Professional Development

The evaluation process will consider evidence of the applicant’s distinguished commitment to excellence in academic advising. Such evidence may include:

• Demonstrated commitment to excellence in undergraduate advisement as exemplified by the development of new approaches or programs designed to ensure student progression and success, e.g., 1st-year retention, 4-year graduation, D/F/W rates, etc. (added value will be given to the success of advisement with special populations, such as first generation, underrepresented minorities, low income, veterans, male students, etc.).
• Documentation of the advisor’s outreach to students, e.g., special workshops, targeted programming, nudge campaigns, etc.
• Contributions to the scholarship of academic advising.
• Exemplifying collaborative spirit through intentional efforts to partner with offices outside of their home unit, including community partners across Tampa Bay and the state.

New: All recommenders are required to complete the following 5-7 minute survey for their applicant.  Three completed recommendation surveys from supervisors and peers (current or former students should not complete the recommendation survey.):

• One from the applicant’s immediate supervisor. If the supervisor is not the lead advising administrator, applicant must ensure a second supervisor survey is completed by their college’s lead advising administrator for a total of four surveys.
• One from a peer or faculty partner from within the applicant’s unit; and
• One from a peer in the USF community outside of the applicant’s unit.

Provost's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising eligibility requirements: 

Any individual currently employed in a professional undergraduate academic advising role on any of the USF campuses with a full-time appointment (1.0 FTE) to that role for at least the past two academic years may apply or be nominated. This only includes job codes 9503, 4424, 4425, 4426, and 4427.

Required application materials:

• A cover sheet with the name, rank or title, and unit of the candidate;
• A copy of the applicant’s resume or CV;
• An academic advising philosophy prepared by the candidate addressing the four following questions (400-600 words total):
  • Why am I an academic advisor?
  • What advising approaches and/or theories do I use with students?
  • How do I work to fulfill my institution’s and my unit’s stated mission and goals
  • How do I know I’ve made a difference in the lives of my students?
• Narrative with evidence of the impact of student engagement outreach including, but not limited to: academic skills workshops, career exploration/development, interventions with at-risk populations, enrichment for high-performing populations, etc.
  • Must include the event/program/initiative’s intent and design.
  • Must include program evaluation/assessment, particularly evidence of an improved quantitative metric such as 1st-year retention, 4-year graduation, lower D/F/W rates, lower excess credit hours/hours-to-degree, etc.
• Narrative of the impact of a candidate’s academic advising practice (e.g., degree planning, course or major selection, etc.) on student experience & success.
  • Must include direct feedback from students, such as student satisfaction survey data (certified by a supervisor or advising lead), and/or qualitative information (e.g., personal notes, emails, etc.).
• A bulleted list of involvement and engagement within the College and around the USF campus community (e.g., committee work, living-learning communities, sponsorship/leadership of student groups, volunteering at campus events, etc.). Include 1-2 sentence description of each item.
• A bulleted list of activities for professional growth and/or contributions to the scholarship of academic advising, such as involvement in graduate programs, conference attendance, delivering conference presentations, providing training for peers/other professionals, published research/articles/blogs, webinars, etc. Include a 1-2 sentence description of each item.
• Three one-page letters of recommendation from supervisors and peers (Letters of recommendation from students, current or former, should not be included.):
  • One letter from the applicant’s immediate supervisor (the applicant must enclose a second supervisor letter of support from their college’s lead advising administrator if the supervisor is not the lead advising administrator for a total of four letters);
  • One from a peer or faculty partner from within the applicant’s unit; and
  • One from a peer in the USF community outside of the applicant’s unit.
• The application packet (exclusive of cover page) may not exceed 30 single-sided, double-spaced pages. Documentation for advising award applications should focus on activities directly related to academic advising during the prior academic year only. Please submit the application in a single PDF file.  

