October 30, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT: Anna Chow, Co-Chair, WSU ACADA Awards Committee, 509-335-8731, ychow@wsu.edu

Brooke Whiting, Co-Chair, WSU ACADA Awards Committee, 509-335-1219, bwhiting@wsu.edu

Gizerian, Krauss, and Mendez-Liaina named top advisors by WSU ACADA

PULLMAN, Wash. – Three Washington State University advisors have received the highest awards possible from their local WSU Academic Advising Association (ACADA). Samantha Gizerian received the Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising award in the “faculty category.” The “primary role” category, for those with more than three years of experience in the field, goes to Veronica Mendez- Liaina. The Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising in the “new advisory category,” for those with three or fewer years of advising experience goes to Tina Krauss.

Together the award winners advise more than 800 undergraduates each year. They all are credited with showing an incredible investment in their students, going above and beyond their required duties and working in sync with the faculty in their departments to make sure each student is achieving their potential and are involved in the WSU community.

“ACADA is proud to support student success by recognizing outstanding advisors at WSU. Each of the award winners have demonstrated excellence in academic advising,” said Yung-Hwa Anna Chow, awards co-chair. “They see the opportunity to support students as an honor, both in assisting students toward their career and life goals and in their commitment towards student success and retention.”

Krauss sees potential for success.

Krauss, an academic coordinator in the School of Biological Sciences, has been advising students for two years. In her WSU ACADA application packet, Krauss highlighted her excitement about the many facets of advising.

“Being an advisor at WSU is more than just helping students get the right classes or managing exceptions,“ said Krauss. “Being an advisor means helping students plan for their life after high school, life after college, and helping provide tools to make them successful in life. My goal is to see each of my students graduate in their chosen field, but more than that, to help them be successful in everything they do.”

Common threads ran through her letters of recommendation.

“Tina obviously cares deeply for the students, and she takes her role in their lives very seriously. She strives to do her job well, and seems to be involved in many dimensions of advising, such as serving on various committees that involve anti-bullying and gender equality” said Erica J. Crespi, a fellow advisor.

In 1997 she was a “Hypernaut” lab consultant in the former Student Advising and Learning Center.  She worked as a consultant in the Avery Microcomputer Lab (AML) in 2005 and she co-instructed English 300: Teaching with Technology. In 2008 she taught American Studies 475: Digital Diversity. In 2012 she became the program assistant at the Registrar’s Office Graduations, working with zzusis and providing training on the system to others across campus. She began her current job in 2013.

In her short time advising she’s taken advantage of the many resources available to her. She’s Level 2 certified by WSU ACADA and is well versed in MyWSU and financial aid programs.   She also stays up to date on opportunities that might be beneficial to her students.

A WSU alumna, she received her bachelor of arts degree (’98) in communication and master of arts in American studies: digital diversity (’06) from WSU. In 2014-15, she was on the President’s Commission on Gender Identity/ Expression and Sexual Orientation. Krauss has been a major supporter of LGBTQ issues since she was a student at WSU. Krauss lives in Pullman with her fiancé and two children.

Gizerian builds positive relationships.

Gizerian is a clinical assistant professor and associate director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience Department, College of Veterinary Medicine. She believes strongly that advising is key to students’ success especially in neurobiology.

“I believe that academic advising plays a significant role in the development of college students into successful, independent graduates” said Gizerian. “The advising relationship, built on mutual respect and contribution, provides a safe place for students to challenge themselves and grow. Although I am a teacher and a researcher by training, advising is the most important part of my job. Working with students as their mentor-advisor gives me opportunities to help them learn not only how the brain works, but also how to use it to be successful in whatever path they choose.”

Gizerian directs the college’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Program (SURE). In 2015, she received the Excellence in Support of Undergraduate Research Award from the Office of Undergraduate Research. Gizerian strives to be, in her own words, “open and available” to her students.

