Left to right: University Interim Provost Joseph J. McCarthy, Senior Academic Advisor Amy Evans, and Associate Vice Provost of Student Success and Advising April E. Belback
SHRS is proud to share that Senior Academic Advisor Amy Evans is one of three recipients of the 2024 Provost’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising. Evans was selected for being “an inspiring example of excellence in the collaborative and holistic process of advising by preparing students for lives of impact through educational experiences tailored to their specific goals and needs.” Evans was also recognized for her institutional knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Evans and the other awardees were recognized at the Pitt Student Success Hub ceremony on March 27 with their families, colleagues, University Interim Provost Joseph J. McCarthy, and Associate Vice Provost of Student Success and Advising April E. Belback. Each winner’s award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a grant of $1,500 to support professional development activities.
“I feel like the award belongs to the school. I think the award recognizes the close bonds we can make with our students at SHRS–as faculty and staff–and the opportunities we can offer them," says Evans who advises students in the undergraduate program in Rehabilitation Science. “I was integrated deeply into the program planning and development: what I learned in advising appointments helped us tweak and refine the program; and what I learned from program leadership and planning helped me guide our students to the many resources we have, like faculty mentors, research, personal care opportunities and study abroad.”
Evans at the podium accepting the award and sharing stories of her passion for helping students.
The bonds with students that Evans speaks of are not made in passing. Last spring, she was asked by two of her former advisees to officiate their wedding, a request that she calls one of her most “heart-touching honors.”
“Amy is very deserving of this award. One of her biggest strengths is her attentiveness and compassion toward others. She approaches her work thoughtfully and is dedicated to assisting her students in reaching their academic and professional goals,” expresses Tiwanda Taylor, director of SHRS’ Center for Academic Advising and Student Success. “Amy has also created very strong relationships with faculty and staff members within SHRS and across the Pitt community. I so am pleased that she was selected for this very well-deserved honor. Our team is immensely proud of her!”
Evans says she loves working with SHRS students. “We have such compassionate, kind, motivated and smart students. By and large, they are so engaged in and enthusiastic about their learning and their personal and professional growth, it’s infectious.” Evans continues, “It is such a privilege to work with these young people who are inspired and given the tools to really change the world, whether one patient at a time or by becoming educators and policymakers themselves.”
Left to right: SHRS Dean Anthony Delitto, Tiwanda Taylor, Amy Evans, Academic Advisor David Bodnar, and Academic Advisor Jen Gregg
Published March 20, 2024. Updated March 29, 2024.