Vila-Parrish wins the 2016 George H. Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award
It’s awards season and all the big names in the business are taking home the hardware, ISE is no exception. The College of Engineering (COE) announced this week that ISE’s Director of Undergraduate Programs, Dr. Anita Vila-Parrish – referred to by her students as Dr. VP, received the George H. Blessis Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award.
The Blessis Award honors faculty who go above and beyond in advising and mentoring their students. “My time and education at NC State has been thoroughly enriched by having Dr. VP as an advisor, teacher, and friend,” said senior Kady Ward. “We are lucky to have her!”
Blessis’s interest in undergraduate education and advising still serves as an example today. Undergraduate students, who benefit from faculty members’ time and energy, submit all nominations. One such student, ISE senior Todd Goldfarb affirms, “Dr. VP is one of the most responsive, supportive and caring advisors I’ve had during my time at NC State.”
The COE Teaching and Advising Awards Committee selects the winners of the Blessis Award. Dr. Vila-Parrish will receive $1,000 and a certificate at the COE spring faculty meeting on April 26. Also, COE will engrave her name on a permanent plaque displayed in Page Hall.
Many ISE students are quick to share their admiration for Dr. Vila-Parrish. “Dr. VP was the reason I chose ISE as a freshman,” confided senior Jenna Pennock. “Besides my family, she has been my biggest supporter and cheerleader the past four years. She is a role model to me and other undergraduates and I aspire to inspire others like she does.” Ashley Eli emphasizes Dr. Vila-Parrish’s continued dedication, “She is quick to respond to whatever you need. I’m a varsity athlete and she has worked with me on scheduling conflicts between sport and class. She has always encouraged me to both well.”
Since joining NC State five years ago, Dr. Vila-Parrish has received the NC State New Faculty Advisor Award (2011-2012) and the Outstanding New Advisor Certificate of Merit from the National Advising Association (2012). To many students, She is not only an academic advisor, but a role model as well. “Dr. VP is living proof that you can do it all. She inspires me (especially as a woman) to pursue a professional career, and not at the sacrifice of family life, remarked Kaley Moser. “She pours everything she has into engaging our minds as students to innovate positive change in the world through industrial engineering practices.”