Advisor receives outstanding undergraduate academic advising award

Anna Williams, an academic advisor in the Department of Kinesiology, recently received the University of Georgia's Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advising Award from the Office of the Vice President for Instruction.

The award is presented each spring to staff members for excellence in advising undergraduate students on class selection and course of study, assisting them with academic problems and providing guidance on related matters, such as decisions about graduate school and careers.

Nominated by her supervisor and selected by students from the college, Williams won in the new staff advisor category.

During her brief six-month tenure, Williams accumulated high praise from numerous individuals, which was instrumental in the committee's choice to name her this year's outstanding new advisor.

One of her advisees stated, "Anna always goes above and beyond her responsibilities as an advisor. She is well prepared to answer any and all questions and she has a unique way of making a complicated situation very easy. I have multiple email threads with Anna where she has talked me through situations I thought were the end of the world, which she solved with ease."

Ellen Evans, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, underscores these feelings. "The true test for her outstanding performance has been the numerous reports I have received from our undergraduates—unprompted—who have literally stopped me in the hallway to thank me for hiring her and rave about her competence and caring."

As one selection committee member described Williams, she "makes sure [students] have the resources they need to achieve their dreams."

Williams, along with Matthew Head, the recipient in the professional advisor category, will be recognized during the Academic Advising Coordinating Council meeting this spring.