Erin Wilgenbusch, senior lecturer in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, has been named the recipient of the 2019 Ruth W. Swenson Award for Outstanding Advising by Iowa State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Wilgenbusch was nominated by her Greenlee School colleagues for the award, which recognizes faculty or professional staff who have continued to demonstrate outstanding performance in advising Iowa State University undergraduate students throughout their professional career.
Criteria includes evidence of outstanding performance as an advisor, as documented by student evaluations, student letters of support and/or supporting documentation of peers who work closely with the nominee. Faculty and professional staff with a minimum of 5 years of service to ISU and LAS and whose current responsibility includes the advising of undergraduate students are eligible. Selections are made by a committee made up of LAS faculty.
Wilgenbusch, an accredited public relations professional, joined the Greenlee faculty in 2002 and serves as the academic adviser for up to 100 students per semester.
"Erin has been advising students for over 16 years. This in itself suggests a command of the task and the sheer number of students she has advised over that period is noteworthy. But numbers are not always an indication of quality. More noteworthy to me is the reputation Erin has built as an adviser over those years," said Michael Dahlstrom, associate director of the Greenlee School.
In addition to her advising and teaching responsibilities, Wilgenbusch is the faculty adviser of the Iowa State University Barbara Riedesel Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and serves as a member of the university’s Athletics Council and several Greenlee School committees. She was awarded the Greenlee School Harry Heath Advising Award in 2015 in recognition of her extraordinary advising.
Wilgenbusch and her fellow 2019 LAS Award recipients will receive their awards at the LAS Fall Convocation September 9, 2019, at the ISU Memorial Union.