Connie Lowe of Christiansburg, Va., student program coordinator and advisor in the Department of Geosciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, was recently honored with the university's Provost Award for Excellence in Advising.

The Provost’s Award for Excellence in Advising is given annually to recognize a Virginia Tech faculty or staff member who serves undergraduate advisees in exemplary ways. Recipients are awarded a $2,000 cash prize and are inducted into the university’s Academy of Advising Excellence.

“Connie has been an indispensable core of our advising effort for many years,” said Department Chair Robert Tracy. “She acts as the critical personal interface between the students and the rather faceless and impersonal academic requirements, and in my mind, really makes the system work.”

Lowe has been employed at Virginia Tech for 25 years. She began her career as an office assistant in the university’s former Donaldson Brown Center, then later as a fiscal assistant for University Libraries. She has served the College of Science since 1987 as a student services assistant and student program coordinator.

“Connie is an advisor ‘extraordinaire,’” said Madeline Schreiber, associate professor of geosciences. “In their letters, current and former students present example after of example of ways in which she has helped guide, support, and mentor them through their time at Virginia Tech.”

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