Gizerian teaches Neuroscience 138: Neuroscience Seminar and Neuroscience 490: Senior Project. Teaching allows her to stay in close contact with both freshmen and seniors, many of whom she advises, which gives her additional touchpoints with her advisees.

Before WSU, Gizerian was an assistant professor at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science. She loved teaching but was not as enthusiastic about research. When she saw the opportunity to advise and teach at WSU she jumped at it. She moved to Pullman to accept the position.

Her advisees appreciate Gizerian’s passion for advising. “The things that she does beyond what is expected make Dr. Gizerian amazing” said a student advisee. “She keeps her door open; I have walked in without an appointment countless times with questions, concerns, or simply to say hello… she genuinely cares for her advisees, far beyond our academic standing.”

She graduated with a bachelor of arts (’99) in biology from the California Institute of Technology and earned her Ph. D (’05) in neurobiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She’s been at WSU since 2011. Gizerian says her job is “the best job in the universe” and wants to continue exactly what she’s doing now for as long as she can. She lives in Pullman with her husband who was her high school sweetheart.

Mendez-Liaina is always giving back.

Mendez-Liaina is the academic coordinator and advisor in the College of Education, Office of Student Services and Department of Sport Management.

Mendez-Liaina spends much of her time outside of work volunteering as well as serving on various committees. She’s the NACADA Multicultural Commission Chair until 2016, a position that requires nominations by other advisors. She’s always been focuses on furthering multicultural diversity and awareness. In 1998 she was a founding member of Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority, Inc., a multicultural sorority on campus. She currently serves as their chapter advisor.

“I love to give back” said Mendez-Liaina. “Someone did it for me in college, now I get to give back and I hope someone will do it for my children one day.”

From 2012-14 she taught KINE 138- Introduction to Kinesiology. As her first time teaching Mendez-Liaina felt teaching pushed her to become more organized and gave her the classroom perspective.

“It gave me a better idea of exactly what my students are going through it the classroom” said Mendez-Liaina. “It’s a teachable moment every time you advise and teaching made me better at that part of my job.”

A senior sport management major stated in his letter of recommendation, “Students are Veronica’s main priority and this needs to be recognized. From the first time I stood in her office she was fully committed to developing my goals, expectations, and objectives at WSU.”

“The best part of my job is working with first year students and watching them succeed” said Mendez-Liaina. “When they graduate I’m their biggest supporter. I love being there to help them celebrate getting into graduate school or a big internship. My favorite part though it is when one of my advisees says thank you. It makes me happy to know I helped them get to where they are today.”

Also a WSU alumna, she received her Bachelors of Arts in Communication/ Public Relations in 1999 and her Masters of Arts in Higher Education in 2005. She’s worked at WSU since 2001. First as the Interim Recruitment Coordinator for the Office of Multicultural Student Services and as a Program Assistant. She was an Academic Advisor and Recruitment Coordinator in the College of Business until 2012 when she moved to her current position. She lives in Pullman with her husband, Sonny and their three children, Daniel, Sonny Jr. and Morin.

The awardees will be recognized at the Office of Undergraduate Education Award Ceremony in April. For more information on these and previous WSU ACADA awardees, visit: http://www.wsuacada.org

Gizerian, Krauss, and Mendez-Liaina named top advisors by WSU ACADA

Three Washington State University advisors have received the highest awards possible from their local WSU Academic Advising Association (ACADA). Samantha Gizerian received the Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising award in the “faculty category.” The “primary role” category, for those with more than three years of experience in the field, goes to Veronica Mendez- Liaina. The Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising in the “new advisory category,” for those with three or fewer years of advising experience goes to Tina Krauss.

Together the award winners advise more than 800 undergraduates each year. They all are credited with showing an incredible investment in their students, going above and beyond their required duties and working in sync with the faculty in their departments to make sure each student is achieving their potential and are involved in the WSU community.

