Brunswick, GA – Brunswick native Dawana Gibbs, Associate Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, was named the 2014-2015 Academic Advisor of the Year during the faculty and staff assembly held Wednesday, January 7, to launch the spring 2015 semester at the College of Coastal Georgia. Three other faculty members were cited as “top runners up.”
In making the announcement, the interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Lance Carluccio, noted the unanimous vote of the Advisement Committee, the student majority vote and the quality of the students’ comments. Adjectives used by the students in nominating Gibbs included “dedicated,” “selfless,” “caring,” and “loyal.”
One student wrote, “Mrs. Gibbs is a natural nurturer to all of her students. She is the warm welcome new students need to build confidence and the voice of guidance to carry them through the first year of nursing school…I have always felt comfortable talking to her.”
Another student cited her bubbly personality, writing, “She is the voice I continue to hear when I’m needing that extra push…She exemplifies the kind of nurse, and role model, I hope to be one day.”
An alumna of Coastal Georgia (’84, A.S.N.), Gibbs received her B.S.N. from Armstrong State and her M.S.N. from Georgia Southern University. She has been teaching in the nursing program at Coastal Georgia for 22 years.
“I was so surprised and honored by being chosen for this award!” Gibbs said. “Among the faculty members on campus there are so many who are outstanding advisors. Knowing that makes this award even more special. I love students and enjoy the student-centered focus of the School of Nursing and the College in general. Hearing the comments made by students simply reinforces why I have been in nursing education for all of these years. Thank you to the students who took time to nominate me and give me such uplifting comments and to the committee members who had the daunting task of naming just one person Advisor of the Year.”
Dr. Carluccio also announced the names of three other faculty members who were “top runners up”: Dr. Sarah Hartman, Assistant Professor of Education, School of Education and Teacher Preparation; Rebecca Sharpe, Instructor of Reading, School of Arts and Humanities; and Dr. Mary Eleanor Wickersham, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, School of Business and Public Affairs.
College of Coastal Georgia
John Cornell
O: 912.279.5703
C: 912.223.9997
jcornell@ccga.edu