Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia’s Outstanding Advisor/Mentor Awards will be presented this year to Anne Marie Zimeri, a faculty member in the College of Public Health, and Misha Boyd, an academic advisor in the Odum School of Ecology.
The award is presented each spring to faculty and 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.
For more than five years, Zimeri, a lecturer and the undergraduate coordinator in the department of environmental health sciences, has advised an average of 50 students each semester. In a nominating letter by her department head, Jia-Sheng Wang stated that Zimeri’s “…dedication, time commitment and genuine desire to see her students succeed are above and beyond the requirements for an advisor.”
Students praise Zimeri’s holistic, yet individualized approach to advising, her passion for helping students, and her guidance and support.
Boyd, who works in the Odum School of Ecology’s advising office, has been an advisor for 10 years and advises approximately 170 students each semester. Associate dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Eileen Kraemer, and associate dean of ecology, Ron Carroll, praised Boyd for her accuracy and thoughtfulness, her expertise with the curriculum and her genuine interest in her students.
One of her student nominators wrote, “I have never met any advisor that can even be compared to Misha’s compassion and dedication.” Another wrote, “Misha serves a crucial role in tying together the university’s close-knit ecology community.”
Zimeri and Boyd will receive a cash award and a plaque and will be recognized during UGA Honors Week celebrations April 16-21.
Recipients were chosen by a committee composed of a previous winner, an advising administrator and a majority of undergraduate students, two of whom served as co-chairs of the meeting when nominations were reviewed and winners were chosen. The UGA Office of the Vice President for Instruction administers the award each year.
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