Each year, at the direction of the Office of the Provost, the Academic Advising Council selects honorees for the Nicholas Evans Awards for Advising Excellence in recognition of outstanding advising and mentoring provided by faculty and professional advisers at WVU.
The awards are in honor of Nicholas Evans, a lifelong proponent and exemplar of undergraduate advising at WVU.
This year’s selection also includes a New Adviser award, which goes to a primary role adviser who is three years or less into their career.
The 2025 recipients of the Nicholas Evans Faculty Advising Excellence Award include:
Nettie Freshour, teaching professor, director of the dietetic internship program and graduate program coordinator in the School of Agriculture and Food Systems of the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
As a faculty adviser, Freshour focuses her attention and care on the development of the whole person. This includes the student’s intellectual and professional development, as well as their mental well-being and emotional growth. Students say her “unmatched dedication” is apparent in every advising interaction. It is also evident in her professional activities. Freshour completed a dissertation on best advising practices and has published work and given public presentations on burnout prevention tools for advising.
Rebekah Dunaway, clinical instructor and BSW recruitment and advising coordinator in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences School of Social Work
Dunaway is both genuine and proactive in her communication with students. She builds respectful and student-centered advising rapport with students and is highly effective in advising methods that include academic monitoring, career advising, and utilization of campus networks and referrals for students. She is known for creating a “positive and empowering environment” that is inspirational to her students. Dunaway’s passion and dedication to the profession are also demonstrated through her involvement in adviser trainings, committees and conferences.
The 2025 recipients of the Nicholas Evans Primary Role Advising Excellence Award are:
Marilyn Munzer, senior academic adviser in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Munzer’s metaphor of “shooting the moon” aptly reflects both her approach to guiding students and her own professional journey. She is known for her caring nature, willingness to advocate for her students’ success, building interpersonal relationships and encouraging students to reach beyond their comfort zones. This coupled with her thorough knowledge of academic planning and success opportunities available to her students makes Munzer an invaluable resource to Statler College students. Munzer also strives to understand students’ “outside-of-academic struggles” and has worked extensively to support the Statler Student Food Pantry. She also works to support her peers and co-founded the New Adviser Network subgroup of the WVU Academic Advising Council to create a network for new advisers across campus.
Semoa DeSousa-Brown, senior academic adviser in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies and Regents of Bachelor of Arts programs
Since 2016, DeSousa-Brown has been advising nontraditional, Regents Bachelor of Arts students who may be attending college for the first time, returning after many years in the workforce or military service, or simply trying to finish an undergraduate education that they started a while ago. Since RBA students can utilize their prior learning toward degree completion, DeSousa-Brown must utilize a greater than average number of tools and policies than a typical advising appointment to ensure her advisees qualify for the widest range of credits and customize their degree to reach their own goals. She describes her approach to advising as not only listening to what a student is saying but also detecting the critical elements that the student is not mentioning. This approach enables her to better understand her advisees’ circumstances and needs. DeSousa-Brown’s students regard her as a mentor whose personalized touch to advising is vital to their success.
The 2025 recipient of the Nicholas Evans Primary Role Advising Excellence — New Adviser Award is:
Jenna Edwards, senior academic adviser in the Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Edwards’ guiding philosophy of advising is centered on the unwavering commitment to the development and success of her students while also helping them cultivate independence and the ability to proactively work through obstacles. Her impact on the Davis College can be directly measured in terms of increased student retention and impressive success in academic probation numbers. By utilizing a growth mindset, Edwards was able to see a 100% success rate in helping Fall 2023 probationary students return to good academic standing by the end of the Spring 2024 semester. She is said to be a true Mountaineer — both “passionate about her work and empathetic to everyone no matter their background or situation.”
All five Nicholas Evans award recipients will be awarded $1,250 for professional development.
The awardees will be recognized during a faculty and staff awards reception at Blaney House in April.
Find additional details about the Nicholas Evans Awards for Advising Excellence and past winners.