Outstanding Advisor Award Recipients Named

The University of Arkansas Outstanding Advisor Award recipients for the 2011-12 academic year are Douglas Rhoads from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences as the outstanding faculty advisor and J.R. Hinkson from the Sam M. Walton College of Business as the outstanding professional adviser.

The award recipients receive $2,500, are recognized at a reception held in their honor during the fall semester, and are nominated for the national academic advising awards sponsored by National Academic Advising Association, the Global Community for Academic Advising. Recipients were selected from a pool of nominees by the Academic Advising Council for their overwhelming evidence of qualities and practices that distinguished them as outstanding advisors.

Rhoads is a professor of biological sciences in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. One of his letters of support stated, "The constant traffic of advice-seekers – students and faculty members – to his office is a testament to how much he is esteemed for his knowledge about procedure. But Dr. Rhoads’s influence goes well beyond this, because he actively supports students in outside-of-class endeavors that contribute to professional development."

Hinkson is an academic advisor for the Sam M. Walton College of Business. One of his letters of support stated, "J.R. Hinkson displays exemplary qualities as an academic advisor. Always putting the student first, Mr. Hinkson bestows exceptional detail to each student’s unique needs while possessing a thorough knowledge of the subject matter on which he is advising. I believe Mr. Hinkson seeks to establish a connection with the students he advises, which is a unique and appreciated quality for an advisor in a college of such immense enrollment."