Shout Outs

A big thank you to Chadd for rescuing my computer when it decided to glitch on the first day of the semester! I appreciate his prompt response and return of my computer which is working great now!

Misty went above and beyond to give her time to student-athletes. She did five separate presentations on Mindfulness during all of our start-of-year meetings, two at the beginning of August, and three during the first week of classes... all of which were well outside normal working hours. She gave them great information and tools, and probably convinced a few to take her class as well! We thank her so much!

Thank you for always being willing to answer questions with a smile on your face and such a positive attitude! Even during the busy start of the new semester, you remain patient, helpful, and encouraging. Your willingness to support others does not go unnoticed. Thank you for all that you do!

Huge shoutout to Keerthana for her work behind the scenes on digital accessibility. Keerthana has worked tirelessly over the last few years to assist faculty with updating their courses to meet the new accessibility standards. Her knowledge and commitment to this work is a huge asset for EIU.

A huge thank you to Shelly for her consistently positive attitude and dedication to going above and beyond for everyone. Her bright, kind disposition and eagerness to jump in whenever help is needed are deeply appreciated and never go unnoticed. Thank you, Shelly, for being such a true blessing to everyone who knows you!

A big shout out and thank you to Nate and your crew for taking care of our moving / facilities issues this morning! Thank you a million Nate and crew! You are the best!

Eva was the registration lab during first-year Orientation this summer. She spent many days working with two students at once, helping them register for the classes they selected with their academic advisor. Sometimes, she would have to coach students through calls to ITS to reset passwords or connect/reconnect Microsoft Authenticator. She accomplished all of this with patience and grace, supporting students who were navigating new and potentially challenging situations.

Everyone knows about Julie’s passion for TLF students. It’s no surprise that she volunteered to take all the new first-year students in her majors for AY26-27. Their connection to her will promote engagement with the faculty in their programs and provide advising services where they take classes. Now the ASP academic advisor with the biggest caseload, Julie also volunteered to help us out in Academic Advising Services when we were overloaded. Julie came over to McAfee Gym to help with student registration this summer.

Dr. More advised new first-year students in Special Education this summer, but she went all out in the way only she can, spending most mornings in the Grand Ballroom during check-in. She worked the room, greeting students and their guests—regardless of their major. Dr. More demonstrated the EIU ethos by making everyone feel welcome and letting her actions show that faculty and staff at EIU sincerely care about the students.

Sam has collaborated strongly with Greg Aydt and Kari Dailey in Academic Advising services to support the advisement of first-year students pursuing pre-health pathways and neuroscience. Sam also helped out with student registration during the August 20 Orientation.

This summer, Dr. Kattenbraker met with first-year students attending Orientation on days when their advisor was off contract. Mark gave the students a warm welcome, an overview of programs, and a meaningful connection. He also performed follow-up contact with the students to connect them to their academic advisor as soon as she returned to the office.

To ensure that students majoring in Exercise Science, KSR, and Sport and Recreation Management connect to their departments as quickly as possible, Bethany advised new first-year students entering Fall 2026. She communicated with her students, New Student and Family Programs, Admissions, and Academic Advising Services to provide proper care for all of her new students.

To ensure that students majoring in Exercise Science, KSR, and Sport and Recreation Management connect to their departments as quickly as possible, Bethany advised new first-year students entering Fall 2026. She communicated with her students, New Student and Family Programs, Admissions, and Academic Advising Services to provide proper care for all of her new students.

In just her second year as an academic advisor, Alisa adjusted to advising new first-year students in HSL, NTR, PUBH, and Social Work. Alisa conducted strong outreach to connect with her students and serve their needs while working a reduced schedule over the summer, based on the terms of her contract. Alisa's documentation made it possible to see which eligible students decided to participate in Honors courses. On top of it all, Alisa personally escorted many students between the Union and her new office (did I mention that she moved?) in Buzzard Hall on Orientation days.

