Roberto Cortiñas, faculty advisor for the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, has been honored with the NACADA Region 6 Advising Excellence Award for Faculty Advisors.
NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising is a nonprofit that supports academic advising in higher education and has 14,000 members in roughly 40 countries.
Cortiñas makes students and advising a priority, NACADA said in announcing the award. His colleagues and students recognize him for leading inclusive advising practices and navigating complex curricula. He goes above and beyond for students and provides strong mentorship for pre-veterinary students, the association said.
Cortiñas is the coordinator of undergraduate programs, and his students feel “supported not only academically, but also personally, particularly during periods of stress, uncertainty or transition,” said NACADA, which provides professional development and networking opportunities to thousands of faculty, professional advisors and administrators globally to improve student success and retention.
He serves as an advisor for several student organizations that provide a space of belonging for students, in addition to his full load of research and teaching veterinary parasitology and fundamentals of biology II.
A first-generation student, Cortiñas describes teaching and advising professional and undergraduate students as especially rewarding. Providing instruction and guidance to students has particular importance, he says, so they are successful in their studies and in their career paths.