“ACADA is proud to support student success by recognizing outstanding advisors at WSU. Each of the award winners have demonstrated excellence in academic advising,” said Yung-Hwa Anna Chow, awards co-chair. “They see the opportunity to support students as an honor, both in assisting students toward their career and life goals and in their commitment towards student success and retention.”

The awardees will be recognized at the Office of Undergraduate Education Award Ceremony in April. For more information on these and previous WSU ACADA awardees, visit: http://www.wsuacada.org

From WSU News Oct. 5, 2015

CONTACT: Mary Sánchez Lanier, Assistant Vice Provost, WSU Undergraduate Education, 509-335-7769, sánchez@vetmed.wsu.edu

Sánchez Lanier named top national academic advisor

PULLMAN, Wash — Washington State University Assistant Vice Provost Mary Sánchez Lanier has received the “Outstanding Advising Award” in the faculty category from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) at its annual conference in Las Vegas.

The faculty academic advising category is for individuals with responsibility for teaching and research, but who spend a portion of their time providing academic advising. Criteria for the award cover topics ranging from frequency of contact with advisees to student success rates and advising program development.

The national NACADA award is Sánchez Lanier’s third top advisor award this year. The local WSU Academic Advising Association (WSU ACADA) named her tops in its faculty academic advisor category in fall 2014. And, she took the similar top award at the NACADA regional group in spring 2015.

Advising as a partnership

In her application, Sánchez Lanier wrote about advising as a partnership between a student and a mentor. She described how, for more than two decades, she has focused on listening, asking questions, and encouraging students toward their passions.

“Often as advisors, our task is to help students put their experiences into perspective,” said Sánchez Lanier. “Then they can understand their choices and the resources available to them to guide their decision-making as they move forward.”

In her application, a student recommender described how Sánchez Lanier’s empathy and hard work helped a struggling student find the major that matched their interests. Another said that “she never simply told me what to do, but rather asked what she could do to help me.”

“I help students connect their college experience with their life and their future,” said Sánchez Lanier. “Depending on the student, that conversation might be about how to choose a major, find an undergraduate-research experience, or develop plans about grades.”

Jonathan Jones, SMB director, said “Mary takes every effort to be the best advisor possible and indicates her dedication and passion for students and the task at hand in many ways.”

Student-focused national leadership roles

Sánchez Lanier’s work to support students extends beyond her WSU roles as advisor, mentor, award-winning teacher, and administrator. She is WSU’s faculty representative to the Goldwater and Udall foundations, which award nationally competitive and prestigious scholarships. She is a leader in several professional organizations and serves on several committees.

She established the Research Capstone Institute for American Society for Microbiology Fellows, a professional development organization for graduates and undergraduates who want help establishing professional contacts, solid research programs, and strong presentation skills.

Advising organizations

NACADA is an entity that serves universities worldwide and works to expand academic advising in the areas of communication, professional development, and inclusivity.

Begun in 2009, WSU ACADA has honored more than two dozen advisors with outstanding achievement awards. Several of those winners have also received regional and national awards from NACADA.

March 25, 2015

MEDIA:  Anna Chow, Co-Chair, WSU ACADA Awards Committee, 509-335-8731, ychow@wsu.edu

Brooke Whiting, Co-Chair, WSU ACADA Awards Committee, 509-335-1219, bwhiting@wsu.edu

WSU’s Mary Sanchez Lanier and Justine Rupp Win Regional Academic Advising Awards

PULLMAN, Wash.—Two at Washington State University—Mary Sánchez Lanier and Justine Rupp—have landed “Excellence in Advising” awards from the Northwest Region 8 division of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

Sánchez Lanier won the top award in the faculty academic advisor category and Rupp a certificate of merit in the advising administrator role. Awards were presented in mid-March at the annual Region 8 conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

“Mary and Justine represent the best of academic advising at Washington State, and to be recognized at the regional level means they are also among the very best in an eight-state or –province district,” said Yung-Hwa Anna Chow, co-chair of the awards committee of the WSU Academic Advising Association (WSU ACADA). [http://www.wsuacada.org/] It is an allied member of NACADA.

