Tomika Ward: Haworth Spirit Staff Award

Tomika Ward, assistant director of academic advising, has worked tirelessly to guide and encourage Haworth College of Business students since 2011. Her enthusiasm and positivity are evident in the impact she has on the student experience.

Tomika is dedicated in her efforts to serve as an ambassador for the college and a guidepost for students. She has contributed to student success by teaching the college’s first-year experience course since 2012 and has also taught success seminars. On top of academic outreach, Tomika processes nearly 1,000 bachelor of business administration applications and coordinates annual orientations for 800 incoming business students. Last year alone, she participated in more than 1,300 one-on-one advising sessions.

These numbers give an idea of the scope of her impact but they don’t tell the full story. Tomika is also an integral member of six committees, including Strategic Planning, Staff Enhancement, and One WMU, where she also serves as a sub-committee chair. She was recently named chair of the Multicultural Meet and Greet committee, and she routinely participates in after-hours advising events.

The advising office credits Tomika with making her favorite mantra, “teamwork makes the dream work,” their guiding principle. “To me, this saying is an acknowledgement of all the people it takes to help fulfill the promise we make to our students,” says Tomika. “I’m excited to come to work. The business college, our students and WMU are my number one priority every morning.”