In February, CALS was represented in two different categories of the university’s academic advising award: faculty advisor and advising administrator. The recipient of this year’s advising administrator award was CALS’ Tricia Buddin.

Tricia Buddin is the college’s academic programs coordinator of recruiting and first-year experiences, and we are thrilled to celebrate Tricia’s impact — far and wide.

As the mastermind behind various programs within CALS, Tricia works to help students thrive. These programs include CALS PackTrac and CALS Cares.

CALS PackTrac is a collaborative program with 10 North Carolina community colleges to provide academic training and advising to students who are passionate about agriculture and have a desire to earn a degree from NC State. Students in the program will receive specialized academic success training and academic advising from both CALS and their community college. A general advisor in CALS, as well as a departmental advisor from their major of interest, will be assigned. They will also get a chance to learn about all aspects of agriculture and the life sciences to be leaders in North Carolina’s agricultural industry.

The CALS CARES program is a summer/early fall program with the goal of helping first-year students connect with faculty and staff members in the college. It is an opportunity for new NC State students to start building essential relationships early.

Not only is Tricia impassioned for the students, but she is committed to her team. Here’s what her co-workers had to say:

“Tricia has a passion for developing people and programs to serve students. In all aspects, she considers what is best for students both in the short term and the long term.” – John Dole, associate dean and director, CALS Academic Programs

“Tricia is committed to centering the college’s advising work in the field’s best practices. As a brand-new advisor, she encouraged me to get involved with National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and soak up all of the knowledge I could from the professional organization, and to take advantage of NC State advising training offered by Academic Advising Services. As I built my skills as an advisor and began running my own programs and initiatives, she encouraged me to continue to make my professional development a priority by pursuing opportunities to present in both venues. She never missed an opportunity to publicly recognize the achievements of the advising team and to make sure that the college leadership understood the value of our work.” – Kimber Lunsford, assistant director of undergraduate programs.

“When it comes to making decisions regarding her team, her students, or her programs, assessment, feedback and evaluations are regularly employed. No changes are made though, without the consideration of the impact on the student learning outcomes and goals. Ms. Buddin’s passion for student growth and development would be hard to match, and I think this can be seen in any of her initiatives, her teaching and her supervisory style.” – Anne Hubbard, academic advisor.

Since her arrival here at NC State in 2004, Tricia has instilled, inspired, and impacted many lives at NC State. From programs to team meetings, as an advisor or a mentor, her passion can be seen all throughout.

“I have known and collaborated with Tricia one-on-one or through committee assignments since her arrival on NC State’s campus in 2004 and can say without a doubt she is truly one of the great ones on campus…It takes a remarkable individual to accomplish what Tricia does and a true professional to do so in the way she does…” – Dr. David Crouse, Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor and undergraduate teaching coordinator

Congratulations, Tricia. Thank you for your work!