Derrek Drenckpohl and Cristen Monson will be honored as the Outstanding New Undergraduate Advisor Award recipients at the annual Founders Day Convocation at 2 p.m., Thursday, February 15, in the Brown Ballroom of the Bone Student Center.
School of Teaching and Learning Academic Advisor Derrek Drenckpohl began his professional life in education as an elementary teacher in Chicago Public Schools before teaching secondary social studies abroad in Italy and the Cayman Islands for several years. He was also head varsity soccer coach at Morton High School and an adjunct professor at Illinois Central College before coming to ISU. At Illinois State, Drenckpohl advises nearly 400 bilingual and elementary education majors through academic and teaching licensure requirements. This past summer, he successfully developed and implemented a study abroad experience for the College of Education to Milan, Italy. Drenckpohl earned an undergraduate degree in history at the University of Illinois, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Administration and Foundations at ISU.
After teaching at ISU, Bradley, and working in the admissions office at Illinois Wesleyan University, Academic Advisor Cristen Monson began working in the School of Theatre and Dance in 2016. Monson advises all theatre and dance majors and minors as they navigate through the curriculum. She developed a new course for first semester freshmen in the school entitled, “Freshman Experience.” She created a student ambassador program called “RASies” to tour, assist with recruitment, and serve as the guides for prospective families. Cristen is a member of the AAC On-Boarding committee, which provides resources and welcomes new advisors to ISU. Monson earned an undergraduate degree in acting at The University of Texas at El Paso and a master’s degree in theatre studies from Illinois State University.
