The Advising Awards selection committee would like to congratulate our current and past advising award recipients.
2024 Recipients
Outstanding Academic Advisor
Erin Bachert, Department of Chemistry
"Erin is well known among her Wayne State peers -- and rightly so -- for her competence, dedication, and calm and easy-going demeanor, even when events become unpredictable. Always gracious, she would be the first to say that she has good people around her, which is true. Equally true is that she makes the people around her better. Everything that Erin gets involved with is improved by her involvement, and it's hard to think of a higher compliment than that."
- Paul Clemens, Associate Director, College Information
"Erin goes above and beyond what is expected of an academic advisor. Erin makes sure our students are making satisfactory academic progress towards their degree. She helps each student to create a four-year plan to graduation. She reaches out and works with our students in danger of not graduating by a six-year timeline. She works tirelessly in improving our students’ average time to degree. In many cases, Erin tracks down students, explains what is needed for graduation and suggests routes to that goal. Erin is smart and compassionate in her interactions with students. She knows what to say and how to encourage and generate excitement for obtaining a chemistry degree. Erin works with our students who are completing their research projects; she helps them navigate the research report and evaluation process. As a degree program certified by the American Chemical Society, Erin must keep track of the students enrolled in research and maintain records of their research reports. She is excellent at trouble shooting a student problem and finding a solution."
- Regina Zibuck, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Research
Outstanding Academic Advising Team
School of Social Work Advising and Coaching Team:
Amelia Abdelnabi
Naelah Burks
Vanessa Gualtieri
Andre Iadipaolo
Geoffrey Jones
Katy Martinez-Osorio
Lawrence Robinson Jr.
Tom Romito
"Individually and collectively, they have fostered an environment of openness and inclusivity, serving as crucial liaisons between students and faculty members, particularly in navigating university policies and course requirements. Their creativity and innovation shine through as they continuously seek out novel ways to connect students with resources vital for their success, exemplified by their creation of unique programs and surveys to solicit student feedback for informed program development. Two members of the team were selected to participate in the WSU Leadership Academy and have used that opportunity to develop programing to support students' access into social work degree programs. Another member is collaborating with her colleagues by working on her doctoral dissertation to support student success. Furthermore, their active involvement in both school and university committees not only enriches their understanding of the institutional mission but also strengthens their ability to support one another and align their efforts with broader school and university goals. Their commitment to excellence and their tireless dedication to student success truly distinguish them as invaluable assets to our academic community."
- Anwar Najor-Durack, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
"In the past year, the School of Social Work added a fully online MSW program. Any fully online program brings a unique set of challenges that need to be addressed to meet student learning needs, and this team has risen to the occasion. They engage collaboratively, working with staff and faculty alike to support students and seen them through to graduation. They are dedicated, go above and beyond, and our students (and our school) are all better for it."
- Kristina Price, School of Social Work
Outstanding New Advisor
Britany Miller, Irvin D. Reid Honors College
"Brittany has always been welcoming to me. She never found it an inconvenience when I came to her office looking for advice or comfort. though she was just an advisor, not a therapist or a big sister, she always had me feeling comfortable in that way- I knew I could trust her. She was always nice to me and gave me great advice, like how to set boundaries with people, letting things go, and not interacting with things that take a toll on me. I would always walk into her office and let her know what was going on with me because I needed someone to listen and guide me. And she always did that, while keeping it professional but also friendly. I remember one instance when I told her about what was going on that week, and she referred me to counselors for extra support. Even though she isn't a librarian she helped me transfer money from my card to my student card so I could print out my papers for class - I came to her but found her in a meeting so I went and sat down outside her office, and when she was done with her meeting she came out to help me and we figured it out together (mostly her lol). I even was working along with Brittany for the honors reunion (even though it didn't go as planned and got canceled) she was really nice and understanding."
- Alaa Shuqir, WSU Student
"Positive. Energetic. Smart. Compassionate. Heartfelt. Encouraging. Constructive. Woo Hoo. Supportive. These are just some of the adjectives that I would use to describe Brittany Miller. If Brittany were a color, it would have to be rainbow because no one color could ever capture her. If Brittany were a flower (Brittany loves flowers and gardening!) she would be a delphinium which represents big-heartedness, lightness, fun, levity. She is not only an amazing advisor in the Honors College but the whole campus benefits from her work. Therefore, it is with great pleasure and confidence that I write a letter of nomination for Brittany Miller for the Outstanding New Academic Advisor. Brittany hit the ground running when she began in late Fall 2023 with the Honors College, having held a previous position in the College of Nursing, and has been an asset since day one. The Honors College was in full swing into the largest FTIAC class ever that Fall and Brittany showed up in every way possible to help and collaborate."