The evaluation process will consider nominations of members of the academic advising community who exemplify the qualities and demonstrated practice of outstanding professional academic advisors. Evidence should reflect the following competencies adapted from NACADA’s Core Values:

• Skilled and Knowledgeable
• Interpersonal and Human Relation Skills
• Integrity and Professionalism
• Empathy, Caring and Respect
• Advocacy and Empowerment

New: All recommenders are required to complete the following 5-7 minute survey for their applicant.  Two completed recommendation surveys from supervisors and peers (current or former students should not complete the recommendation survey.):

• One from the applicant’s immediate supervisor. If the supervisor is not the lead advising administrator, applicant must ensure a second supervisor survey is completed by their college’s lead advising administrator for a total of four surveys.
• One from a non-student (e.g., peer or faculty partner from within the applicant’s unit, or from a peer in the USF community).

Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor Award eligibility requirements: 

Any individual currently employed in a professional undergraduate academic advising role on any of the USF campuses with a full-time appointment (1.0 FTE) to that role for at least the past two academic years may apply or be nominated. This only includes job codes 9503, 4424, 4425, 4426, and 4427.

Required application materials:

• A cover sheet with the name, rank or title, and unit of the candidate;
• A copy of the applicant’s resume;
• A professional headshot (approximately 3 inches by 4 inches at 300 dpi) - Note that the photo will not be seen by anyone judging the application;
• Enclose a link to an online bio of yourself;
• An academic advising philosophy prepared by the candidate addressing each of the four following questions (400-600 words each):
  • Why am I an academic advisor?
  • What advising approaches and/or theories do I use with students?
  • How do I work to fulfill my institution’s and my unit’s stated mission and goals?
  • How do I know I’ve made a difference in the lives of my students?
• Narrative of the impact of a candidate’s academic advising practice (e.g., degree planning, course or major selection, etc.) on student experience & success.
  • Must include direct feedback from students, such as student satisfaction survey data (certified by a supervisor or advising lead), and/or qualitative information (e.g., personal notes, emails, etc.).
• Two one-page letters of recommendation from supervisors and peers (Letters of recommendation from students, current or former, should not be included.):
  • One letter from the applicant’s immediate supervisor (the applicant must enclose a second supervisor letter of support from their college’s lead advising administrator if the supervisor is not the lead advising administrator for a total of four letters);
  • One from a non-student (e.g., peer or faculty partner from within the applicant’s unit, or from a peer in the USF community).
• The application packet (exclusive of cover page) may not exceed 15 single-sided, double-spaced pages. Documentation for advising award applications should focus on activities directly related to academic advising during the prior academic year only. Please submit the application in a single PDF file.

The evaluation process will consider nominations of members of the academic advising community who demonstrate leadership within the academic advising community by mentoring, training, and advocating for others. Such evidence may include:

• Service and/or leadership on departmental, college and/or institutional committees related to student success.
• Development of and/or participation in the delivery of advisor training and/or development programming.
• Successful collaboration with academic and other student support units outside of their home unit.

New: All recommenders are required to complete the following 5-7 minute survey for their applicant.  Two completed recommendation surveys from supervisors and peers (current or former students should not complete the recommendation survey.):

• One from the applicant’s immediate supervisor (if the supervisor is not the lead advising administrator, the applicant must ensure a second supervisor survey is completed from their college’s lead advising administrator for a total of four surveys), or other non-student (e.g., faculty partner from within the applicant’s unit, or from a peer in the USF community); and
• One from an academic advising peer.

Advising Leadership Award eligibility requirements: 

Any individual with a full-time appointment (1.0 FTE) currently employed in a non-faculty role on any of the USF campuses that directly work with a professional academic advising office or team may apply or be nominated. Nominee must be in that role for at least the past three (3) academic years. This includes individuals in director, manager or advising lead positions, but others in academic advisor job codes (9503, 4424, 4425, 4426, and 4427) and other administrative positions are also eligible for nomination. You are not required to have direct reports to be nominated for this award.

