Academic Adviser Jessica Hansen has been selected for an Early Achievement in Academic Advising Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Hansen joined the Greenlee School as an academic adviser in the fall 2013 semester and on top of advising over 240 undergraduate students, she has taken on the school’s course scheduling responsibilities.
“When I review Jessica’s resumé, I grimace when I read the sheer volume of work expected of her, some of it outside the responsibilities of academic advising,” wrote Senior Lecturer Deb Gibson in her nomination letter. “Yet she is forever smiling, asking the important questions of students and faculty and exuding an energy that is affirming and heartfelt.”
Hansen’s students echoed Gibson’s characterizations. Maggie Jennett, senior in journalism and mass communication, wrote in her nomination letter, “Jessica is the type of person who gets to know the students she works with… She takes a genuine interest in their success and their academics.”
Greenlee School Director Michael Bugeja noted that Hansen’s commitment to her students and their success contributes to the Greenlee School’s 60 percent graduation rate in three or four years. “What makes her contributions stand out is the keen interest she takes in student welfare so that she handles back-to-back appointments on any given day, helping our nearly 900 majors,” Bugeja wrote.
One of Hansen’s advisees, Jessica Enwesi, sophomore in journalism and mass communication, recalled first meeting Hansen after first coming to Iowa State. She had applied for admission late and was feeling overwhelmed by the many decisions she faced as a first-year student.
“Jessica made me feel like I belonged here,” Enwesi wrote. “While telling me about all the opportunities ISU offered and giving words of encouragement, Jessica became more than my advisor. She became my friend.
“Coming from a high school where your academic counselor was just your academic counselor and nothing else, this aspect was and still is very important to me.”
Hansen will be honored for her award at the fall 2016 LAS Convocation Ceremony.