Nominees must be involved in the direct delivery of advising services as part of their job responsibilities to UConn undergraduate students. Three awards will be granted in 2025:

Professional Advisors: 

• The Outstanding New Professional Staff Advisor Award recognizes an individual, typically a staff member, who has primary responsibilities involve undergraduate academic advising. Nominees must have less than three years of UConn undergraduate advising experience.
• The Outstanding Professional Staff Advisor Award recognizes an individual, typically a staff member, whose primary responsibilities involve undergraduate academic advising. Nominees must have three or more years of undergraduate advising experience.

Faculty Advisors:

• The Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award recognizes an individual whose primary responsibility is as a teaching and/or research faculty member but who spends a portion of their time providing academic advising and mentoring to undergraduate students.

Criteria

Advisors must significantly enhance advisees' educational experiences by being readily available to them, have knowledge of the University’s policies and resources as they pertain to advising, and demonstrate a genuine interest in and concern for their advisees’ overall educational experience.

• Accessibility: Advisors will have demonstrated a willingness to be available and accessible to advisees, allowing for frequent contact and being proactive in their engagement with advisees.
• Knowledge: Advisors will have demonstrated a good understanding of and support for UConn’s policies to support student success, appropriately referring their advisees to support services and other resources on campus, and effectively collaborating with university partners to support student success.
• Support: Academic advisors will have demonstrated engagement in equitable and meaningful advising practices and relationships with students with diverse backgrounds, including addressing barriers and needs that support student success.

Kelly Gilbert (Committee Chair), Assistant Director for Engagement, Learning and Development, Undergraduate Advising

Dr. Erin Ciarimboli, Director of Undergraduate Advising

Kennedy Evans, Student Administrative Specialist, Office of Undergraduate Advising

Nominations will be accepted from undergraduate students, as well as current UConn colleagues, faculty, or current or past supervisors. Nominate an advisor using this link by February 24, 2025 (form is now closed).

Once nominations have been collected, nominees will be notified and asked to submit the following by Monday, March 25, 2025:

• Nominee’s advising philosophy
  • 2 pages maximum
• Nominee’s advising resume/vita
  • This should highlight experiences and dates that are relevant to academic advising for award consideration.
  • 2 pages maximum
• Testimonials, which speak directly to the specific criteria listed on the nomination submission-access, knowledge and support.
  • Testimonials should be submitted to the nominee and attached to this form at the time of submission.
  • Testimonials can come from:
    • Current or past undergraduate advisees
    • Current University of Connecticut colleagues
    • Past or present supervisors
  • Testimonials are not mandatory but are recommended for adding additional support for each nominee
  • Nominees may submit a maximum of 5 testimonials.