2019 Staff Make Students Count Honorees
May 3, 2019
Staff members lay the foundation for our students’ success. From providing emotional
support when a student is discouraged or help with applying for financial aid, UA
staff members support just about every aspect of our students’ experience.
The University of ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â will honor four outstanding staff members during the June 6 Board of Regents meeting with the Staff Make Students Count award for providing outstanding service to students.
Each recipient will receive an award plaque, a lump-sum of $1,000 and two domestic airline vouchers from ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â Airlines. The Staff Make Students Count Awards were establishing in 1999 to recognize outstanding service to UA students.
Award winners include:
Kelly Foran, Director of TRiO Student Support Services,UAA
From her nomination letter:
After serving as an advisor, Kelly quickly took on a permanent leadership position as Director of TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) at UAA. She dove in head first and immediately took steps to improve services to participants of the program. Since her time in her new role, Kelly has strengthened the student mentorship component, built partnerships with student-serving community organizations, and provided professional development to staff to better prepare them to serve students. She diligently tracks information about SSS participants and frequently meets one-on-one with students to help them navigate the complications of higher education. Kelly’s ongoing support removes barriers to access and success every single day.
Statements of Support:
I have known Kelly Foran, or Miss Kelly, for four years and counting. Words cannot describe the impact Miss Kelly has had on me, mostly as a student, but also as a young immigrant, who came to ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â barely able to speak English. She stood out to me a lot because she was extremely invested in the students. She opened up to us and was there every step of the way. She insisted that if we needed anything, she and the other advisors were there for us. She is not only an advisor and a director - Miss Kelly is a mentor. She became a role model to me because she went out of her way to make sure low-income and first-generation students were not alone. She made sure that our voice were heard.
Mrs. Kelly has helped me become a leader on my UAA campus. She has taught me the importance of being fearless and how to stand up for what I believe in. She has given me opportunities to develop my leadership as well. Mrs. Kelly has helped me develop my leadership skills by allowing and helping implement programs such as the food bags she gives out to students at the SSS office. Also, she has helped me gain the courage to help start the Hunger and Homeless Support Network on campus. With her constant support, she has shown me how to be a leader and has set an amazing example of how to lead.
As a first-generation college student, Kelly was one of the first people I encountered in college. She was eager to make sure I was taking the correct courses, had an idea about how I would pay my tuition and helped me apply for financial aid. Not only was Kelly interested in me enrolling in the appropriate courses but, she was also attentive to the enjoyment of my classes and always asked how things were going on and off campus. Kelly is always willing to meet
with students at any point in the semester whether it be to figure out financial aid, talk about course progress or talk about future plans for the upcoming semesters. On rare occasions when Kelly does not have the answer to your question, she will call or e-mail the right person during the one-on-one meeting and get you an answer promptly or she will contact you with an answer as soon as she hears back.
Jennifer Lu, BLaST Program Coordinator, UAF
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