Idais Wins Academic Counselors Association Award
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June 28, 2023
Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (UT PGE) Senior Academic Advisor Neal Idais received the 2022–2023 Taking Initiative to Create Positive Change Award from The University of Texas at Austin’s Academic Counselors Association (ACA). The award recognizes individuals in the advising community who have developed an innovative system, tool, program or process.
Since beginning his role in UT PGE in January, Idais (above, second from left) has established a credit-by-exam outreach program to remind students to claim possible credit and reduce cost of attendance; proposed solutions to support four-year graduation for students deeply affected by pandemic operations; and proposed new Interactive Degree Audit (IDA) programming to give future students the best live view of their progress-to-degree. As a result, he has worked with 46 percent of UT PGE undergraduates on several factors impacting degree progression (including unclaimed credit-by-exam) and has suggested solutions to help nearly 30 undergraduates complete their degrees one to two semesters earlier.
“I nominated Neal because of the polished and impactful work he’s done in UT PGE since day one,” said his supervisor, Academic Advising Coordinator Jaimie Haider. “I’m very thankful to Neal for his continued support of our excellent students and department.”
Guided by the National Academic Advising Association’s (NACADA) Core Values of Academic Advising, ACA and its advisors strive for professional practices that ensure their responsibility to the individuals they advise, to UT Austin and to higher education more broadly. They support quality academic advising that provides students opportunities to learn about and clarify educational options, degree requirements, academic policies and procedures, and to gain insight to plan and pursue programs consistent with abilities, interests and life goals.
Idais holds a bachelor’s degree in government and history from UT Austin and a master’s degree in political science from Texas State University. Before joining UT PGE, he was an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts at both UT Austin and Texas State University.
