DSU Academic Advisor Chris Gifford Utah’s Top Advisor for 2015

DSU Academic Advisor Chris Gifford Utah’s Top Advisor for 2015

[one_third padding="0 10px 0 0"] DSU_ChrisGifford [/one_third][two_third] Thursday, May 28th, 2015 Dixie State University academic advisor Chris Gifford was named the 2015 Advisor of the Year by the Utah Advising Association during the organization's annual conference held last week in St. George. Gifford, who graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mass Communication from Dixie State in 2010, has served as an academic advisor at DSU for the past four years. He provides advising for second-year general education students, as well as students seeking career and technical education (CTE) certificates and associate of applied science degrees. [/two_third] "I love serving others, especially young people," Gifford said. "I enjoy all of the students I've had the opportunity to advise. Each is their own unique personality and they are the future. Helping them sharpen their focus and develop their skills for attacking those challenges is so rewarding. I couldn't enjoy and love what I do more." In addition to his on campus duties, Gifford represents DSU in several community outreach venues. He regularly visits area high schools, including the Southwest Adult High School, and the Department of Workforce Services vocational rehabilitation programs, to offer counseling and advice to students of all ages and backgrounds in an effort to assist them in mapping out what he calls an "academic game plan" for their futures. "Chris is very deserving of the recognition he has received as the Utah Advisor of the Year," says Michael Olsen, DSU Director of Advisement. "He has earned the honor by dedicating his professional time to seeing that each student, parent, staff or faculty member who interacts with him receives his best. He is a great representative of Dixie State University and the advising profession." For more information about the Utah Advising Association, please visit www.utahadvising.org.