Students, faculty, staff take home annual First-Year Experience awards

July 24, 2017

Each year First-Year Experience (FYE) invites the University community to nominate and recognize excellence in the teaching and mentoring of first-year students. [caption id="attachment_7456" align="alignright" width="212"] Associate Professor Dustin Anderson, Alex Dugan[/caption] The FYE Advisory Council sifts through dozens of nominations to select the recipients of the awards. This year the Council selected sophomore English major Candace (Alex) Dugan as the 2017 Peer Leader of the Year. This award recognizes a peer leader who works in harmony with his or her FYE 1220 faculty member to provide a quality classroom experience while engaging students in the overall University community and serving as a positive role model. Dugan worked with Associate Professor Dustin Anderson, Ph.D., to peer-lead the first-year seminar course. “Rather than simply passing on dates and times of FYE events, Alex spent considerable time researching campus and community events that she saw relating to the students’ interests at not only a course topic level, but at an individual level,” said Anderson. “...This was time-consuming, but Alex treated it as if it were simply the done thing.” Dugan received a $100 award for her title. The Council also named two recipients of the award for Outstanding Advocate for First-Year Students. This award recognizes one full-time faculty member and one administrator or staff member who have made significant contributions to the academic and/or personal lives of first-year students. Daniel Calhoun, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Leadership, Technology and Human Development, was selected as the faculty Outstanding Advocate. In addition to teaching an FYE 1220 course on leadership, Calhoun also serves on the FYE Council and for the past several years has worked as a teaching mentor for new adjunct FYE faculty. [caption id="attachment_7457" align="aligncenter" width="608"] Daniel Calhoun, Ph.D., (center, with plaque), pictured with University administrators[/caption] “Dr. Dan is so easy to talk to for help and advice,” said one of Calhoun’s student nominators. “He made learning about leadership so interesting and exciting each class. Group discussions were always a big part of class, and it was obvious that he greatly valued each [student’s] opinion...He makes me want to get way more involved in school and in the community.” [caption id="attachment_7458" align="aligncenter" width="408"] Nic Escalante, M.A., pictured with University administrators[/caption] Nick Escalante, a hall director for University Housing, was named Outstanding Advocate for administrators or staff members. “The first time I walked into Mr. Escalante’s office I felt welcomed,” said one of Escalante’s student nominators. “He is always so ready to help you in any way that he can, and he is sure to do it with a smile adorning his face. He will stop at nothing to make sure whatever problem you are facing is taken care of in some way.” Calhoun and Escalante both received a commemorative plaque and covered travel to an FYE or professional conference of their choice. All award prizes were funded by FYE and Phi Eta Sigma, the FYE student honor society. For a full list of nominees and more on the award recipients, visit http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/fye/about/awards/. Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 118 degree programs serving 20,673 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.