Region 8 consists of members from Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Yukon Territory, and Washington.

In fall, Sánchez Lanier and Rupp were two of five recipients of WSU ACADA’s Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising awards. The others are: Teresa Phimister in the advisor-primary role; and two in the “new advisor” category for those with three or fewer years of advising experience, Leah Rosenkranz-Wurst in the primary role and Aaron Whelchel in the new faculty group. Phimister and Whelchel are at WSU Vancouver.

For more information on award winners, visit the WSU ACADA website. [http://www.wsuacada.org/overview/awards-received-by-wsu-acada-members/]

PULLMAN, Wash.—Five Washington State University faculty and staff members have received the highest awards possible from their local WSU Academic Advising Association (ACADA): Teresa Phimister, Leah Rosenkranz-Wurst, Justine Nicoll Rupp, Mary Sanchez-Lanier, and Aaron Whelchel.

Together, they have more than a half-century of advising experience and each year advise more than 1,000 undergraduates. The percentage of their job devoted to advising ranges from 5 to 100 percent and their “home” units include history, biological sciences, civil engineering, molecular biosciences, and arts and sciences. Phimister and Whelchel are at WSU Vancouver while the rest are in Pullman. And, four of the five are WSU alumni.

“WSU ACADA’s awards committee was very impressed by the breadth and depth of the high-quality academic advising that these exceptional members deliver to students,” said Yung-Hwa Anna Chow, awards chair. “They see the opportunity to support students as an honor, both in assisting students toward their career and life goals, and their commitment towards student success and retention. That’s the mark of excellence in advising, and these individuals are true professionals in that arena.”

WSU ACADA’s Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising awards in the “advising category,” for those with more than three years’ experience in the field, go to Phimister in the “primary role” group, Rupp in the administrator group, and Sanchez-Lanier in the faculty group.

Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising Awards in the “new advisor category,” for those with three or fewer years advising experience, go to Rosenkranz-Wurst in the “primary role” group and Whelchel’s in the “new faculty” group.

“Over the past six years, we have honored 25 advisors and advising administrators,” says Valorie Fisher, WSU ACADA president. “Many advisors and advising administrators have gone on to receive regional and national awards. Following tradition, we will nominate this year’s awardees for those.” WSU ACADA is an allied member of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) which is headquartered in Kansas. WSU ACADA is part of NACADA’s northwest Region 8.

Sanchez-Lanier partners in student goal setting

Sanchez-Lanier is a WSU assistant vice provost and associate director and clinical associate professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine. She has advised students for 22 of her 24 years at WSU. In addition to teaching virology and overseeing several Office of Undergraduate Education programs, she mentors STEM students in the Team Mentoring Program of Multicultural Student Services, is the WSU faculty representative for the Goldwater Foundation that awards nationally competitive distinguished scholarships, and created and directs the Research Capstone Institute for the American Society for Microbiology Fellows.

In her WSU ACADA application packet, Sanchez Lanier often uses the word “partner” to describe her relationship with her advisees.

“As an advisor, I partner with students and together we explore their goals, choice of major, and courses they take. I believe that all students have the potential for success and good advising can play a role in that success. We are successful when a student’s college experiences have changed how the student sees himself/herself in the world and the world is a better place because of it.”

Whelchel encourages students to be proactive

Whelchel earned two bachelor’s degrees, an MBA, and a PhD in world history from WSU, and teaches the core History 105 course (Roots of Contemporary Issues) to students at Vancouver. He sees his institutional background and networks as “critical to my ability to assist students” and to enable him to act as a liaison between his department and the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center. He helps students connect with faculty members, assists faculty members in their interactions with students, and links his advisees and students with resources encountered in his advising. His instructor/advisor connections helped him develop a supplementary instruction program for the Roots course this fall.

