Erica Weeks, the college’s director of academic advising, received the Excellence in Community Building Award at MSU's Academic Advisor Recognition and Awards Ceremony on Feb. 24.
The award recognizes individual leaders who have made outstanding contributions to creating a supportive, collaborative, and inclusive advising community. It especially honors those who foster a sense of belonging, connection, and shared purpose among advisors, faculty, staff, and students.
Engineering Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies Amanda Idema said Weeks has created a presence with the college’s advising team, faculty, staff, and students by being empathetic, caring, direct and supportive.
“Erica thrives on mentoring and supporting those around her,” Idema said. “She has the ability to meet students on any level. She very proudly uses her experience in the military, her life as a non-traditional student, and as a woman of color to develop rapport with just about anyone.
“She tirelessly promotes and advocates for advisor professional development,” Idema continued. “Whether it's requesting funds to support travel for advisors to attend conferences or bringing professional development to the staff, she constantly works to enhance everyone’s knowledge.”
Outside of her director role, Weeks commits her time to many campus service opportunities, including her long-time work with the Mujer a Mujer workshop series and serving as a faculty advisor for Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Inc.'s Beta Epsilon chapter at MSU. For her efforts, the chapter created the Erica Weeks Emerald of Excellence Scholarship in her honor.
Engineering undergraduate advising
The College of Engineering provides a variety of support services for current MSU students including academic advising and career services. Undergraduates are encouraged to meet with advisors and schedule advising appointments. It is recommended that students meet with their advisor regularly, at least once a semester, to receive assistance with major selection, schedule planning, utilizing MSU resources, career planning, and more.
Written by Patricia Mroczek.
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