher’s Undergraduate Programs Advising Office, was lauded for her work in seeking creative ways to improve or conceive new programs and tirelessly advocating for the well-being of her staff and of Fisher students.

“Melinda has made a remarkable difference to our undergraduate recruiting, student retention and our student experience,” said Pat West, associate dean of Undergraduate Programs. “Her dedication to her staff, our students and Fisher is truly unsurpassed.”

McDonald is the college's 10th recipient of the Distinguished Staff Award since 1984. She has been instrumental in establishing a number of signature initiatives that have differentiated Fisher’snationally ranked undergraduate program.

She helped create the Peer Advising Program, which pairs high-achieving business students with academic advisors as co-instructors in the college’s business survey course. Established in 2004, the program was recognized in 2005 with the Most Distinctive Programming Award at the national Emerging Leaders Honors Conference. It has since been duplicated across advising units throughout Ohio State.

“Receiving this award is such a great honor, not only for me, but for everyone who has helped to build our undergraduate program into one of the best in the nation,” McDonald said. “It is a pleasure to work with so many others whose hard work is making a positive impact on the lives of our students.”

Andraea (AJ) Douglass, senior vice president for Talent, Culture and Human Resources, and Ohio State President Michael Drake (right) present Melinda McDonald with a Distinguished Staff Award.

McDonald also recently received the 2016 ACADAOS Outstanding Advising Administrator Award from the Academic Advising Association of The Ohio State University. The award recognized McDonald’s leadership, relationship building, advocacy for her students and staff, her ability to problem solve and her assessment of the needs of the advising community.

With McDonald’s expertise, Fisher has worked to provide undergraduate students with a four-year experience that encourages them to engage, emerge, dedicate and lead throughout their time at the college. A few high-impact programs that differentiate Fisher from other undergraduate business programs by equipping students to discover their passions include:

• The Fisher Direct program
• Honors & Scholars
• Learning Communities
• Global Experiences
• Industry Clusters
• The Qualified Undergraduate Interview Candidate (QUIC) Program

The Distinguished Staff Award annually honors 12 individuals for their outstanding achievements, service, leadership and dedication to The Ohio State University. The Distinguished Staff Award is the highest honor bestowed upon staff at the university since its inception in 1984.