Lauren Koerwitz, of the Undergraduate Advising Resource Center (UARC) at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, is being honored on a state level for her excellence in academic advising office operations.

Koerwitz will receive the Wisconsin Academic Advising Association (WACADA) Foundation Award that recognizes an advising staff member whose work and dedication positively influences student perception and overall function of the office.

The 2017 WACADA on the Water: Keeping up with Current Trends Conference takes place Sept. 14-15 at the Alumni Welcome and Conference Center at UW Oshkosh.

Sally Masters, associate director of academic advising at UW Oshkosh, said Koerwitz serves as administrative assistant/office manager for the high-traffic UW Oshkosh Undergraduate Advising Resource Office.

“Every new student on campus is advised in this office and for the most part, continues with the UARC, until transitioning to a faculty adviser,” Masters said in her nomination letter. “She (Koerwitz) serves an office of 19 full-time professional advisers plus a graduate intern; it is an office that sees approximately 13,000 student appointments annually. Her work touches every one of those students plus the many that stop in for questions, concerns or drop-in appointments.”

Committed to help

Koerwitz also co-supervises and trains 20 Peer Advising Liaisons that work at the front desks.

“It is one of her primary responsibilities to ensure that every student or other guest that enters this office receives the help and care they deserve,” Masters said.

Another area of impact is the troubleshooting Koerwitz has done following implementation of new advising case management software – as well as training she provided to Peer Advising Liaisons and other administrative assistants on campus.

“Truly, I am not sure what we would have done without her,” Masters said. “Lauren is the type of person who most often sees and completes tasks before she is asked and wants to do things accurately and professionally. We can always count on her to do anything she is asked to do and to do it well. She is dedicated to learning and developing professionally in order to provide the best service possible.”