"I'm very excited," says Rebecca Daly Cofer of her recent national award.

The Award for Outstanding New Advisor Goes To...

By: Felicia Lockey

Posted: 11/10/09

At a recent National Academic Advising Associations' (NACADA) ceremony in San Antonio, Tx. ABAC's own Rebecca Daly Cofer received the "Outstanding New Advisor" award.

"I'm honored because the organization is about helping students and that is what I do. I am very excited." Cofer said.

Cofer is an ABAC Student Development Specialist, and an advisor to all Liberal Arts and Health Sciences students. She works in Enrollment Services with a picture of her adorable puppy, Fitzgerald, on her desk and a warm smile to welcome everyone.

In order to qualify for the award, all recipients were required to be an active member of the National Academic Advising Association, an advisor for three years or less at an accredited post-secondary institution, letters of nominations, and a portfolio consisting of 14 pages front and back. Cofer was one of five recipients to receive a reward that night.

Also, the nominees must demonstrate strength in advisor-student contact skills such as strong interpersonal skills, availability to students, faculty, or staff, frequency of contact with students, appropriate referral activity, and use and dissemination of appropriate information sources.

Nominees were also asked to show strength in areas such as evidence of student success rate, by advisor or department, caring, helpful attitude towards students, faculty and staff, informal settings when advising students, participation in, and support of, intrusive advising to build strong relationships with students, monitoring of student progress toward academic and career goals, mastery of institutional regulations, policies, and procedures, ability to engage in, promote, and more.

When asked about Mrs. Cofer's national award, her husband responded, "I am really proud of her. I mean, it is a national award. She worked very hard for it and submitted a lot of paper work to receive this award. I am really happy for her."

Cofer recently began working at ABAC in September and is currently enjoying
her work with students, faculty, and staff. Originally from New Jersey, Cofer attended Virginia Tech for her undergraduate and graduate degree. She majored in English and History, and earned her Master's degree in English Literature.
Cofer's husband, Jordan Cofer, also works at ABAC as an assistant English professor in Liberal Arts. Cofer's immediate family consists of her husband, herself and their miniature Schnauzer,Fitzgerald.