University of Wisconsin–Madison
Office of Undergraduate Advising
Providing central coordination for the undergraduate advising and career services communities

Awards

Each year the Office of Undergraduate Advising (OUA) presents annual awards to those in the advising and career services community who demonstrate a commitment to improving the undergraduate advising and career services experiences on campus. 

The deadline to nominate for 2022 Awards was April 19, 2022

Read about the 2022 Award Recipients

Advising & Career Services Awards

  • Keystone Award

    Honoring individuals whose work provides crucial support to advising and/or career services and who positively influence students’ and/or other stakeholders’ experiences with campus. These individuals deliver outstanding service and support, often behind-the-scenes, and ensure that operations run smoothly.

    Up to $2000 in professional development funding awarded to recipient.

  • Early Career Excellence Award

    Honoring individuals who have been employed at UW–Madison for fewer than 5 years, but in that time have made distinctive contributions to undergraduate advising and/or career services on our campus. 

    Up to $2000 in professional development funding awarded to recipient.

     

  • Outstanding Achievement Award

    Honoring individuals who have made significant contributions to UW-Madison undergraduate advising and/or career services, with emphasis on direct student, employer, and/or alumni impact. Eligible candidates must have been employed at UW–Madison for a minimum of 5 years. 

    Up to $2000 in professional development funding awarded to recipient.

     

  • Community Leadership Award

    Honoring individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the advising and/or career services community, regardless of role. Leadership, management, coordination of people, projects, committees, and initiatives will all be considered. 

    Up to $2000 in professional development funding awarded to recipient.

     

  • Commitment to Social Justice Award

    This award recognizes an individual, group, or unit that has shown a commitment to social justice work in advising and/or career services through education, policies and practices, advocacy, or programming to create more equitable experiences for students and/or colleagues. 

    Up to $2000 in professional development funding awarded to the recipient, group, or unit.

     

  • Collaborative Impact Award

    Honoring partnerships (of two or more people) who made a significant and impactful contribution to their unit(s), department(s), school(s) or college(s), and/or campus through their collaborative work. This award recognizes the importance of cooperative effort in creating and executing meaningful programs and events, process improvements, and/or marketing and promotion. The collaboration between these individuals or teams results in a better experience for students, colleagues, and/or external stakeholder(s). 

    Up to $2000 in professional development funding awarded to the recipient, group, or unit.

     

  • Outstanding Student Employee Award

    Honoring student employees (undergraduate or graduate) who have a record of excellence in their work within academic and/or career services units at UW-Madison. Winner(s) will receive $250.

     

Graduate School Awards - Sponsored by the Graduate School

  • Graduate Program Coordinator Award

    This award will recognize two individuals who support the academic, research, and scholarly success of master’s and doctoral students at UW–Madison through their work across the graduate lifecycle and who help cultivate a welcoming and inclusive graduate learning environment. These individuals positively influence students’, faculty, staff, and/or other stakeholders’ experiences with campus.

    These individuals deliver outstanding service and support which may include:

    • Ability to work as an effective advocate for graduate students and graduate causes in the program
    • Record of working with other graduate coordinators and graduate advisers to promote a more efficient and effective administration of the graduate program
    • Effectiveness in helping students become aware of and follow rules and regulations governing graduate degrees
    • Developing graduate student professional development opportunities and facilitating career success
    • Record of preventing as well as resolving problems
    • Ability to carry out administrative functions effectively and efficiently
    • Skill in organization and communication

    To be eligible, the recipient must be in their current position for at least one year at the time of nomination. Up to $2000 in professional development funding awarded to each recipient. 

Past Recipients

  • 2022

    Read about the 2022 Award Recipients

    Keystone Award

    • Kelsey Hughes (Department Administrator with the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture)

    Early Career Excellence Award

    • Hannah Hatlan Atwell (Career Advisor at the School of Human Ecology)

    Outstanding Achievement Award

    • Goodson Vue (Associate Director of the Precollege Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) College Scholars Program)

    Community Leadership Award

    • Stephanie Salazar Kann (Engineering Career Services Associate Director)

    Collaborative Impact Award

    • Kelli Richards (Career Development & Learning Support Manager with the School of Nursing)
    • Barb Pinekenstein (Clinical Professor, Richard E. Sinaiko Professor in Health Care Leadership with the School of Nursing)

    Outstanding Student Employee Award

    • Ky Collins-Krueger (SOAR Peer Advisor, Residence Hall Advisor, and Main Office Assistant with Cross-College Advising Service)
    • Keoinia Dobson (Graduate Alumni Relations Intern with SuccessWorks at the College of Letters and Science)

    Commitment to Social Justice Award

    • Emmeline Prattke (Career & Internship Specialist at SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science)
    • Kathleen Rause (Internship Coordinator at SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science)

    Graduate Program Coordinator Awards

    • Caitlin Collies (Graduate Program Manager for the Agronomy, Agroecology and Plant Breeding/Plant Genetics programs)
    • Terra Theim (Graduate Program Coordinator in the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program)
  • 2020

    Learn more about the 2020 Advising & Career Services Award winners

    Keystone Award

    • Janine Yeh, L&S SuccessWorks

    Early Career Excellence Award

    • Amy Betzelberger, College of Agricultural and Life Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology

    Early Career Excellence Award

    • Maria Hartwig, College of Letters & Science, Department of Psychology

    Outstanding Achievement Award

    • Chou Yee Her, College of Letters and Science, Center for Academic Excellence

    Outstanding Achievement Award

    • Jamie Macias, Wisconsin School of Business Career and Employer Engagement

    Community Leadership Award

    • Alicia Hazen, School of Human Ecology

    Collaborative Impact Award

    • Alexis Steinbach, Center for Pre-Health Advising
    • Kendra Gurnee, Pharmacology and Toxicology Major

    Outstanding Student Employee Award

    • Alondra Avitia, International Studies Major student

    Excellence in Graduate Academic Service & Advising

    • Carmela Diosana, L&S Department of Botany

    Excellence in Graduate Career Advising & Professional Development

    • Julie Rae, College of Engineering, Career Services
  • 2019

    Career Services Keystone

    • Cindy Johnson, BBA Program Office

    Career Services Stewardship

    • Michael Kruse, L&S SuccessWorks

    Team Impact in Career Services

    • Andrea Lowe, Nate Doolin & Wisconsin Student Alumni Board L&S SuccessWorks

    Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Advising and/or Career Services

    • Valerie Johnson, Psychology

    Excellence in Advising and/or Career Services Community Leadership

    • Liane Kosaki, L&S Advising Services

    Early Career Excellence in Undergraduate Advising and/or Career Services

    • Anthony Wright, BBA Program Office

    • Molly Donnellan, International Studies

    Excellence in Peer Advising

    • David Duszynski, L&S Academic Advising Services

    • Gylf Forsberg, College of Engineering

  • 2018

    Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Advising

    • Rachelle Eilers, Chican@ and Latin@ Studies

    Excellence in Advising Community Leadership

    • Diana Maki, Cross-College Advising Service

    Early Career Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

    • Alex Mok, Cross-College Advising Service

    Excellence in Peer Advising

    • Kyle Martinez, L&S Academic Advising Services
    • Olivia Saleh, Cross-College Advising Service
  • 2017

    Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Advising

    • Scott Burkhardt, History Advisor
    • Kelley Harris, Biology Major Advisor

    Early Career Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

    • Nikki Lemmon, Department of Computer Science
    • Tara Milliken, Wisconsin BBA Program
  • 2016

    Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Advising

    • Karen Thompson, Spanish & Portuguese
    • Sara Rodock, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences Departmental Advisor

    Early Career Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

    • Lindsey DeCarlo, Center for Pre-Health Advising
    • Lauren Szafranski, Center for Academic Excellence

    Excellence in Peer Advising

    • Brittany Hobbs, L&S SOAR Peer Advisor
    • Emmeline Prattke, International Academic Programs
  • 2015

    Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Advising

    • Katie Paar, SoHE Student Academic Affairs
    • Abike Sanyaolu, Center for Academic Excellence, L&S
    • Mary Smith, Biology Major

    Early Career Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

    • Teddy Kaul, Art History
    • Dija Selimi, Center for Pre-Health Advising

    Excellence in Peer Advising

    • Katherine Matusinec, Cross-College Advising Service
  • 2014

    Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Advising

    • Linda McCarroll-Stamm, Center for Academic Excellence
    • Mary Weever-Klees, Athletic Academic Services

    Early Career Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

    • Susan Nelson, Center for Pre-Health Advising

    Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

    • Professor Sigurd Angenent, Department of Mathematics

    Excellence in Peer Advising

    • Taylor Stunkel, Cross-College Advising Service & School of Nursing
  • 2013

    Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Advising

    • Julie Ganser, Department of Art

    Early Career Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

    • Jennifer Kaufmann-Buhler, College of Letters & Science Honors Program
    • John Puccinelli, Biomedical Engineering

    Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Advising

    • Professor Jeri Barak, Plant Pathology

    Excellence in Peer Advising

    • Colin Rohm, Cross-College Advising Service