Dr. Anthony rose to the challenge of advising new first-year CDS majors for AY26-27. This meant either advising them prior to their Orientation date or being here in the summer when they attended Orientation. Additionally, Dr. Anthony worked diligently to ensure that her communications and recordkeeping were consistent with common practice on campus. The result is that new CDS students entering Fall 2026 had the best possible academic advising experience and connected with a key member of the faculty early in their EIU careers.

Thank you RJ for fixing the D2L glitches during the very busy beginning of the year when everyone is having tech trauma! RJ worked his tech magic and resolved a significant D2L issue which was causing major student and faculty issues and did so quickly, efficiently, and kindly. Thank you RJ!!!

HUGE shout-out to rock star and all-around good guy, Nathan Wehr. While running the show for the "First Day of School Photos" event (which is great), I saw Nathan stop everything he was doing in order to comfort a student in distress and then take the time to personally walk them to where they needed to be. This level of caring and commitment to our students is exactly what makes EIU special and it was really neat to see it in action

A big thanks to you and your crew, Nate, for getting the fairly last minute request for tables and chairs to Blair for the first ever Graduate School Welcome Event! Your work is always appreciated--but was especially so on such a busy weekend as move-in weekend!! Thanks so much!

Huge thanks, Karen, for helping the Graduate School pull off a somewhat last minute idea to welcome grad students to campus for the upcoming semester! The event turned out even better than we hoped!

Your "we can make this work" attitude--even with the busyness of Welcome Weekend, Panther Palooza, etc!!--was pivotal to our success! THANK YOU for supporting the Graduate School, the students, and all the work you do to keep events at EIU humming along!

Justin has done an outstanding job stepping into NSFP and seamlessly handling the demands of two roles at once this summer. The New Student Photo today was exceptionally well executed, and anyone involved knows that is no easy task! We are incredibly thankful for his continued partnership and support of OLE.

A huge shout out to Madison Veatch for her outstanding work as a Graduate Assistant in OLE! Madison has been instrumental in helping plan Welcome Weekend and consistently goes above and beyond to ensure everything comes together smoothly. She is also an exceptional Graduate Advisor for University Board, providing thoughtful guidance and support to our student leaders. She is an asset to OLE and EIU, and we are so thankful for her!

Amber is a true, natural-born leader. I have watched her help so many students during my years here. I am so proud of her, and she should be proud of herself. Keep up the amazing work and know that we see you!

Thank you Chelsy for all your help with intern training this week from helping them to have a warm welcoming environment to creating binders, you have been a rockstar.

Shout out to Lindsay for all her help with intern training this past week. It has been a great experience. Also thank you for all your help with making sure our electronic health record is accurate for students. we appreciate you!

Austin is a major asset to EIU. He has gone above and beyond for our department and helping with laptop set up to make sure we getting all ready before students start this year. Thank you!

With only being in the Counseling Clinic just a few short weeks, Harry has already made amazing contributions and has been jumping right in. Thank you Harry for your assistance with various projects related to our medical record, assisting with getting the interns set up and ready, and helping with random technical issues. Harry also has been going above and beyond for students he is working with to ensure they are getting the support they need at EIU.

A heartfelt thank you to our Freshmen Connection Graduate Assistants for the time, energy, and care you poured into Leadership Training Day. Your passion and dedication helped create a meaningful experience for our mentors. We are truly grateful for all you did to make the day special!

A heartfelt thank you to our Freshmen Connection Graduate Assistants for the time, energy, and care you poured into Leadership Training Day. Your passion and dedication helped create a meaningful experience for our mentors. We are truly grateful for all you did to make the day special!

A heartfelt thank you to our Freshmen Connection Graduate Assistants for the time, energy, and care you poured into Leadership Training Day. Your passion and dedication helped create a meaningful experience for our mentors. We are truly grateful for all you did to make the day special!

A heartfelt thank you to our Freshmen Connection Graduate Assistants for the time, energy, and care you poured into Leadership Training Day. Your passion and dedication helped create a meaningful experience for our mentors. We are truly grateful for all you did to make the day special!