Current CASNR Faculty Award Recipients

About 60 faculty and staff attended the annual CASNR faculty advising awards luncheon held on Thursday, October 11, 2007 in the East Campus Union.  Joan Krush was the 2007 L. K. Crowe Undergraduate Advising Award recipient; and, Dr. Dave Acker, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Iowa State University, was keynote speaker. To view Dr. Acker's presentation click here. To view Joan Krush's advising philosophy click here.

Joan Krush		David Acker

Dr. Dave Acker has been involved in international research and education since 1975. He earned a Ph.D. from Oregon State University in 1989, including dissertation research conducted in Tanzania. He has been a Fulbright research fellow, served as a consultant in eight countries, and has served as the president of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education. He currently serves as a board member of the American Farm School.

Undergraduate Advising Philosophy of Joan M. Krush

In my experience, advising cannot be characterized with a one-size-fits-all approach.  Each student is different.  Each possesses individual talents, abilities and academic aspirations.  As an advisor, my goal is to find what excites a student, where their particular interest lies and then plot out a series of coursework to meet this objective.

Plotting each student’s path also involves encouragement, in the form of helping the student assume ownership of his or her education and creating an environment conducive to asking questions and seeking assistance.  I believe, a portion of my role as an advisor, is to allow the student to see they are responsible for their respective academic performance and success.  Thus, we talk about taking ownership in one’s education as a key step in becoming a successful student, successful graduate and ultimately a successful citizen.

For some students college is an exciting time.  For other students it can be frightening. For all students, I encourage my advisees to ask questions, to understand the relevance of requirements and to understand how their coursework as a whole helps them begin mastery of their respective discipline. I believe these questions also help students understand how we all—students, faculty and staff—work together to foster a student’s growth and development.

Finally, my personal advising philosophy involves being accessible to students. In some instances, this may mean an early morning meeting or one that extends past the work day. However, I really feel that it is important that students feel someone is listening, someone is helping them explore options and someone is helping them find a solution. At the conclusion of an advising session, when a student says, “Thanks. You’ve really been helpful,” or “At least I have some options,” then I think I’m being a successful and effective advisor.