UNO Academic Advising Council Names Mallory Asay Advisor of the Month

Mallory Asay, Academic Advisor, in the College of Engineering, was recently named the “Advisor of the Month” by the Academic Advising Council (AAC) for the month of March.

The award will be presented to Asay at the March Academic Advising Council meeting.

Asay’s nominators said:

“Mallory is a true gift to the engineering advising team. She is a champion for her students, works with faculty on helping to solve problems and supports other team members by volunteering at events outside of advising. She celebrates her students' successes but is also there to support struggling students work on recovery and improvement. She is a positive energy, inspiring colleague, and dedicated advisor.”

“Mallory is so wonderful with our students! When I see her notes from meetings, I can see the time and care she takes to ask questions to learn more about the student, what motivates them and what their strengths and opportunities are. She helps to encourage students and gives them great strategies when they find themselves struggling. Mallory is very positive and always looking for ways to get more involved and lift up those around her. She is great about communicating resources that might benefit other students in addition to her advisees. We are so lucky to have her working with our students!"

“I am a faculty member in the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction. I work with Mallory on a daily basis. She goes out of her way to make sure that students are always taken care of. She prides herself in responding quickly to students and making time for them in emergencies. Mallory always wants to keep up with what is going on in the department and is very collaborative with the faculty. She is an amazing advisor and very deserving of the recognition.”

“Mallory is an incredible advisor. I have worked with many advisors, but Mallory is distinct from all of them. She excels in four areas: attitude, competence, compassion, diligence.”

“Mallory is always upbeat, and establishes a very positive and friendly atmosphere, whether meeting with students, contributing to faculty meetings, passing by in the hall, etc. She has an amazing grip on the rules, courses, instructors, and student identities. As a faculty advisor, I can rely on her to be able to answer questions about anything related to undergraduates, even for topics that are not assigned to her. She attends our faculty meetings, and is a frequent source of fast and accurate information if we have questions. If ever there is a question that she doesn't know the answer to, she finds out and remembers the answer. For example, this week my classroom ran out of fluid to clean the whiteboard. I saw her in the break room and mentioned this, wondering how to find more fluid. She said she didn't know. Within a few minutes I got an email from her of whom to contact. Students sometimes have personal struggles. Mallory is able to provide a compassionate, but always professional, ear to them. It calms them down, and she steers them back onto the academic questions. She is firm with following rules, but also kind to the student. We can rely on Mallory to get things done correctly and on time. She is never late for a meeting. I've never seen her make a mistake. If she speaks about a rule or course, I don't have to check it; I know that she's correct. Clearly, she should be advisor of the month. If there's an advisor of the year or decade, I'd also advocate for her being recognized for that!”

“I work closely with Mallory as she advises first year CIVE and ENVE students and then passes them to meet for second year and beyond. Mallory always provides excellent advising to our students. I have seen Mallory, on numerous occasions, help with students with very difficult situations due to lack of prerequisites and lack of open classes find just the right balance of courses and schedules. She also works to make sure she understands the CIVE & ENVE curriculum, which is difficult, because we have made many changes over the last few years.”

“Mallory goes above and beyond for students. She is always looking for new and innovative ways to help students, especially transfer students, graduate as efficiently as possible. She is truly amazing!”

“Mallory goes above and beyond her role as an advisor. She's not just there for scheduled appointments; she's always happy to help students with quick questions, whether they're planned or pop in. But her dedication doesn't stop there. As co-advisor of NESCO, she's instrumental in helping me and students organize and make sure student events run smoothly. I recently saw firsthand how she helped students, including myself, jump in and set up spaces for our E-Week events. Her positive attitude and willingness to help are infectious, and we're all incredibly lucky to have her in Engineering Student Services.”

“Mallory has such a heart for our students. She cares so much about their success. She advises our AREN students, helping us faculty make decisions about any unusual cases. She is ALWAYS willing to dig into something for curriculum committee, to see how it would affect the students and is able to find answers quickly that would have taken me hours to find. She is positive. She is warm. She cares. But she's also willing to hold students accountable and not let them get away with things. She advocates for the student, but respects (and helps implement) the decisions made by the faculty. And best of all, I really like being around her. What else can I say, she's AWESOME!”

“Mallory is an excellent advisor. She is very caring and always wants what is best for the student but always knows and follows the rules. She is also great from a faculty perspective. She comes to our curriculum committee meetings and is always willing to help with retention issues. I highly recommend Mallory for this recognition.”

“Mallory consistently provides excellent service to College of Engineering students. She is willing to help students with their advising questions and makes sure each student is receiving the care and attention they need. Additionally, Mallory takes the time outside of advising to support our student orgs and her colleagues.”

“Mallory consistently goes above and beyond in her work with students. In my role tracking and working with retention data for the College of Engineering, Mallory consistently uses her insights to think through ways to better anticipate issues that students are going to face in their college careers and work proactively to help support them. She is an outspoken advocate for students in need and a positive influence in their daily lives.”

For being selected as the AAC Advisor of the Month, Asay will receive a certificate and gift card.