CHASSE Advisor Yvette Palmer Earns Professional Advisor of the Year Award
Yvette Palmer, an academic advisor for the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education (CHASSE) at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, received the Professional Advisor of the Year Award this spring.
Palmer has served the students at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock for 14 years, and during that time has gone 鈥渁bove and beyond鈥� in supporting CHASSE students both at work and after hours, according to Sarah Haughenbury, the director of student services at CHASSE, who nominated Palmer for the award.聽
The award, presented by the Arkansas Academic Advising Network (ArkAAN), was given to Palmer during the CHASSE spring drive-in meeting in May. Haughenbury said among the many ways Palmer offers support to the students is by attending the students鈥� events, like concerts or other activities that take place after work hours.
鈥淪he has never been asked to do this. She happily chooses to do so,鈥� Haughenbury said. 鈥淭his demonstrates that Yvette genuinely cares about building a rapport with her students and nurturing those connections.鈥�
Palmer鈥檚 attention to details important to students showcases the genuine level of care she has for those who come to her office.
鈥淚 love being able to sit across the desk from university students and help them navigate campus life with the end goal of seeing them graduate,鈥� Palmer said. 鈥淚t is extremely rewarding to be told that you were a part of such a significant milestone in the life of another person.鈥�
Palmer works as advisor for the arts and humanities, meaning many of her students are art, theatre, or music majors, allowing her to observe the work of her students during their performances.
鈥淚 am frequently astonished at how good our students are at their craft and how far they have progressed,鈥� Palmer said. 鈥淚 think that genuinely caring about students, being knowledgeable of campus policy, and answering questions as quickly and efficiently as possible all play into being a good academic advisor. I have a grandson in college now, and my philosophy is to be the kind of advisor that I would want my grandson to have; someone that cares about his career path, who is his biggest cheerleader, but who knows what he needs to do in order to graduate!鈥�
Palmer is a Louisiana native and received a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Louisiana College. She then received a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Before coming to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, she worked for 10 years part-time as the director of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on the campus of Louisiana State University at Eunice and served in the same capacity at LSU at Alexandria for an additional seven years. This background helped her to gain a better understanding of the needs of others, which drew her to the social work field and eventually to her role as an advisor at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.
Haughenbury praised Palmer鈥檚 work ethic, noting that Palmer once added up to 200 additional students to her advisory roster during a staffing shortage, but still offered exceptional care to each one. She pointed out that Palmer鈥檚 work deals with guiding students through the general education requirements before they switch to an advisor that specializes in their degree field. Haughenbury said that despite not working directly with the students beyond her role, she still supports them by attending commencement ceremonies.
鈥淪he cares just as much about them at that time as she did when they were actively working with her,鈥� Haughenbury said. 鈥淪he wants students to know that someone is thinking of them on campus and that they are not another number here.鈥�
Haughenbury said that Palmer even draws in many students for optional 鈥渃heck-in鈥� appointments, despite many of those students being commuters or non-traditional students with careers. Haughenbury credits all of this to Palmer鈥檚 love of her work and love of people.
In an advisory satisfaction survey, many students noted Palmer鈥檚 influence, professionalism, and pride in her work as a reason for their individual success.
One student said Palmer鈥檚 guidance placed them in a position to succeed and thanked her for making their academic life easier. Another student shared a similar sentiment.
鈥淚f everyone (me included) were as good at their jobs as she, the sky would be the limit. Please keep Yvette happy there, because she is a big asset to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock’s programs and services,鈥� one student wrote in the survey. 鈥淪he follows through and up on everything imaginable and unimaginable. She knows her job and does it so well. I am so lucky to have her as an advisor.鈥�
This story was written by Justin Bates.