The Advisor of the Month is a peer-nominated award in which staff on campus who have academic advising roles can give their advising peers recognition for their ability to go above and beyond in their roles and the support they provide to students.

The current Advisor of the Month is Justin Nistler, an academic advisor in the Department of Linguistics and Peace & Conflict Studies within the College of Humanities.

The Spring 2020 Semester was a time of great change and instability, and Nistler truly stepped up during that time—in order to learn a new major, adapt to bridge advising, represent his college and connect with new students, staff and faculty members. He has done well in each of these areas and has already received excellent reviews from colleagues and students alike. This has been a common theme across the past few months; he has had new roles thrown at him and he has taken them all on and excelled. Not an easy feat to accomplish.

Nominators described him as “accurate, kind, helpful, a true team player who always has the best interests of students and colleagues at heart.” A colleague shared that their college “has been made stronger in the past month because of this advisor’s unwavering work ethic and willingness to help the people around him.”

After another advisor left their role, Nistler stepped in with enthusiasm and an open mind and has been crucial in providing consistency for students. He has quickly developed connections with those students, and they have expressed their gratitude for having him in that role. All of these new roles might have overwhelmed some staff members, but he has taken them on with zeal and his typical positive attitude.

Nistler shared the following about his role as an advisor:

“It is an honor for me to work in academic advising because I get to do something I truly enjoy every day. Having the opportunity to speak with passionate students about their future aspirations and watching them succeed in those goals is very rewarding. I look forward to helping future students thrive in their academics and beyond.”

Do you need to meet with an advisor to help create a meaningful plan, navigate the university and graduate on time? See our advisors across campus on our website and schedule an appointment.