Karen York

Program Coordinator for Student Success
College of Arts & Sciences

Dr. Borst says it plainly,

"Karen is one of the most dedicated and hard-working advisors in the College."

As a student success advisor, Karen is responsible to coordinate with offices within the college and across campus to find new ideas and strategies to support students.

Karen was a first-generation college student from a military family. She has a deep understanding of the obstacles students can face in college. She says we must look at all factors in students' lives to help identify the resources, assistance, and interventions necessary for them to be successful. To that end, Karen was part of the team that established the Jim & Cecilia Edwards Student Emergency Support Fund in the College of Arts & Sciences. This fund assists Arts & Sciences students who have unmet financial needs related to basic living expenses.
In addition to advising students in academic jeopardy and serving as an Academic First Responder, Karen also participates in the A&S Learning Community as the liaison for the College.

Nominees

• Steven Phillips
• Jenna Watson
• Abed Monawar
• Kelsey Kern
• Deanna Calder
• Maria DeFillipi
• Jessica Woodard
• Kristi Fierro

Moriah Beyers

Competition Field Advisor
Animal & Food Sciences
College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources (CASNR)

Moriah serves as academic advisor for students in the Department of Animal Science majors as well as co-advisor for student organizations within the department.

In addition to advising students, Moriah also coordinates important events within her departments, such as the myriad judging events across the state. She represents Texas Tech and the College while recruiting the next class of Red Raiders. According to Dr. Sam Jackson, Moriah is integral to student success and the success of the College.

"She has clearly excelled in promoting Texas Tech and giving valuable advice to our students in the area of academic scheduling as well as career placement. [She] is a dedicated advisor, a tireless promoter of Texas Tech University, and continues to work diligently to encourage top students to choose Animal Science as a major," says Jackson.

Moriah says her passion is to bring the best students to Texas Tech University, to provide those students with a positive educational experience, and to equip each of them to be successful in whatever career they pursue following graduation. She believes the most rewarding experience as an advisor is watching the success of current and former students.

Nominees

• Patty Schovanec

Courtney Meyers, Ph.D.

Faculty and Graduate Studies Coordinator
Agricultural Education & Communications Department
College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources (CASNR)

Dr. Meyers' advising philosophy is simple but all-encompassing: respect individual students' plans and struggles while providing advice that will help them reach their goals and succeed in school and life. Dr. Meyers' current role with graduate students saw her shift her focus slightly with students enrolled in Agricultural Education and Communications, but she intentionally maintains advisor responsibility with undergraduate students.

One of her students had this to say about Dr. Meyer's impact:

"It is challenging to put into words what makes Dr. Meyers a truly amazing advisor and professor, but it all relates to her genuine nature and service mindset.  Through every discussion with Dr. Meyers, I always leave our conversations feeling motivated and prepared to tackle the next goal.

"Dr. Meyers' enthusiasm and passion for working with students is contagious and I will beforever grateful our paths have crossed. I hope to exhibit the same service mindset for my students and advisees that Dr. Meyers has invested in not only myself, but all of her students. Dr. Meyers is my academic role-model."

College of Education Academic Advising

• Chris Corona
• Chris Covarrubio
• Karen Noles
• Cheryl Shaffer
• Lyndsey E. Crawford

The TTU College of Education advises students working toward teacher certification in Texas. In addition to understanding and explaining Texas Tech academic policies, this team is also responsible for explaining and following state requirements for certification laws and teaching appointments.

Perhaps the best understanding of the team environment comes directly from one of the team members:

"We have come very far in the past year as a team. We had some turnover that forced us to evaluate ourselves and seek to find better ways of operating. The new members joined our team and fit in perfectly! We try very hard to lift and build our students up to the kind of future educators that our nation needs now.

"Being a teacher is not easy, and we are the support staff for future teachers! We must encourage, boost and reward students with appreciation and guidance. Our goal is to have our graduates be so well prepared for the classroom that they can excel and represent Texas Tech University in everything they do!"

Nominees