Required application materials:

• A cover sheet with the name, rank or title, and unit of the candidate;
• A copy of the applicant’s resume or CV;
• A professional headshot (approximately 3 inches by 4 inches at 300 dpi);
• Enclose a link to an online bio of yourself;
• An academic advising philosophy prepared by the candidate addressing the four following questions (400-600 words total):
  • Why am I an academic advisor?
  • What advising approaches and/or theories do I use with students?
  • How do I work to fulfill my institution’s and my unit’s stated mission and goals
  • How do I know I’ve made a difference in the lives of my students?
• Narrative description of the leadership experience(s) (e.g., CAA sub-committees, yield team, curriculum committees, etc.) and how they positively impact the undergraduate student experience & success. (400 – 800 words)
• Two one-page letters of recommendation from supervisors and peers (Letters of recommendation from students, current or former, should not be included.):
  • One letter from the applicant’s immediate supervisor (the applicant must enclose a second supervisor letter of support from their college’s lead advising administrator if the supervisor is not the lead advising administrator for a total of four letters), or other non-student (e.g., faculty partner from within the applicant’s unit, or from a peer in the USF community); and
  • One from an academic advising peer.
• The application packet (exclusive of cover page) may not exceed 15 single-sided, double-spaced pages. Documentation for advising award applications should focus on activities directly related to academic advising during the prior academic year only.  Please submit the application in a single PDF file.  

The evaluation process will consider nominations of members of the academic advising community who exhibit the professionalism, communication, curiosity, and care that exemplifies the potential and promise of an early career professional in academic advising. Evidence should reflect the following competencies adapted from NACADA’s Core Values:

• Skilled and Knowledgeable
• Interpersonal and Human Relation Skills
• Integrity and Professionalism
• Empathy, Caring and Respect
• Advocacy and Empowerment

New: All recommenders are required to complete the following 5-7 minute survey for their applicant.  Two completed recommendation surveys from supervisors and peers (current or former students should not complete the recommendation survey.):

• One from the applicant’s immediate supervisor (if the supervisor is not the lead advising administrator, the applicant must ensure a second supervisor survey is completed by their college’s lead advising administrator for a total of four surveys); and
• One from a non-student (e.g., peer or faculty partner from within the applicant’s unit, or from a peer in the USF community).

New Undergraduate Academic Advisor Award eligibility requirements: 

Any individual currently employed in a professional undergraduate academic advising role on any of the USF campuses with a full-time appointment (1.0 FTE) to that role for no more than two academic years may apply or be nominated. This only includes job codes 9503, 4424, 4425, 4426, and 4427.

Required application materials:

• A cover sheet with the name, rank or title, and unit of the candidate;
• A copy of the applicant’s resume or CV;
• A professional headshot (approximately 3 inches by 4 inches at 300 dpi);
• Enclose a link to an online bio of yourself;
• An academic advising philosophy prepared by the candidate addressing the four following questions (400-600 words total):
  • Why am I an academic advisor?
  • What advising approaches and/or theories do I use with students?
  • How do I work to fulfill my institution’s and my unit’s stated mission and goals
  • How do I know I’ve made a difference in the lives of my students?
• Narrative of the impact of a candidate’s academic advising practice (e.g., degree planning, course or major selection, etc.) on student experience & success. (400 – 800 words)
  • Must include direct feedback from students, such as student satisfaction survey data (certified by a supervisor or advising lead), and/or qualitative information (e.g., personal notes, emails, etc.).
• Two one-page letters of recommendation from supervisors and peers (Letters of recommendation from students, current or former, should not be included.):
  • One letter from the applicant’s immediate supervisor (the applicant must enclose a second supervisor letter of support from their college’s lead advising administrator if the supervisor is not the lead advising administrator for a total of four letters); and
  • One from a non-student (e.g., peer or faculty partner from within the applicant’s unit, or from a peer in the USF community).
• The application packet (exclusive of cover page) may not exceed 15 single-sided, double-spaced pages. Documentation for advising award applications should focus on activities directly related to academic advising during the prior academic year only. Please submit the application in a single PDF file.