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Campus Advising Awards Program

The University of California, Davis, and the Office of Undergraduate Education are committed to recognizing the efforts of our campus academic advisors through an annual Awards and Recognition program that began in 2015. We encourage you to nominate your colleagues for the excellent work they do with students, faculty, and the community. The nomination period takes place during summer in consideration of outstanding advising during the academic year immediately prior. Each year a new selection committee is assembled based on neutral appointments (neither nominator nor nominee) from within each of the academic colleges. Award recipients are notified in the fall and publicly recognized at the Fall Welcome. 

The selection committee will evaluate nominations on evidence of demonstrated knowledge, skills, practices, and qualities that distinguish the nominee as outstanding in the designated advising award category. Selection committees will assess nominations on the following:

  • Strong communication, interpersonal, and relational skills: ethic of care, clear and effective communication, evidence-based approaches and practices, etc.
  • Commitment to excellence: exhibits the hallmarks of a quality advisor, respected by students and/or colleagues, displays mastery of institutional regulations, policies, and procedures, makes appropriate referrals when necessary, helps advisees with gathering and processing information relative to their academic/career/life goals, practices developmental advising that reflects nationally defined standards of good practice, etc. In the case of indirect advising awards categories: provides supports that enable these demonstrated hallmarks of excellence, partners in a way that enhances advisors' ability to deliver high quality advising.
  • Commitment and service to the profession/exceptional professional practices: local/regional/national contributions to advising as a profession, professional development involvement, knowledge sharing via conference/workshop presentation, furthering the field of academic advising in immediate space and/or beyond. Practices tied to documented advising philosophy, aligned with NACADA Core Values/CAS Standards & Guidelines, etc. In the case of indirect advising awards categories: commitment to learning about and understanding the advising landscape at UC Davis in order to partner effectively.
  • Improvement indicators and evidence of success: documented student success, documented programmatic success, data-backed improvements, etc.

NACADA Awards Alignment

We strategically aligned the UC Davis award timing to promote the advancement of award recipients to NACADA Regional and Association awards programs. NACADA believes a tangible reward system can be an enhancement to effective advising. Good advising, like good teaching, publication, and research, needs to be recognized. The goal of the NACADA Awards Program is to encourage wider support and recognition for academic advising in colleges and universities by providing an opportunity for recognition of outstanding advising. An ultimate outcome of these programs is to improve advising services for students.  

AAE will back UC Davis Advising Award winners in nominations at the NACADA level. 

UC Davis Advising Awards

The UC Davis Academic Advising Award categories include:

  • Outstanding Staff Advisor Award* 
    Recognizes staff who directly deliver advising services to students.
  • Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award* 
    Recognizes faculty who spend a portion of their time providing academic advising services to students.
  • Outstanding Advising Administrator Award* 
    Recognizes administrators or directors who oversee an academic advising program.
  • Outstanding New Advisor Award* 
    Recognizes staff who directly deliver advising services to students and have done so for less than three (3) years.
  • Outstanding Advising Equity Champion Award**
    Recognizes advising professionals who make advising more inclusive, fair, and responsive to the needs of historically marginalized and/or non-traditional student populations.
  • Outstanding Advising Campus Collaborator Award**
    Recognizes advising professionals whose collaborative work with colleagues across campus improves advising services to students.
  • Outstanding Advising Community Partner Award**
    Recognizes non-advising professionals whose collaborative work with colleagues across campus improves advising services to students.
  • Outstanding Advising Mentor Award**
    Recognizes advising professionals who provide mentorship to less experienced advisors.
  • Outstanding Peer Advisor Award**
    Recognizes students who serve in a peer advisor role as support to an academic advising unit.

*Campus award recipients move onto Regional and Global Association Awards nominations (via campus award nominator).

**Campus-exclusive award categories.

NACADA Association Award Nominations