“As both an instructor and advisor, I encourage students to be proactive. (They) have a variety of resources to assist them in reaching their goals, but only they can determine what those goals are and only they have the motivation to work, sometimes through significant adversity, to achieve them. I value my work with the many fine students we have on our campus and am humbled to have the opportunity to play a small part in the shape of their lives.”

Phimister appreciates advising “tools”

Phimister also knows the WSU curriculum well. She earned her bachelor’s degree at WSU Vancouver, and returned to campus in 1997 as an academic coordinator. Now a full-time advisor and College of Arts and Sciences academic coordinator, Phimister has 17 years’ experience at her job and is passionate about student success. She values her arsenal of advising “tools” — experience with prescriptive, developmental, and appreciative advising—and her knowledge of university and academic standards and requirements.

Writes one supporter, “Teresa’s success as an advisor (comes from) her ability to lead with an awareness of what needs to be done coupled with a sense that students are complex people who are being asked to fulfill requirements…(she has) an empathetic approach that balances the student’s accountability and her deep understanding of the university system.”

She is also passionate about helping others in her field. In addition advising nearly 400 undergraduates, she participates on numerous university committees, trains new advisors on advising philosophy and theory, and helps faculty members prepare to mentor students. Phimister played a leading role in creating the Vancouver Advising Committee and in its recognition as a formal committee, which “improved our credibility as professionals within the campus community.”

Rosenkranz-Wurst aims to support students

Rosenkranz-Wurst, student services counselor, has completed her first year of advising around 600 undergraduates in the College of Engineering and Architecture. She earned her bachelor’s degree at WSU and returned as an employee in 2013. In addition to her academic advising at Alive! new student orientation and throughout the year, she participates in numerous WSU ACADA and NACADA professional development workshops, roundtables, and training sessions.

“I am at my job to serve and educate (my students),” she writes in her award application. “Advising should be a learning experience for all students…help them start to develop their own competency, purpose, and integrity…I strive to make underrepresented students feel like they are supported and have just as many opportunities as other students.”

She encourages all students to communicate with their faculty and encourages faculty to welcome their students. She also invites students “to seek out groups on campus that align with their interests and courses.”

Rupp enjoys providing student services

Rupp earned her master’s degree at WSU and became an employee in the School of Biological Sciences in 2002, where she is now an academic coordinator senior with a variety of student services responsibilities. About half of her job is devoted to “on-the-spot” advising, which includes talking with prospective students and their families, and answering enrolled students’ questions and concerns about a variety of topics including courses, course planning, regulations, petitions, grades, and internships.

“I have had a role in student services for 12 years and still love to help students in any way I can,” she writes. “I feel it is important for them to take ownership of their education from the beginning…It is gratifying to help (first-year students) with course selection and soak up their enthusiasm! I also enjoy working with students who are struggling. It is nice to help them figure out a set of goals — short- or long-term — and guide them to visualize and navigate what the steps are to attain those goals.”

Her administrator role also involves training and supervising academic advisors, mentoring faculty on advising issues, and working on curriculum issues, advisor assignments, and scholarships.

Washington State University’s Academic Advising Association [WSU ACADA] is now accepting letters of nomination for Outstanding Achievements in Academic Advising by WSU faculty and professional advisors.  WSU ACADA is the primary organized group of professional and faculty advisors and student support personnel at WSU.  One of the main purposes of our organization is to increase advising effectiveness at WSU by strengthening communication on academic advising issues within the academic community among faculty and professional advisors.

WSU ACADA would like to be the first to recognize outstanding advisors within our university by presenting a plaque to the recipient of each category at an awards ceremony next spring. WSU ACADA Awards will be given in the following categories:

New Advisor category (advising for 3 or fewer years)

1. Academic Advising Primary Role – Individuals whose primary role at Washington State University is the direct delivery of academic advising services to students.
2. Faculty Academic Advising – Individuals whose primary responsibility is teaching and who spend a portion of their time at Washington State University providing academic advising/mentoring/support services to students.

