College of Arts & Sciences: Becky Houck Award for Excellent Advising

To emphasize the importance of advising in the College of Arts and Sciences and to honor exceptional undergraduate advisors, the Dean’s office has established the Becky Houck Award for Excellent Advising, named for a distinguished professor of biology, who is revered for her commitment to mentoring and developing the potential of students. Recipients of this award demonstrate the following characteristics of excellent advising:

• Helping students to identify their academic, professional, and personal goals and to discern how these relate to the choice of a major and an academic program;
• Explaining the rationale of the student’s major and of the Core program at the University of Portland;
• Helping students plan their courses and their schedule in a way that is consistent with their educational goals, abilities, and aspirations and assists them with registration;
• Monitoring academic progress and clarifying academic requirements, policies and procedures;
• Identifying special needs of students or potential difficulties and recommending appropriate assistance to them from providers at the University or opportunities for development through co-curricular programs;
• Informing students about career paths for the major and about programs that prepare students for post-University life offered by Career Services and by the student’s department;
• Alerting students to special awards for which they may qualify, mentoring students about graduate or professional school, and providing effective letters of recommendation.

Eligibility
Faculty nominated for this award must have at least three years of advising experience and may not have received the award in the previous five years. The names of those faculty members who have been nominated will remain active for a period of three years.

Application Process
By Friday of the third week in January, the associate dean of students will solicit written nominations, with rationale, from the faculty of the College, the Student Advisory Council, and the director of the Shepard Freshman Resource Center.

Selection Process
The associate dean of students will collect and synthesize the nominations and bring them for a decision to a committee composed of his administrative staff, two of the past award recipients, the assistant to the dean, the associate deans, and the dean of the College. Before a decision is made, the chairs of those who are finalists in the process will be consulted for their recommendations.

Recognition
The award for excellent academic advising will include an honorarium and a plaque, and the names of recipients will be posted on the College’s website. The award will be conferred at the College’s annual celebration reception in February.