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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Congratulations to Dr. Bilal Urkmez for this well-deserved award from the Association for Specialists in Group Work!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Happy New Year everyone! Glad that you are part of our Ohio University Counselor Education community. Best wishes for a wonderful spring semester!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br>
Christine Suniti Bhat (she/her), PhD, LPC, LSC (OH)</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Professor, Department of Counseling & Higher Education</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">The Patton College of Education</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">OHIO University, Athens, OH 45701</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> </span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Past-President, American Counseling Association, 2025-2026</span></i><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Fellow, American Counseling Association<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Fellow, Association for Specialists in Group Work<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Office: Patton Hall, 432F</span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Phone: 740-593-4425; Email:
<a href="mailto:bhatc@ohio.edu">bhatc@ohio.edu</a><br>
Website: <a href="https://www.ohio.edu/education/bhatc">https://www.ohio.edu/education/bhatc</a><br>
Media: <a href="https://www.ohio.edu/experts/expert/christine-suniti-bhat">https://www.ohio.edu/experts/expert/christine-suniti-bhat</a></span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"> </span><span style="mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black;background:white;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual">Note:<i> I may send emails outside typical working hours. Please respond during your workday or when it is most
convenient for you to do so.</i></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> Yanhong Liu <yliu363@syr.edu>
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, January 6, 2026 3:46 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Urkmez, Bilal <urkmezbi@ohio.edu><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Bhat, Christine <bhatc@ohio.edu><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [External] Congratulations on Being Selected for the ASGW Professional Advancement Award<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:11.5pt;color:black">Dear Dr. Bilal Urkmez,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">The ASGW Awards Committee has met to review award nominations. Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive the
<b>2026 ASGW Professional Advancement Award</b>.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in">The committee was collectively and tremendously impressed with your nomination packet, which demonstrated exceptional strength and depth, supported by comprehensive and compelling materials. The committee highlighted your impactful group
work across instruction, research, and practice. The committee commended your clear commitment to group work in counseling and across disciplines.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">As part of the formal recognition of this award, we are pleased to invite you to attend the 2026 ASGW Conference, to be held February 5–7, 2026, at the Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois.
Once the conference schedule has been finalized, I will provide additional details regarding the award ceremony.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">Please let me know whether you plan to attend the ASGW Conference. If you are unable to attend, we will be happy to arrange for your award plaque to be mailed to you.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">Congratulations again on this well-deserved recognition!</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">Sincerely,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="color:black">Yanhong</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#D74100">Yanhong Liu, PhD, NCC
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#D74100">(She/Her/Hers)</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#000E54"><br>
Associate Professor</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#000E54">Unit of Counseling and Human Services</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#000E54">School of Education</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#000E54">President-Elect, Association for Specialists in Group Work</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#000E54"><br>
</span><u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#0563C1"><a href="mailto:yliu363@syr.edu">yliu363@syr.edu</a></span></u><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#000E54">410 Huntington Hall</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:#000E54">Syracuse, NY 13244</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#D74100">Syracuse University</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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