Advising category (advising for more than 3 years)

1. Academic Advising Primary Role – Individuals whose primary role at Washington State University is the direct delivery of academic advising services to students.
2. Faculty Academic Advising – Individuals whose primary responsibility is teaching and who spend a portion of their time at Washington State University providing academic advising/mentoring/support services to students.  Must have faculty status at Washington State University.
3. Academic Advising Administrator — Individuals who may provide direct academic advising services but whose primary responsibility is as an administrator or director, and is responsible for an academic advising program at Washington State University.

The criteria used by the NACADA Awards Committee when evaluating applications are:

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Availability to advisees, faculty, or staff
• Frequency of contact with advisees
• Appropriate referral activity
• Use and dissemination of appropriate information sources
• Evidence of student success rate, by advisor or department
• Caring, helpful attitude toward advisees, faculty, and staff
• Meeting advisees in informal settings
• Participation in and support of intrusive advising to build strong relationships with advisees
• Monitoring of student progress toward academic and career goals
• Mastery of institutional regulations, policies, and procedures
• Ability to engage in, promote, and support developmental advising
• Evidence of administering an academic advising program that supports NACADA’s Core Values
• Evidence that the advising program reflects the standards of good practice in the CAS Standards and Guidelines for Academic Advising
• Participation in and support of advisor development programs
• Perception by colleagues of nominee’s advising or advising administration skills
• Institutional recognition of nominee for outstanding advising or advising administration

Anyone can nominate a WSU employee for an award!  To nominate an advisor/administrator for one of the above categories, the nomination process will require a 1-2 page letter of nomination (support) addressing and providing examples of the applicant’s use of developmental advising, involvement in and use of the university network in advising students, and encouraging student responsibility for his/her education.  Include the name, college, department and contact email and phone number of the person being nominated.  The nomination deadline is August 15, 2014 and letters should be sent to Yung-Hwa Anna Chow, Chair, WSU ACADA Awards Committee, ZIP 2421 or ychow@wsu.edu.

• Instructions for Award Application
• Example Nomination Letter

WSU award recipients will be entered to compete for regional (October 2014 deadline) and national (March 2015 deadline) level advising awards as well.  Thank you for your support to recognize outstanding advisors at Washington State University.

Yung-Hwa Anna Chow, Chair

WSU ACADA Awards Committee

Please fill out our RSVP for the WSU ACADA Spring Social in Sunnyside Park in Pullman on May 15, 2014 from 4-6 pm. This is a potluck and family friendly event to celebrate the end of the semester!

Suggested potluck items if you would like to bring something to share:
WSU-ACADA: Burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, and all the fixings!
Last Names A-J: Side dishes
Last Names K-N: Drinks
Last Names O-Z: Desserts

Submit RSVP by Wednesday May 13th.

[Form id=”12″]

Thank you and we hope to see you there!

MEDIA CONTACT:  Brooke Whiting, WSU ACADA Awards Chair, 509-335-7632

Jared Brickman, Communications Assistant, WSU Office of Undergraduate Education, 509-335-8070, UCHCCommMar.4@wsu.edu

PULLMAN, Wash. — Alicia Petersen and Patrick Carter from Washington State University were recently rewarded for their academic advising efforts by the Region 8 chapter of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

Petersen, who is an advisor in the Center for Advising and Career Development (CACD),  received the NACADA Region 8 Excellence in Advising – New Advisor Award.  This is given based upon qualities and practices that distinguish the advisor as promising for future advising excellence, along with early development of their craft. She has been with CACD since summer 2012. CACD is part of the WSU Office of Undergraduate Education.

Carter, an associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded the NACADA Region 8 Faculty Academic Advisor Award – Certificate of Merit. This honor reflects evidence of a faculty member with an excellent record in academic advising along with documented success of advisees and laudable professional practices. In addition to advising pre-veterinary medicine students for nearly two decades, Carter also mentors students in his research lab.

