OU’s 2026 Wilhelm Award recipient takes pride in helping students become graduates

For Lisa Welker, the best part of working at Oakland University is helping students reach the finish line of graduation. As a graduation auditor in OU’s Office of the Registrar, Welker partners with advising staff to ensure that students are on track to complete all requirements needed to graduate.

“What I love most is seeing the excitement in a student’s eyes or even in their voice or in their email that they’re getting to the finish line,” Welker said. “I really strive to develop a relationship with students and advising offices to make sure we’re doing whatever we can to help students graduate and start their next journey as OU alumni.”

Welker’s collegial spirit and tireless dedication to students are among the reasons she has been selected as the 2026 Sharon Wilhelm Excellence Award. The award is given annually to a university clerical/technical employee who exemplifies the positive, “can-do” spirit of Sharon Wilhelm, whose 45-year career was defined by the exceptional service and support she provided to OU staff, faculty and students.

“Lisa mirrors the Sharon Wilhelm spirit by constantly looking for ways to help students cross the finish line,” said OU Registrar Tricia Westergaard, who nominated Welker for the award. “Her work ethic is defined by a ‘student-first’ mentality. She views every audit not as a checklist, but as a person’s hard-earned goal. Her proactive approach ensures that the ‘finish line’ is accessible to everyone, and she handles the high volume of her role with a grace and positivity that boosts the morale of the entire records team.”

According to Westergaard, Welker’s commitment to the student journey is best exemplified by her extraordinary "end-of-semester dash," in which Welker collaborates with advising directors during tight timeframes each April, August and December to ensure that students receive their degrees.

Welker’s December 2025 “dash” included helping to award approximately 700 degrees considered high-priority due to their relation to student work or licensure requirements. This was accomplished in just three days, an exceptionally quick turnaround that allowed students to move seamlessly into the next phase of their professional development.

 “This rapid turnaround was not just a clerical feat,” Westergaard explained. “It was a life-changing service that allowed these students to pursue professional licensure without a gap in their careers, directly supporting their transition into the workforce.”

Welker has also demonstrated exceptional performance through her leadership in the University Stop-Out Initiative. By meticulously auditing students who left OU just short of a degree, and proactively searching for ways to re-engage them, she has worked with OU’s senior associate registrar and advising staff and personally helped over 130 students return to complete their credentials in just the last two years.

“Helping stop-out students is another passion of mine,” Welker said. “It’s gratifying to see students who have been gone a while get to the finish line and earn their degree.”

Westergaard calls the initiative “a triple-win for the university” that increases graduation rates, sometimes generates tuition revenue, and, most importantly, honors the university’s commitment to student success.

Welker’s work with stop-out students, and her willingness to go above and beyond to help every student succeed, stood out to Provost Amy Thompson when she informed Welker of her selection as this year’s Wilhelm Award recipient.

“I felt really honored and blessed, because a lot of the things she mentioned were qualities that I’ve always prided myself on,” Welker said. “It’s just so nice to know that the university leadership and the people I work with notice those attributes and appreciate them.”