WSU News Archive

By Beverly Makhani, Honors College

PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State University’s Jackie McReynolds, Val Fisher, and Leisa Schmidt have been named by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) as winners of 2012 advising awards at the national level.

 

Jackie McReynolds

Val Fisher

Leisa Schmidt

A senior instructor and academic coordinator for the Department of Human Resources at WSU Vancouver, McReynolds is recipient of NACADA’s Outstanding Advising Award in the Faculty Academic Advising category. Of the nine recipients, only one other in Montana is from the western half of the country, and McReynolds is the only top award winner in this category from the PAC-13.

Fisher, an academic advisor in animal sciences in the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, earned a certificate of merit in the Outstanding Advising Award in the Academic Advising-Primary Role category.

 

Schmidt, an academic advisor in the Center for Advising and Career Development, a program of the University College, earned a certificate of merit in the Outstanding New Advisor Award in the Academic Advising-Primary Role category.

 

"We are terribly proud of Jackie, Val and Leisa for being recognized as three of the best advisors in the nation,” said Gloria Tong, president of the WSU Academic Advising Association (ACADA), a member of NACADA. "Their awards in 2012 mark the fourth year that members of our local chapter have won awards at the national level. And WSU ACADA has existed only for those four years, making it all the more noteworthy.”

 

In her application materials, McReynolds said, "When I hear people today refer to advising as a developmental process, I don’t wonder about it at all. For me, combining teaching and advising is a seamless process. Academic advising always provides teachable moments and the opportunity to help students grow as critical thinkers, as problem solvers and as empowered individuals.”

 

Prior to these awards, McReynolds, Fisher and Schmidt received Outstanding Academic Advisor Awards from WSU ACADA in December. McReynolds and Schmidt also took top NACADA Region 8 awards at a Portland meeting in March.

 

Contacts:
Gloria Tong, president, WSU ACADA, 509-335-7042, getong@su.edu
Karla Makus, awards committee chair, WSU ACADA, 509-335-1667, makusk@wsu.edu
Beverly Makhani, communications, University College, 509-335-6679, makhani@wsu.edu

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