The mission of NACADA is to encourage student success through advising resources such as networking and professional development.

Previously, Carter and Petersen were named top advisors in their categories by the local professional advising organization, WSU ACADA (Academic Advising Association). Carter and Petersen join several others in the WSU chapter who have earned top advising awards at the regional and national levels.

Schools in states and provinces in the Pacific Northwest are members of Region 8. Those include British Columbia, Alberta, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington.

MEDIA: Brooke Whiting, Academic Coordinator, WSU Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 509-335-1219, bwhiting@wsu.edu

PULLMAN, Wash.—Four academic advisors at Washington State University have received the highest awards possible from the WSU Academic Advising Association (ACADA), their local organization: Ruth Ryan, Patrick Carter, Shanna Pumphrey, and Alicia Petersen. 

“These four epitomize great advising, and through their professionalism and their dedication they make a tremendous positive difference to their advisees, to the field, and to our great university as a whole,” says Brooke Whiting, chair of the WSU ACADA awards committee.

Three received Outstanding Advising Awards in the “advising category” as they have more than three years’ experience in the field: Ryan in the administrator group; Carter in the faculty group; and Pumphrey in the “primary role” group.

Petersen’s Outstanding Advising Award is in the “new advisor” category, for those with three or fewer years advising experience. Her award is the “primary role” group.

As winners in their local organization, all four will be entered in the National Academic Advising  Association (NACADA) award competition in spring. Since its first year in 2008, WSU ACADA members have received regional and national awards.

Ryan was promoted in March 2012 to associate director of the Center for Advising and Career Development (CACD). She took the academic advising lead at WSU for the new student-records technology, known on campus as Zzusis. She has developed and led numerous advising trainings, round tables, events, and discussions, and served as treasurer for WSU ACADA from 2007-2011. She is a Pullman native and WSU alumna in social sciences.

Nearly half her time is devoted to advising around 120 undergraduates. She specializes in those who are academically deficient or who seek reinstatement to the university. She helps them to develop on-campus support networks through tutoring, counseling, and clubs, and to build professional networks through jobs and internships.

“My personal philosophy for advising is ‘Students First’…over my 18 years of advising, I have come to know that each student is an individual who will traverse his/her own road,” she says. “While my place in their lives may be important for a time, it is only temporary.” On her office wall is a photo of a student she helped. “Getting her graduation announcement and note about her future job was a very satisfying moment for me. (Her picture) reminds me that the work that I do makes a difference in our students’ lives.”

Researcher, teacher, and advisor Carter is also an associate professor, associate director of undergraduate programs, and pre-vet advisor since 2003 in the School of Biological Sciences/College of Arts and Sciences. Over the past 10 years, 63 of his undergraduate advisees have been accepted into veterinary school. At WSU since 1996, he earned his degrees at Stanford University and the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Recently, he has been a senior investigator on two National Science Foundation grants; one focused on collaborative research in biology, math, and statistics and led to the second which supported development of new mathematical biology courses and programs at WSU. He estimates about one-quarter of his time is spent advising and mentoring undergraduate majors and researchers, and another quarter graduate researchers.

“Advising is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job and I have many fond memories of interacting with advisees,” he says. Throughout his 17 years as an advisor, he says,” My aims are to help students identify their academic and professional goals, attain those goals, and fulfill their personal potential…my fourth objective is to help students find the information they need to successfully navigate their academic and career paths.”

For the past 10 years, Carter has also been faculty advisor to the WSU Hillel Jewish Student Organization. He has helped its members raise funds for activities, plan events, and be active in the WSU community.

Pumphrey is the academic and internship coordinator for the Dept. of Apparel, Merchandising, Design, and Textiles in the College of Agricultural, Natural, and Human Resource Sciences. She spends about 80 percent of her time working with more than 250 undergraduates and 9 graduate students. She joined WSU in 2010 as an academic advisor in the Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Science Engineering in the College of Engineering and Architecture. Prior to that, she held advising and other positions at her alma mater, Kansas State University, where she studied management and human relations. She is active in WSU ACADA and NACADA.

