Excellence in Advising & Student Services

Excellence in Advising & Student Services Awards Program 

The Excellence in Advising and Student Services Awards program recognizes outstanding work and innovation in advising and student support. Awards will be made to individuals and teams who have been nominated for their significant positive impact on students, student support programs, and/or the student services community as a whole. Student support plays a critical role in student engagement, belonging, and success, and because advising matters at Berkeley, we believe significant contribution deserves campus-wide recognition. Award recipients will be celebrated at our in-person “Celebrating Our Collective Efforts” event in December (date/time TBD).

We encourage nominations of student services staff throughout our Berkeley community, including Student Affairs, Equity & Inclusion, Undergraduate Education, Schools & Colleges, University Extension, Berkeley International Office, and beyond! 

Nominations are due by 11:59 PM, Tuesday, September 26. We will not review submissions after the deadline. Send an email to advisingmatters@berkeley.edu if there are accommodations we can provide that would make this nomination process more accessible for you. Please review the following answers to some of our most frequently asked questions as you consider submitting your nomination:

  • Eligible nominees do not have to have the term “advisor” in their title. All advising and student support staff at UC Berkeley may be nominated. 

  • Nominations can be made by anyone in the campus community including students. We accept self-nominations, including for team awards. 

  • Staff can be nominated for more than one category, but each nomination must be submitted separately. 

  • Though there is not a predetermined limit on team sizes, key contributors on teams typically range from two to ten individuals. 

  • Previous winners are not eligible to receive the same award within the past three award years (2020, 2021, 2022). If membership of a team has substantially changed (50% new members) since that team won a category, the team may be considered for the same category it won in the past. See this document for a list of previous winners

  • Entries within each category will be independently reviewed by two to three readers using the criteria outlined below. 

  • Once nominations are reviewed, the committee may move a nomination to a different category if it is determined to be a better fit.

We encourage you to attend an online information session about the nomination process if you have questions. 

If you are unable to attend one of the information sessions, please direct questions to advisingmatters@berkeley.edu

Descriptions of Award Categories

  • Advising Innovation (Staff; Individual or Team)

  • Equity Champion (Staff; Individual or Team)

  • Excellence in Data and/or Research-Driven Student Services (Staff; Individual or Team)

  • Service to the Advising and Student Services Community (Staff; Individual or Team)

  • Outstanding New Advisor or Student Services Staff (Staff; Individual)

  • Outstanding Advisor or Student Services Staff (Staff; Individual)

  • Outstanding Advising or Student Services Administrator, Director, or Manager (Staff/Supervisor; Individual)

  • Outstanding Peer Advisor, Mentor, Counselor, or Ambassador (Student; Individual)

  • Outstanding Faculty Advisor (Faculty; Individual)

  • Advising Champion (Administrator; Individual)

Award for Special Performance and Contributions (Staff; Individual)

Nomination Process

Please completely fill out the nomination form, linked below, paying particular attention to the award categories and the nomination scoring rubric

In the form, you will be asked to: 

  • In 3000 characters or fewer (including spaces), address how the individual or team meets the criteria for the specific category. Within the context of that category, ensure you give specific examples of how the individual or team demonstrates:

    • A positive impact on individuals and/or communities (students and/or staff) and an authentically student-centered, caring, and connected approach to advising and student service;

    • Innovation (e.g., in methods, approaches, tools, programs, resources, etc.);

    • Alignment with Berkeley’s Advising & Student Services Goals and Principles

  • In 750 characters or fewer (including spaces), summarize the key points of your nomination for publication on the awards website, should your nominee be selected.

  • Additional question for Mary Slakey Howell Award nominations: The Mary Slakey Howell Award is the most prestigious advising and student services award. In 2000 characters or fewer (including spaces), please elaborate on why you think your nominee's service rises to this level.  This nomination also requires 1-2 letters of support from individuals who are well-informed with the nominee's work.

  • Nominees selected for an award will be asked to submit a Statement of Advising Philosophy to showcase on the Advising Strategy + Training website and materials.

If you prefer to submit a video nomination, please email advisingmatters@berkeley.edu for video nomination guidelines.

Submit a Nomination

Nomination Cycle

  • August 7: Nominations open
  • September 26: Deadline to submit nomination
  • October: Committee reviews nominations

Recognition Event

We are looking forward to hosting an in-person event to be held in December 2023, “Celebrating Our Collective Efforts,” that recognizes the award winners and the advising and student services community’s positive impact on students and our profession. Event details to follow.

Award Nomination Reviewers Needed!

This year’s Excellence in Advising & Student Services Awards program planning committee invites you to be a volunteer nomination reviewer! We are seeking broad representation for the nomination review process and encourage participation from staff in Student Affairs, Equity & Inclusion, Schools & Colleges, Graduate Division, Undergraduate Education, Berkeley International Office, University Extension, and more. We also would like representation from staff who work with each of these student populations: pre-collegiate, undergraduate, graduate, professional, visitors, and others.

The commitment is for 2-3 weeks in October depending on the number of volunteers and nominations. Volunteer reviewers will join awards planning committee members in small groups assigned to different award categories, and will meet at times convenient to the members of that small group.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to give back to our amazing advising and student services community. If you are interested in volunteering to be a nomination reviewer, please complete this form. We are happy to answer any questions you may have via the form, or email us.

2023 Awards Committee

Paige Corey
Academic Records Evaluator, Office of the Registrar

Amber Dillon
International Academic Specialist & Dual Degree Programs Coordinator 

Jahzeel Flores
College Advisor, College of Chemistry

Sydney Ji
Cal Student Central Advisor

Julian Ledesma
Executive Director, Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence (CE3)

Isela Peña-Rager
Assistant Director, Office of Undergraduate Advising, College of Letters & Science 

Liza Schlosser-Olroyd
Communications Specialist, Advising Strategy + Training

Alethea Stolzfus
Graduate Student Affairs Officer, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Ana Trujillo
Senior Financial Aid Counselor, Financial Aid and Scholarships Office

Donna Vivar
Manager of Advising Strategy + Training

Other Campus Staff Awards

Check out other campus staff awards for which your nominee(s) may qualify.