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Two members of George �鶹��Ƶ's academic advising community were honored with regional awards from the�� (NACADA) this spring. These awards recognize excellence in academic advising in NACADA Region 2, which includes Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.��

Joshua Fletcher, undergraduate academic advisor in the��, was honored with the award for Excellence in Advising—Primary Role Advisor.��

Barbara Snyder, director of student success and academic advising in the��, received the award for Excellence in Advising—Advising Administrator.��

Fletcher and Snyder were formally recognized at the NACADA Region 1 and 2 conference in April in Buffalo, New York.��

Academic advisors serve as vital resources as students navigate their academic journeys at George �鶹��Ƶ. Delivering a distinctive and inclusive student experience is one of the university’s strategic priorities, and student advising is a critical part of the student services infrastructure.

Fletcher started working at George �鶹��Ƶ in 2019, after previously working as a school counselor at a Title I middle school in Pinellas Park, Florida. He earned a master’s degree in counseling education from the University of Florida. We asked him to share some insights into his experiences advising students at George �鶹��Ƶ and what it means to be recognized for his work.

What are your main responsibilities in your role? What types of students do you advise?

I advise approximately 2,600 undergraduate computer science and applied computer science students at all stages of their education journey. Academic advising has given me the opportunity to understand and evaluate students in difficult situations, develop a plan of action by utilizing the degree audit system, and take the lead in group advising sessions.��

I also process important documents such as substitutions, waivers, major declarations, re-enrollments, appeals, and many others. In addition, I help with several events throughout the year such as College of Engineering and Computing Visit Days, Fall/Spring Previews, orientations, Spotlight Days, and more.��

What do you like best about your job?��

I take an approach to meet students where they are. My philosophy on advising is to understand where the student is, but be real about the interworking of their major.��

I have a dialogue with my students about their passion, hobbies, and goals. I use this information to help them build a support system for their career goals and encourage them to create alternative paths that will lead them to be successful in the future.������

What are some of the biggest challenges in your role?��

One of the challenges that advisors face is the caseload numbers. We see a lot of students every day, and it is not surprising that our appointments are booked.

Have you previously attended the NACADA conference? What do you enjoy most about the conference and the organization?��

Last year, one of my colleagues and I attended the Regional 2 conference in New Jersey. One of the breakout sessions was called “How to Publish for NACADA,” and we discovered the opportunity to write for NACADA. Because we have so many personal experiences as advisors, we thought it would be a great idea to share some of our stories with other advisors.��

To our surprise, our article was published in the September 2024 edition of Academic Advising Today. This is my first published article. Our article, “Academic Advisors' Mental Health Literacy and Experiences Working with Students Facing Emotional and Mental Health Issues,” encourages other advisors to gather information from research and colleagues to become more informed about how to effectively work with students who struggle with mental and emotional health issues.��

What memorable moments stand out to you in your academic advising experiences?��

The Degree Celebration for the . The Computer Science advising team always helps out with the event. One year, several of our students came up to us and thanked us for helping them through their journey at George �鶹��Ƶ.��

Graduation is a time of celebrating the students’ success, but it also felt good to hear that we are appreciated by our students.

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