On April 15, the provost’s office and the MU Advisors Forum held the 16th annual Excellence in Advising Awards. This award recognizes campuswide achievements in undergraduate advising performed both by faculty and professional advisers.
Two winners were chosen from among twenty-four nominees by a selection committee made up of students, retired advisers and administrators. George Jesse, professor of animal sciences, won the Excellence in Advising Award for a faculty adviser. Aaron Cook, an academic adviser II in the Trulaske College of Business, won the Excellence in Advising Award for a professional adviser.
Cook has been employed at MU for just over five years, including four years as an academic adviser and coordinator of scholarships for the business college. Along with advising undergraduate business students, Cook is responsible for all scholarship recipient programming for undergraduate students including professional development activities for the Trulaske and Walton scholars.
He is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity), teaches Learning Strategies for Business Students (SSC 1150), is an active co-facilitator of an Exploring Business Freshman Interest Group, and is the current liaison to the Business Week 2010 steering committee. Cook is the current secretary of the Boone County chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association and has served on MU’s Staff Advisory Council.
Jesse is professor and director of undergraduate studies for animal sciences. He started serving as an adviser of MU undergraduate students during the fall of 1971 as an instructor in the Department of Animal Husbandry. During the past 10 years he has served as a member and chair of the committee for undergraduate education and the campus undergraduate curriculum committee.
Other nominees for the 2010 Excellence in Advising award for faculty advisers were: Michael Bednar, Teresa Briedwell, John Flanagan, Keith Goyne, Amy Lannin, Myoung Lee, Joel Maruniak, Bruce McClure, Nancy Molavi, Peter Motavalli, David Setzer, Mark Volkmann and LeeAnn Whites.
Other nominees for the 2010 Excellence in Advising award for professional advisers were: Vicki Boyd-Kennedy, Cassandra Casperson, Jill Diener, Jenette Hough, Cason Jones, Urska Lenart, Adrianna Lynn, Jill McReynolds and Kirsten Pape.