Professional News

2 UK Advisors Awarded National Honors at NACADA Conference

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Jennifer Riggs Doerge
Heather Hardesty

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 2, 2022) — Two University of Kentucky advisors have received awards from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)

Jennifer Riggs Doerge, senior director of advising and engineering student services in the College of Engineering, was awarded the Outstanding Professional Advisor Award. Heather Hardesty, academic advisor for undergraduate students within the College of Health Sciences, was awarded the Outstanding New Advisor Award.

Established in 1983, NACADA is an association of professional advisors, counselors, faculty, administrators and students working to enhance the educational development of students. NACADA serves as an advocate for effective academic advising by providing a consulting and speaker service, an awards program and funding for research related to academic advising.

“I’m so grateful for this recognition,” Hardesty said. “NACADA is made up of many excellent, hardworking advisors. Receiving this acknowledgment from them is a true honor. It indicates I’m on the right track as I continue to help students on their educational journeys.”

The Outstanding New Advisor Awards are presented to individuals who have demonstrated qualities associated with outstanding academic advising of students and who have served as a professional advisor or a faculty member with advising duties for a period of three or fewer years.

“I’m passionate about advising because I enjoy building relationships with students, helping them become the people they want to be and achieving their goals,” Hardesty said. “I’m honored to get to play a small part in their journey at UK.”

Doerge, who was last year’s recipient of the Ken Freedman Outstanding Professional Advisor Award, is thankful to both the university and NACADA for this recognition. 

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award from NACADA,” Doerge said. “It validates the work that advisors do day in and day out to best serve students. The UK Advising Network has continued to promote and advocate for advising on our campus and has set the groundwork for our advising community to grow through NACADA and I am thankful that our campus has such a strong and supportive advising community in the Advising Network.”

The Outstanding Advising Awards annually recognize individuals who have demonstrated qualities associated with outstanding academic advising of students or outstanding academic advising administration.

For over 13 years, Doerge has served the advising community at UK. While the accolades received along the way are a great indicator that she is on the right path, Doerge believes the true reward is received when she helps a student realize their potential. 

“Being an academic advisor is an incredibly important and integral role in higher education,” Doerge said. “Advisors are tasked with partnering with students to be their support system, sounding board, confidante — ultimately, their go-to person on campus that they can rely on for support.  Advisors are one of the first people students meet when they come to campus and we remain a constant and unwavering structure of support for them throughout their time at UK. It is such a rewarding position that allows advisors to empower their students to be active in their own successes.”

Two university advisors also received certificates of merit from NACADA. 

  • Sherali Zeadally, College of Communication and Information | Excellence in Advising — Faculty Advisor Certificate of Merit
  • Casey Shadix, College of Health Sciences | Excellence in Advising — Advising Administrator Certificate of Merit

For a full list of past UK NACADA award winners click here. To learn more about advising at UK, visit the advising website here

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.