Each year the Office of Academic & Career Success presents annual awards to those in the advising, career services, and learning support communities who demonstrate a commitment to improving the undergraduate advising, career services, and learning support experiences on campus.
Check back soon for 2024 nomination deadlines.
Advising, Career Services & Learning Support Awards
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Keystone Award
Honoring individuals whose work provides crucial support to advising, career services, and/or learning support 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, learning support, 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, career services, and/or learning support, 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, career services, and/or learning support communities, 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, career services, and/or learning support 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 Undergraduate Student Employee Award
Honoring undergraduate student employees who have a record of excellence in their work within academic, career services, and/or learning support units at UW-Madison. Winner(s) will receive $250.
Graduate School Awards - Sponsored by the Graduate School
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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.
Outstanding Graduate Student Employee Award
Honoring graduate student employees who have a record of excellence in their work within academic and/or career services and/or learning units at UW-Madison. Winner(s) will receive $250.
Past Recipients
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2023
Read about the 2023 Award Recipients
Keystone Award
- Dr. Shawn Peters (Writing & Study Skills Specialist & Instructor, Center for Educational Opportunity)
- Brandon Spoon (Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, SuccessWorks)
- Albert Muñiz (Advisor, POSSE Program)
Early Career Excellence Award
- Kim Vue (College Advisor, PEOPLE Program)
Outstanding Achievement Award
- Sarah Schaefer (Associate Director for Career Education and Advising, School of Education)
- Lupe Kettleson-Ahedo (Assistant Dean, Center for Academic Excellence)
Community Leadership Award
- India Viola (Academic Advisor, Department of Integrative Biology)
Collaborative Impact Award
- Jordan Berken (Academic Advisor, Letter & Science Academic Advising Services)
- Alyssa Pon-Franklin (Academic Advisor, formerly Cross-College Advising Service and now with the School of Education)
- Carmen Pitz (Assistant Director of Study Abroad Advising, International Academic Program)
Outstanding Student Employee Award
- Hope Ngirwe (Center for Academic Excellence)
- Akshay Kalra (Center for Educational Opportunity)
- Shreyam Taneja (DoIT Student Tech Trainer)
- Aishwarya Gouthaman (DoIT Software Training for Students)
- Caitlyn Se (DoIT Software Training for Students)
Commitment to Social Justice Award
- Madison Hartup (Academic Advisor, Department of Economics)
Outstanding Graduate Student Employee Award
- Caroline Hensley, PhD student in English with an emphasis in Literary Studies, and Undergraduate Career Advisor in the English Department
- Emma Hinker, graduate student in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis program and student services project assistant in the Department of Life Sciences Communication
Excellence in Graduate Student Support Award
- Kristin Cooper, Graduate Program Manager in the Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Program
- Catherine Ryan, Graduate Program Manager in the Integrated Program in Biochemistry
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