Four advisors will be honored at the upcoming Illinois State University Founders Day celebration on Thursday, February 18, for their commitment and dedication to student success.
Elizabeth Chupp of the School of Communication earned the Herb Sanders Award for Outstanding Academic Advisement. Sarah Dolan of the School of Teaching and Learning earned the Outstanding New Undergraduate Advisor Award, and Bryan Hays and Amy Secretan, both of the office of the University Registrar, will share the Academic Advising Advocate Recognition.
Chupp began her advising career in the School of Communication at Illinois State in March 2011. After earning her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Illinois State, she worked in the corporate sector before returning to ISU to earn a master’s in communication.
While serving as a graduate teaching assistant, Chupp discovered her true passion for working with students. She is currently serving as the director of advisement for the school, where she primarily advises mass media majors and takes on several administrative roles. In addition, she teaches courses in the School of Communication, including career-related courses and the basic public speaking course. Chupp is active in the Academic Advising Council, the Professional Development and Training sub-committee, and the Illinois Academic Advising Association (ILACADA) 2016 Conference Planning Committee.
Dolan earned a bachelor’s degree in social science education and a master’s in college student personnel administration from Illinois State. She began her professional student affairs career as the assistant director of Residential and Student Life at Lincoln College Normal. Now with Illinois State, Dolan advises nearly 400 education majors through academic and teaching licensure requirements as an academic advisor with the School of Teaching and Learning.
Dolan has worked closely with the middle level faculty in redesigning the Middle Level Teacher Education program to balance the needs of the state and university with the needs of the student.
Hays has been an Illinois State University employee for just over a year, working for the Registrar’s office and on the LEAPForward project. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and rhetoric from Drake University, and has spent most of his career working in higher education as an instructor, researcher, or staff member.
Hays’ duties in the Registrar’s office are varied, including record keeping, pre-requisite management, and data analysis. However, he considers his support for students and academic units the most important part of his responsibilities. Hays also works closely with the curriculum review process, where his priority is encouraging simple, consistent language that students and staff can rely on when referencing the catalog.
Secretan began her career at Illinois State as a graduate assistant in the Records office. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies, as well as a master’s in communication at Illinois State. She was an integral part of the Student Records team during the LEAPForward project.
Secretan currently serves as the outreach coordinator for the Office of the University Registrar. Her duties include responding to questions from faculty, students, and staff regarding student records and registration, troubleshooting problems within the student information system, providing assistance and resources to advisors and registrar staff, and supervising the call center in the Registrar Service Center. In addition to her work with the Registrar’s office, she has taught COM 110, as well as the First Year LinC seminar. She currently serves as the Student Records representative on the Academic Advising Council. She has also been an assistant coach for the University High School speech team for the past eight years, traveling to tournaments around the state as a coach and judge, and has been with her team to four national tournaments around the nation.
Find more details on the Founders Day celebration.