In addition to advising, she participates in recruiting for AMDT, evaluates students’ transfer credits, monitors their progress toward graduation, helps them apply for scholarships, and processes applications for graduate students. Her advisees work with her on long-term academic planning and, as sophomores, develop a career plan; they meet industry officials both on- and off-campus. Students never leave her office, she says, before she gives them a task to complete—one that will bring them back to her office to touch base during the semester.

“I look at what I do with pride and feel lucky to have the opportunities that I do within my college and my department,” she says. “I feel it’s a great privilege getting to play a role in each of these students’ lives, even if it is only a small piece.”

Alicia Petersen is an academic and career advisor, also in CACD. She networks with other advisors and departments across campus as well as her CACD colleagues to gather the most up-to-date information about each major. Petersen employs the philosophy and six techniques of appreciative advising to her job, striving for a rapport with her advisees and helping them uncover and reach their hopes and dreams for their future. An active WSU ACADA member, she helps run a brown-bag series to share appreciative advising best practices with others.

“My personal mission is to create a mentoring relationship and environment where trust and collaboration is established… (and to build) an atmosphere in which students can develop a holistic approach to their academic, career, and personal goals,” she says.

With degrees in health promotion and college student services administration from Boise State and Oregon State universities, respectively, and work experience in enrollment and student service at the College of Western Idaho, Petersen joined CACD in 2012. At WSU, she has helped develop curricula for a course and created a wellbeing workshop with lessons on study skills and success strategies.

For more information on WSU ACADA, visit http://wsuacada.org.

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Washington State University’s Academic Advising Association [WSU ACADA] is now accepting letters of nomination for Outstanding Achievements in Academic Advising by WSU faculty and professional advisors.  WSU ACADA is the primary organized group of professional and faculty advisors and student support personnel at WSU.  One of the main purposes of our organization is to increase advising effectiveness at WSU by strengthening communication on academic advising issues within the academic community among faculty and professional advisors.

WSU ACADA would like to be the first to recognize outstanding advisors within our university by presenting a plaque to the recipient of each category at an awards ceremony next spring. WSU ACADA Awards will be given in the following categories:

New Advisor category (advising for 3 or fewer years)

1. Academic Advising Primary Role – Individuals whose primary role at Washington State University is the direct delivery of academic advising services to students.
2. Faculty Academic Advising – Individuals whose primary responsibility is teaching and who spend a portion of their time at Washington State University providing academic advising/mentoring/support services to students.

Advising category (advising for more than 3 years)

1. Academic Advising Primary Role – Individuals whose primary role at Washington State University is the direct delivery of academic advising services to students.
2. Faculty Academic Advising – Individuals whose primary responsibility is teaching and who spend a portion of their time at Washington State University providing academic advising/mentoring/support services to students.  Must have faculty status at Washington State University.
3. Academic Advising Administrator — Individuals who may provide direct academic advising services but whose primary responsibility is as an administrator or director, and is responsible for an academic advising program at Washington State University.

Anyone can nominate a WSU employee for an award!  To nominate an advisor/administrator for one of the above categories, the nomination process will require a 1-2 page letter of nomination (support) addressing and providing examples of the applicant’s use of developmental advising, involvement in and use of the university network in advising students, and encouraging student responsibility for his/her education.  Include the name, college, department and contact email and phone number of the person being nominated.  The nomination deadline is August 1, 2013 and letters should be sent to Brooke Whiting, Chair, WSU ACADA Awards Committee, ZIP 2910 or bwhiting@wsu.edu.

WSU award recipients will be entered to compete for regional (October 2013 deadline) and national (March 2014 deadline) level advising awards as well.  Thank you for your support to recognize outstanding advisors at Washington State University.

Brooke Whiting, Chair
WSU ACADA Awards Committee