Each year, the WVU Academic Advising Council, at the direction of the Office of the Provost, selects honorees for the Nicholas Evans Awards for Advising Excellence in recognition of outstanding advising and mentoring provided by faculty and professional advisors at WVU. The awards are in honor of Nicholas Evans, a lifelong proponent and exemplar of undergraduate advising at WVU.
Cathy Camden, senior academic advisor in the School of Nursing, has been named one of the 2022 recipients of the Nicholas Evans Professional Advising Excellence Award.
Camden is valued by her students, their families and her colleagues – as evidenced through the glowing letters of recommendation. One such letter was even submitted by a parent. Working with students from their freshman year through graduation, she makes herself readily available and does so with care and compassion for their overall well-being.
“I have always loved the Maya Angelou quote people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,’” Camden shared. “That is one of the best examples of how I feel and the impression I like to leave with others, especially when advising. Advisors have the privilege of working one-on-one with students allowing us to assist in achieving their educational goals according to each of their needs and circumstances.”
Camden has also made significant efforts to work collaboratively with the School’s faculty and honors program. Committee members noted her “desire to help students” and approach to advising as being “developmental rather than transactional.”
“Values I like to instill in my students early-on are independence and confidence because I believe instilling these values helps them recognize their full potential; and, together, I can assist them in reaching their educational goals,” Camden said. “Also, I want them to know that through that journey I will be their advocate, and someone who they can come to with any problem or situation — personal or academic. I believe students need assistance adjusting to college and adulthood.”
Camden joined the advising team at the School of Nursing in 2014 as an Academic Advisor and was recently promoted to Senior Academic Advisor. One personal point of pride for Camden is a collaboration with the Honors College, which now allows nursing students the option of add-ons or honor sections for many pre-requisite classes, such as PSYC 101, PSYC 241, SOCA 105, HN&F 171 and add-ons for many of their nursing classes.
During her tenure, School of Nursing faculty, staff, and students have come to recognize Camden’s hard work, respect her professionalism and admire her dedication to her advisees.
“Cathy often uses the knowledge acquired in her education and life experience to benefit her students and it contributes to her use of student development theories and academic advising theories to better serve her students,” said Julian Nguyen, Director of Advising & Student Success. “Throughout her many advising hats, she has always kept student success as her main priority.”
He added, “On a summer day, I asked a student wandering the halls if he needed help. He stated that he was looking for Cathy Camden’s office. When I asked him if he had an appointment, he shook his head and said, I just want to visit Cathy, my former advisor.’
“Cathy was surprised by the student walking in to visit and did not expect that courtesy. This former student was from Saudi Arabia, graduated some years ago, moved back to his country and worked as a nurse. He came back to the States to visit his relatives in Washington DC and decided to drive to Morgantown just to visit Cathy. That shows how much her students appreciate her,” Nguyen said.
Multiple students shared their gratitude for Camden’s advising, one even referred to her as a “bonus mom.” Another student, Cierra Yantz, said, “Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to make it as far as I had, nor will I be able to continue pursuing my goals in the future.”
All four Nicholas Evans award recipients will be awarded $1,250 for professional development. Recipients will be recognized by Provost Reed and President Gordon Gee during a faculty and staff awards reception at Blaney House on April 20.
Read more about these and other awards on the WVU Faculty website.
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CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu