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.

2022 - Congratulations to Kevin Cook and Geraldine Govaerts

Kevin Cook

Kevin Cook, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and program coordinator for the Mechanical Engineering Technology program

Learn more about Kevin's award

Geraldine Govaerts

Geraldine Govaerts, primary academic advisor for the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Learn more about Geraldine's award

Learn more about all of the 2022 awardees

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

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.

See all of the 2019 awardees

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.

See all of the 2018 awardees