Academic Advising Award
This award is designed to honor individuals at Montana State University who have made significant contributions to academic advising. This award closely follows the National Academic Advising Association’s core values and the criteria for their national outstanding advising award.
2025 - Congratulations Todd Kaiser!
Todd Kaiser, head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, is the recipient of this year’s Academic Advising Award. The award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to academic advising.
Learn more about Kaiser's award
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Click here to see all past recipients
The selection committee evaluates nominees on the following criteria:
- Strong interpersonal skills that include a caring, helpful attitude toward advisees, faculty, and/or staff.
- Commitment to engage in developmental advising as compared to prescriptive advising.
- Skill in guiding and supporting the student’s journey and academic development.
- Reliable and consistent availability to advisees.
- Support for student progress towards graduation and career goals.
- Demonstrated outreach and initiatives to support student success.
Eligibility. To be eligible, an individual must be either a current tenure track or non-tenure track faculty, or a professional advisor (one whose primary responsibility is to advise students), and have been employed at MSU Bozeman for a minimum of three years. Not eligible are current members of the selection committee and previous winners of the award.
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Past Recipients
2024
Hua Li, professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures in the College of Letters and Science. Learn more about Li.
2023
Mary Stein, instructor and program leader for the sustainable food and bioenergy systems program
Learn more about all of the 2023 awardees
2022
Geraldine Govaerts, primary academic advisor for the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Kevin Cook, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and program coordinator for the Mechanical Engineering Technology program
Learn more about all of the 2022 awardees
2021
Sharlyn Gunderson-Izurieta, academic adviser in the Gianforte School of Computing in MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering and David Claudio, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering.
Learn more about all of the 2021 awardees
2020
Steve Swinford, associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Sara Heller, academic adviser in the Department of Health and Human Development.
Learn more about all of the awardees
2019
Melody Anacker, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Health and Human Development, and Cyndi Meldahl, director of the Education Advising Center in the Department of Education.
2018
Lisa Musgrave, undergraduate advising coordinator in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, and Ross Snider, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.