Two members of the Randolph-Macon College community were recently awarded the Higgins Academic Center’s inaugural Outstanding New Student Advocate Award. The award honors faculty and staff who provide exceptional guidance and encouragement to new students during their all-important first semester.

Professors Sarah Cribbs (sociology) and Nancy Falciani-White (director of the McGraw-Page Library) were each presented the award by Higgins Academic Center (HAC) executive director, Professor Seth Clabough ’98, and Annie Keith ’01, director of the HAC’s Office of New Student Orientation & Transitions.

A Student-generated Award
The HAC solicited nominations from all new students and New Student Orientation & Transitions Captains (current students who orient and help new students navigate college life).
Many students expressed how Professors Cribbs and Falciani-White supported them in their first year of college:

In addition to her teaching duties, students noted how helpful Cribbs was with choosing classes and that she provided support when they felt “stressed and overwhelmed.”  In their nominations, students described Cribbs as “phenomenal,” “welcoming,” and “encouraging.” They pointed out how she “made the freshman experience much easier than it could have been” and noted how she was “always there for us.”

The nominations for Falciani-White referred to her student-centered initiatives in the Library and her work as “an amazing advisor.” Students appreciated how, if she doesn’t know the answer to a question, Falciani-White helps students find someone who does. They used terms such as “supportive” and “encouraging” to describe her, and one student noted enthusiastically, “I don’t know what I would have done in this first semester without her!”

The Honorees
“I am very honored to be recognized in this way,” says Falciani-White. “As an advisor, my primary goal is to help new freshmen settle into RMC and gain their footing. I have an open-door policy for my advisees, and I’m frank about the challenges they may face and the work they need to do to be successful. But I believe that any student can succeed if they work hard and draw on the people, resources and tools that are available to support them.”

Cribbs says, “RMC is an incredibly student-centered school where everyone—faculty, staff and administrators—are committed to our students’ success. It’s an amazing honor to receive the Outstanding New Student Advocate Award, especially given the commitment we all make to students. I’m humbled that I was selected for this award and endlessly grateful for the opportunity to work with the best students.”

The Higgins Academic Center
The HAC offers resources and programming to help students succeed academically. Located on the first floor of the McGraw-Page Library, the HAC is home to the Communication Center, and the offices of Disability Services, New Student Orientation & Transitions, and Subject Tutoring & Learning Support.

“One of the nice things about this award,” Clabough says, “is that it gives us a chance to draw attention to the good work faculty and staff are engaged in that really makes RMC a welcoming place for incoming students to flourish. The first semester is a crucial time for them and this is especially true when it comes to student satisfaction, academic success and the college’s retention efforts. The award carries with it a monetary prize, but its real value is that it comes from the students—it’s all the more meaningful because of that.”