WSU Honors College assistant dean Robin Bond wins international advising award


PULLMAN, Wash.—Robin Bond, Washington State University Honors College assistant dean, has won a 2017 “Outstanding Advising Award” in the faculty advisor category from NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, the leading professional organization in that field.

The award will be presented in mid-October at NACADA’s annual conference and global awards program in St. Louis, Mo.  That’s one year after Bond received the faculty “Outstanding Achievement in Academic Advising” award from WSU ACADA, the local organization.

“I work with wonderful students who inspire me every day,” said Bond. “I’m deeply honored to receive this award, but the recognition really goes to our students and their accomplishments.”

Adding to the WSU advising legacy

Bond’s award is the latest in a long line of NACADA winners from WSU. Since formed in 2007, 19 WSU faculty and staff members have received awards in NACADA’s faculty, administrator, new advisor, and advisor/primary role categories.

Bond is WSU’s sixth winner in NACADA’s faculty category. It is specifically for individuals with responsibility for teaching and/or research, but who spend a portion of their time providing academic advising. Criteria for the award range from frequency of contact with advisees to student success rates and advising program development.

Advising and mentoring

With a Ph.D. in classics from the University of California-Los Angeles, Bond has taught courses for Honors and other programs on Greek literature and culture.

Since 2007, she has been an academic advisor for Honors, but works to mentor her students throughout their academic career. She served as the college’s coordinator for distinguished scholarships, identifying and recruiting applicants for nationally and internationally competitive awards. She also worked with the Honors’ thesis program and advised students on the requirement. Last year, she became assistant dean of the college.

One advisee commented, “It’s people like you who make me ever more grateful for my education at WSU.”

According to her nomination packet, Bond feels that being a mentor involves more than advising appointments. She seeks to be available to students at all times, even continuing to help students over breaks. Advising sometimes requires a team effort, she said, and doesn’t hesitate to refer her students to another expert when something falls outside of her expertise.

According to a recommender, she is quick to recognize the potential of each and every student and gives them the support to achieve their full potential.

University involvement and beyond

Bond is also very involved in professional activities. Since 2014, she has served as a student research mentor and judge for the Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA). She’s a member of the National Association of Fellowship Advisors (NAFA), the WSU Association of Faculty Women (AFW), and WSU ACADA, among others.

For more information, visit https://wsuacada.wsu.edu/.


MEDIA CONTACT:  Brooke Whiting, WSU ACADA awards chair, 509-335-9203, bwhiting@wsu.edu