- Rachel Pawlowski, Honors College
Outstanding Success Coach
Marisa Henderson, Office of the Provost
"Marisa’s tremendous enthusiasm for learning and student success has been unmistakable throughout our shared time with the Emerging Scholars Program. She goes over and beyond for every student she encounters, often dedicating her own personal time and resources to support the students in various ways, such as weekend office hours and listening to personal issues off the clock. Marisa is dedicated to education offering the best instruction and instructional opportunities to the students in the program, by constantly learning different and new methods from other’s experiences, participation in course discussions, and following best practices to best serve her students and fulfill her duties. While her main role was to advise, she is skilled in one-on-one teaching and connecting with students to support them both academically and personally. Marisa’s is not only dedicated to her students, but her colleagues as well by offering any services that will help the instructors complete their jobs successfully, such as acting as a substitute in the classroom or other capacities. She is thorough, helpful, and well regarded by all she works with."
-Samantha Flores, Department of Mathematics
"Marisa has been instrumental in helping me succeed in my academic career, especially when concerning my mathematical studies. She has extensive knowledge and understanding of the topics she teaches. A lot of the students are easily able to relate to Marisa. She is able to uniquely connect difficult to understand topics and material in order to help students get a thorough grasp of the knowledge she imparts on them. Marisa is also very compassionate towards students and often takes the initiative and time to make sure we were operating at good emotional levels. Just last semester when I was coming back from spring break, I wasn’t one hundred percent “there”. Marisa noticed this immediately and took it upon herself to check on me to see if I was truly okay, and always offered sincere words of encouragement and support."
- Sira Konate, WSU Student
Transfer Advising Champion
Doug Peacock, Pre-med and Health Science Center/Wayne Advantage
"Doug has been an invaluable resource for hundreds of incoming and new transfer students. His selfless dedication to meeting with students both on and off campus, online, in the evenings, and even on weekends has made him a sought-after transfer champion. With his extensive knowledge of identifying the best resources while keeping abreast of transfer initiatives, he provides students with a comprehensive understanding of their options and the most suitable path forward. Whether he was providing recommendations to students, such as completing MTA or reviewing transfer agreements, his understanding of the issues and unwavering commitment to support transfer students was always highly valued and appreciated."
-Michael Quattro, Director, Ed Outreach & Transfer Initiatives
"Doug got me in touch with an academic advisor for the department I'm interested in transferring to, and it all went very. Thank You for your help transferring to Wayne State. You gave me SO much guidance that will help me pursue my degrees. I'm looking forward to attending Wayne State. I will use the information you sent me to send my Baker credits to Schoolcraft and pursue the MTA and finish my transferring from Schoolcraft College."
-WSU Student
Past Recipients
2023 Awardees
Outstanding New Academic Advisor - Susan Reynolds, Adult Learner Advisor, University Advising Center
Outstanding Academic Advising Team - Irvin D. Reid Honors College Advising Team
Advising Spirit Award - Maya Calloway Richardson, College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts
Transfer Advising Champion - Angel Niederkohr, Irvin D. Reid Honors College
2022 Awardees
Outstanding Academic Advisor - Stacie Moser, Depts. of Sociology & Criminology and Criminal Justice
Outstanding New Academic Advisor - Lauren Orr, Dept. of Public Health
Outstanding Advising Team - Pre-med and Health Science Center Advising Team
Transfer Advising Champion - Patricia Michno, Mike Ilitch School of Business
2021 Awardees
Outstanding Academic Advisor - Corinne Forys, Dept. of Psychology
Outstanding New Academic Advisor - Josh McGruther, OMVAE
Outstanding Advising Team - Mike Ilitch School of Business Advising Team
Transfer Advising Champion - Margaret MacKeverican, Dept. of Public Health
Advising Spirit Award - Rebecca Russell, Dept. of Biological Sciences
2020 Awardees
Outstanding Academic Advisor - Ryan Ferrante, Department of Political Science
Outstanding New Academic Advisor - Harman Singh, Department of Psychology & Shawntae Mintline, College of Education
Outstanding Advising Team - Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy & Health Science Advising Team
Transfer Advising Champion - Joyce Lien, College of Engineering
2019 Awardees
Outstanding Academic Advisor - Amanda Horwitz, Pre-med & Health Science Center
Outstanding New Academic Advisor - Erin Wiseman, College of Fine, Performing & Communication Arts
Outstanding Advising Team - Dept. of Biological Sciences Advising Team
Advising Spirit Award - Laura Hetzler, Pre-med & Health Science Center