First-Year Experience announces winners of annual awards
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Leticia McGrath, Brandon Lee and Annise Richard are the 2016 FYE Award winners.[/caption]
The First-Year Experience (FYE) program at Georgia Southern announced the winners of its annual Outstanding Advocate for First-Year Students and FYE Peer Leader of the Year awards that recognize excellence in the teaching and mentoring of first-year students.
Leticia McGrath, Ph.D., assistant professor of Spanish, was named the 2016 Faculty Outstanding Advocate for First-Year Students. McGrath has taught multiple sections of both First-Year Seminar and Global Citizens for the past several years for both honors and non-honors students. She has developed an alternative spring break trip to Costa Rica that develops material from her FYE theme, “Hispanic Culture through Film.” Last spring, McGrath led a group of first-year students to a student conference in Virginia to present their work from her Global Citizens course. She also serves as a teaching mentor to new FYE faculty, and has worked with FYE on several assessment and curriculum development projects.
“Teaching for FYE has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my professional life, as it gives me the opportunity not only to get to know students and faculty from all disciplines who otherwise I would not have ever met,” said McGrath. “I also get to share my love of Hispanic Culture and Film and encourage students to engage in discussions and research with enthusiasm.”
Annise Richard, hall director at Eagle Village, was named the 2016 Outstanding Advocate for First-Year Students for administrators or staff members. She's taught FYE 1220 since coming to Georgia Southern three years ago, to both fall-term freshmen and Eagle Incentive Program students. Her theme is "Daring Greatly the College Way."
"I have always been a big believer in first impressions, and I think that is why I am so passionate about serving first-year students,” Richard said. “I love the feeling that my first interactions with these students could impact the rest of their college career, and I strive to make the best impression I can.”
Brandon Lee received the 2016 FYE Peer Leader of the Year Award. Lee is from Athens, Georgia, and is a senior honors student majoring in management and marketing. Brandon has been involved with FYE as a peer leader for three years.
"The experience itself and professional relationships I have built with professors have been invaluable to me,” he said. “Each year I felt more confident in my role in the classroom, but I have enjoyed working with incoming freshman each year. It gave me the opportunity to give the sort of guidance I would have appreciated in my freshman year, and helps students make a successful transition to college."
The First-Year Experience Advisory Council selects the recipients, who receive a plaque and travel to an FYE or other professional conference (Outstanding Advocate winners) or $100 (Peer Leader). The awards are sponsored by First-Year Experience and Phi Eta Sigma, the first-year student honor society.
Posted in Faculty, My News, Reward & Recognition, Staff, Students