Karin Readel, senior education coordinator for Informatics programs, has received the Outstanding Advising Professional Award from IlliAAC, a professional development organization for student and academic affairs staff at the University of Illinois. She was recognized at the IlliAAC Conference on May 19.
Readel manages all aspects of the undergraduate minor in Informatics and the Informatics PhD program, which includes recruitment, advising, and tracking students' academic progress.
"Karin is a patient listener for students who want to talk through any aspect of the program," wrote Lisa Bievenue, director of Informatics programs, in her letter of nomination. "Karin has also been very responsive to personal issues and helping students find the assistance they need; she has been known to phone students or their colleagues for wellness checks after they've been unresponsive, and she regularly helps students with petitions and annual progress reports."
Readel is active in IlliAAC and the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), where she serves on the steering committee for the NACADA Technology in Advising Community and has presented at both national and regional conferences.
"The advising community at the University of Illinois is an amazing group of people, all with the common goal of providing an exemplary educational experience to every single student on campus," said Readel. "I'm grateful to be part of this community and humbled to be recognized by my peers for the important work that we all do."