April 9, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will honor an administrator, a student counselor and a faculty member for their commitment to excellence in advising during an awards ceremony 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, in the UAB Bartow Arena, Green and Gold Room, 617 13th Street South. The winners, who were selected by a five-member committee, will compete for the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) award later this spring.
The 2003 winners are: Nancy Walburn, Outstanding Advising Administrator; Amanda Horton, Outstanding Professional Advisor; and Margaret Armbrester, M.A., Outstanding Faculty Advisor.
UAB hosts the annual Outstanding Advisor Awards ceremony to recognize those who have demonstrated outstanding academic advising of undergraduate students. It is the first year UAB is presenting an award to an administrator, in keeping with NACADA, which presents awards in all three categories.
Nancy Walburn directs the UAB Division of General Studies, which offers academic advising services to undeclared majors. Last year, General Studies provided assistance to nearly 3,500 students.
Walburn worked to design a computerized tracking and correspondence system to enhance and raise student awareness of the advising services available at UAB. She led the development of “The Student Survival Guide,” a resource to help students understand the college experience. The guide received the 1993 NACADA publication award. Walburn also directed the design and implementation of University 101, a class that gives entering freshmen the skills they need to succeed in college, and she created a pre-health faculty advisory committee that supports the preparation of students applying to medical, dental and optometry school.
Walburn has also worked to promote the professional development of advisors at UAB. She helped write an advisor-training manual and she initiated the Outstanding Advisor Awards Program at UAB.
Walburn chairs the Committee on Academic Advising (CAA), a university-wide committee that promotes continuing education for academic advisors. She is now organizing a university-wide advisor-training program.
Amanda Horton is a student counselor in the Department of Biology in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM). The department has more than 700 majors. Horton is an orientation coordinator for NSM and works to ensure that each student who chooses a major in NSM is advised during orientation. She also is the advisor for the biology club, Phi Sigma.
Horton developed the Tipsheet for Biology Majors for students transferring from junior colleges to UAB. The tipsheet provides the students with advice on how to succeed in their science courses.
She has taught time management and study skills seminars for students, including members of fraternities and sororities on campus. She now teaches a course, Surviving and Thriving at UAB, which is offered to entering freshman.
Horton has also presented a seminar on the importance of academic advising for the UAB Interfraternity Council. She was named Outstanding Greek Advisor in 2002.
Margaret Armbrester, M.A., is an assistant professor in the Department of History and an advisor for the department’s 240 history majors.
Armbrester advises students on classes, graduate school and career options. She reviews the history department’s course offerings to ensure that classes are accessible to both day and night students. She is a liaison between the Department of History and the School of Education, assisting students seeking a double major in history and education.
She has reorganized the Department of History’s undergraduate internship program. She is a liaison between non-profits that offer internships and the students.
Armbrester has participated in career day activities and is a member of various committees that interview candidates for scholarships. She has also delivered presentations to entering freshmen on how to succeed in college.