The 2023 JMU Provost Awards for Excellence in Academic Advising

The Provost Awards for Excellence in Academic Advising seek to recognize the various areas of academic advising offered at JMU. University Programs is proud to oversee the following awards.

  • Faculty First-year Advising Award – This award was previously referred to as Freshman Advising.  All full-time faculty whose primary responsibilities are teaching and who spent a portion of their time providing academic advising services to freshman-level students during the calendar year may be nominated. Recipients will receive a $1,000 honorarium.
  • Faculty Departmental Advising Award – All full-time faculty whose primary responsibilities are teaching and who spent a portion of their time providing academic advising services to students during the calendar year may be nominated. Recipients will receive a $1,000 honorarium.
  • Full-time Advising Award – All full-time advisors whose primary responsibilities are academic advising.  Recipients will receive a $1,000 honorarium.
  • Graduate Advising Award – All full-time graduate faculty whose primary responsibilities are teaching and who spent a portion of their time providing academic advising services to graduate students during the calendar year may be nominated. Recipients will receive a $1,000 honorarium.

We are seeking nominations of those who have made significant contributions and superlative achievements in the delivery of quality academic advising during the 2023 calendar year. A list of previous winners is listed below.

Recipients cannot receive more than one advising award within a five-year period.

Here is the nomination process:

  1. Students nominate the advisor by using the Nomination Form by December 1st.
  2. Each nominee will be reviewed for eligibility for the corresponding award.
  3. Eligible nominees are sent an email the week of December 4th informing them of the nomination and instructions on the process regarding material submission. 
  4. Committees review the candidate materials in February.
  5. Award winners are notified by the Provost's Office in late March. 

Award Criteria:

NOTE:  An award winner may be selected by the university for nomination for the NACADA's National Outstanding Advising Awards (NACADA membership is not required). There are two NACADA award categories. 

1.  NACADA Academic Advising - This award equates to JMU's Full-time Advisor role.

2.  NACADA Faculty Academic Advising - This award equates to JMU's Faculty Departmental Advisor role and Faculty First-year Advising role. Only one may be nominated for the NACADA award.

We strongly recommend you review the award criteria listed below when creating your nomination packet for alignment with the NACADA National Award criteria.

The following criteria have been adapted from JMU's Best Advising Practices for Faculty at https://www.jmu.edu/advising and the National Academic Advising Association's faculty award criteria at https://nacada.ksu.edu/Programs/Awards/Global-Awards/Outstanding-Advising/Outstanding-Advising-Guidelines.aspx. The selection committee will evaluate nominations on the evidence of qualities and practices that distinguish the nominee as an outstanding academic adviser. Evidence may include:

Quality of information and advice:

  • Knowledge of graduation requirements including General Education, Major and Degree requirements for undergraduate advisors (Faculty First-year, Faculty Departmental and Full-time Advisors)
  • Knowledge of Graduate Program requirements (Graduate Advisors)
  • Knowledge of appropriate schedule development and course sequencing
  • Appropriate use of advising tools and forms
  • Use and dissemination of appropriate information sources
  • Monitoring of student progress toward academic and career goals
  • Mastery of institutional regulations, policies and procedures
  • Knowledge of careers and post-graduate study
  • Participation in and support of adviser development programs

Support

  • Strong interpersonal skills
  • Caring, helpful attitude toward students
  • Willingness to act in the student's best interests
  • Sensitivity to diversity issues
  • Knowledge of campus resources and appropriate referral activity
  • Demonstration of holistic advising principles.

Accessibility

  • Availability to advisees and frequency of contact
  • Face-to-face and electronic communication
  • Welcoming and responsive to students

Approval

Nominations: Due December 1, 2023

Nominations for the Academic Advising awards can be submitted electronically by completing the online nomination form. Nominations will be accepted from students, colleagues, department heads and alumni.  Nominees will be asked to provide information regarding the criteria of quality, support and accessibility listed above. A selection committee is chaired by the Director of University Advising. The committee will make its recommendations to the Provost's Office by March 1st. The Provost's Office will notify the award recipients and the awards will be presented in April.


Previous Winners of the Provost Award for Excellence in Advising

 Calendar 
 Year

 Winner

 2023

Benjamin Blankenship- First Year Advisor
Katie Fisher - Full-Time Advisor
Kenn Barron - Departmental Advisor
Margaret Sloan - Graduate Advisor 

 2022

Suzanne Grossman - First Year Advisor
Terrence Apted - Full-Time Advisor
Tiara Brown - Departmental Advisor
Ashley Skelly - Graduate Advisor 

 2021

Dayna Henry - First Year Advisor
Jared Diener - Full-Time Advisor
Nancy Poe - Departmental Advisor
Jennifer Walsh - Departmental Advisor
Corey Hickerson - Graduate Advisor 

 2020

Sharon Blatz - First Year Advisor
Laura Blosser - Full-Time Advisor 
Katherine Harrison - Departmental Advisor
Stephanie Wasta - Graduate Advisor

 2019

 Jennifer Peeks Meese - Departmental Advisor
 Timothy (TJ) Fitzgerald - First Year Advisor
 Jamie Claytor - Departmental Advisor
 Julia Wallace Carr - Graduate Advisor

 2018

 Claire Lyons - Departmental Advisor
 Timothy Howley - First Year Advisor
 Paula McMahan - Full Time Advsior
 Ramon Mata-Toledo - Graduate Advisor
 Ayasakanta Rout - Graduate Advisor

 2017

 Kyle Gipson - Departmental Advisor
 Elizabeth Brown - First Year Advisor
 Kimberly D.R. DuVall - Full Time Advisor
 Craig Shealy - Graduate Advisor

 2016

 Robert Alexander - Departmental Advisor
 Mark Mattson - Freshman Advisor
 Joseph Loyacano - Full Time Advisor
 Lennis Echterling - Graduate Advisor

 2015

 Rory DePaolis - Departmental Advisor
 Michael Yankee - Freshman Advisor
 Heather Carmack - Graduate Advisor

 2014

 George Johnson - Departmenal Advisor
 Scott Arbogast -  Freshman Advisor
 Linda Hulton - Graduate Advisor

 2013

 Laura Blosser - Departmental Advisor
 Susan Halsell - Freshman Advisor 
 Nicholas Swartz - Graduate Advisor

 2012

 Hak-Seon Lee - Departmental Advisor 
 Deborah Warnaar - Freshman Advisor
 Michael Deaton - Graduate Advisor

 2011

 Roger Soenksen – Departmental Advisor
 Carroll Ward – Freshman Advisor
 Dena Pastor – Graduate Advisor

 2010

 Scott Hammond – Departmental Advisor
 Jonathan Gibson – Freshman Advisor
 Sara Finney – Graduate Advisor

 2009

 Howard Lubert – Departmental Advisor
 Emma Phillips – Freshman Advisor

 2008

 Jonathan Keller – Departmental Advisor
 Michael Moghtader – Freshman Advisor

 2007

 Kevin Apple – Departmental Advisor
 Paul Henriksen – Departmental Advisor
 Chandra Lane – Freshman Advisor

 2006

 Dan Halling  – Departmental Advisor
 Steve Purcell – Departmental Advisor
 Paula McMahan – Freshman Advisor                                                                         Kenn Barron - Freshman Advisor 

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