Two University of Georgia academic advisors from the College of Education have received a 2018 Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advising Award.
Samantha Pattillo, recipient in the professional advisor category, and Lindsay Dickerson, recipient in the new staff advisor category, were nominated by their supervisor and selected by a team of
10 students from the various colleges on campus who reviewed the nominations and selected the two advisors for the award.
Samantha Pattillo
Pattillo began as an advisor more than three years ago in the biochemistry department of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and then moved to her current position in communication sciences and disorders in the College of Education. Pattillo is the primary point of contact for students applying to the CMSD major, which is highly competitive and requires an application.
She also spends time working with two student organizations related to the CMSD major: the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association and the COE Student Ambassadors. Pattillo has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgia Gwinnett College and a master’s degree in professional counseling from the University of Georgia.
“When faced with a denial of their application to the major or pressure about applying to graduate school, Samantha spends the time to offer options, and her calm delivery minimizes the stress of that deliberation,” said Julia Butler-Mayes, director of student services for the College of Education. “She prepares her students for their end goal, applying to their graduate program, going above and beyond what is typically required to guide someone through an undergraduate degree.”
Lindsay Dickerson
The recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award in the new staff category is Dickerson, in the social studies, middle grades and special education degrees.
Dickerson has been an advisor for a year-and-a-half and has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology from the University of Georgia.
The awards are presented each spring to staff members for excellence in advising undergraduate students on class selection and course of study, assisting them with academic problems and providing guidance on related matters such as decisions about graduate school and careers.
The Office of the Vice President for Instruction administers the award each year. Pattillo and Dickerson will be recognized at the spring AACC meeting and at the fall AACC luncheon. As Outstanding Academic Advisors, their names and recommendations have been forwarded to the National Academic Advising Association for consideration for a national advising award.
—Stephanie Dixon