Advising Award Criteria & Selection Process

Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor Awards

Purpose:

To recognize excellence in undergraduate academic advising at the University of Georgia.

Overview:

One award will be given to an experienced professional advisor, one to a new advisor, one to an advisor who demonstrates excellence in advising special populations, and one to an advising administrator.

Definitions and Eligibility:

Outstanding Professional Advisor*: Individuals whose primary role at UGA is the direct delivery of academic advising services to students and have been advising for three or more years.
Outstanding New Advisor*: Individuals whose primary role at UGA is the direct delivery of academic advising services to students and have been advising for fewer than three years.
Outstanding Advising Administrator*: Individuals whose primary responsibility is as an administrator or director of an academic advising program. Nominees must have a minimum of three years in an advising leadership role.
Excellence in Advising Special Populations**: Individuals who provide direct academic advising to students, and have developed expertise in providing tailored support for a specific student population. Examples include, but are not limited to: transfer students, first-generation college students, international students, student athletes, etc. Nominees must have at least one year of advising experience.

NOTE: Competitive nominations in the Special Populations category should demonstrate that the nominee’s caseload includes a substantial percentage (recommended 20% or higher) of students within this special population and that the nominee goes above and beyond position expectations to serve this population, regardless of whether special populations work is formally connected to their position.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m., Friday, January 30, 2026. Late nominations will not be accepted.

Submit each nomination electronically as a single PDF to: [email protected]

Please limit each nomination to 16 pages (See above for section page limits).

Please limit the number of nominees from your unit to three per category.

*Winners will receive a monetary award and plaque, be recognized by the Office of Instruction, and be nominated for the equivalent award given by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)

**Winners will receive a monetary award and plaque, and be recognized by the Office of Instruction

Nomination Form:

Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor Awards Nomination Form

Outstanding Academic Advisor Award Timeline

Call for Nominations: First full week of December

“Early Action” Review Submission Deadline: First Monday of the first full week of January

Final Submission Deadline: Last business day of January

Selection Committee Review: Last two weeks of February

Winner Selection & Announcements: March

How to Nominate

Submit a nomination form.
Include a cover letter of support from the advisor’s supervisor and/or unit head (Limit 2 pages).
Provide a Curriculum Vita or Resume with the nominee’s current job description or list of job responsibilities related to academic advising (Limit 2 pages).
Provide a copy of the nominee’s Advising and/or Advising Leadership Philosophy, as appropriate (Limit 2 pages).
Include current, dated comments of support from colleagues (Limit 4 pages).
Include current, dated comments of support from current and/or former students. Comments may include a digest of remarks from student surveys, letters, emails, etc. (Required for Professional, New, and Special Populations nominations; optional for Administrator. Limit 6 pages.

Criteria & Evaluation Rubrics

In general, criteria for a strong nominee include:

Demonstrates mastery of the advising process.
Provides accessibility, innovation, and leadership in advising/mentoring.
Demonstrates mastery of institutional regulations, policies, and procedures.
Builds strong relationships with student advisees and colleagues.
Engages in caring, student-centered advising rather than simple course selection.
Impacts advisees beyond graduation. (Professional Advisors, New Advisors as relevant)
Contributes to campus-wide excellence in advising.
Demonstrates dedication to professional development initiatives.

The Selection Committee will utilize Evaluation Rubrics when reviewing nomination packets. These are adaptations of the evaluation rubrics for the NACADA Global Advising Awards.

Selection Committee Composition

The Outstanding Advisor Award Selection Committee is composed of:

Academic Advising Coordinating Council (AACC) Large and Small college representatives for the current academic year
Three Student Government Association (SGA) members
Three academic advisors from Large colleges
Three academic advisors from Small colleges

The AACC designations for Large and Small colleges will define these categories. The Director of Academic Advising will issue a call for interest to academic advisors within Large and Small colleges. From those who express interest, three advisors from each group will be selected through a random lottery.

Selected SGA members and academic advisors will serve on the Selection Committee for one academic year.

The Director of University Academic Services serves as a facilitator for committee discussions, ensuring an effective process, but does not participate in or influence the committee’s decisions.

"Early Action" Review Period

Nominators have the option to receive feedback on draft nomination packets through the Early Action Review Period.

During this period, a separate committee—comprised of members from the AACC Advisor Awards Subcommittee—will review draft packets. Using the same evaluation rubrics as the Selection Committee, this review committee will provide constructive feedback to help strengthen submissions.

Early Action Deadline: First Monday of the first full week of January

Feedback Timeline: Feedback will be provided within two weeks, giving nominators at least two additional weeks to incorporate suggestions before the final submission deadline.

Participation in the Early Action Review is optional, but highly encouraged for those seeking to refine their nomination packets.