NEW PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD

Here is what Mackenzie’s nominator wrote about her:

“I am writing to nominate Mackenzie for the New Professional of the Year Award. Mackenzie has been a valuable member of the University of Georgia community for almost a year, and in that time, she has consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in her role, a strong commitment to the division, and a passion for professional growth and development.

You would be hard-pressed to find a staff member more deserving of the new professional award than Mackenzie White. In her time here as a professional staff member, Mackenzie has created processes and experiences that have had monumental impacts on those around her. Mackenzie has been positively contributing to the division long before her role as a senior coordinator whether when she was a graduate assistant in Housing, a practicum student in ELS, or a summer intern in the Office of the Dean of Students and has continued to build upon the great work she had already started. She takes pride in her work and consistently strives to go above and beyond what is expected. In her roles as a graduate student, Mackenzie digitized the Freedom of Expression process, created the Pathways that exist within the department of Student Transitions, and created the transition guide and beyond the arch guide in her time. As a professional staff member, she has continued to improve all of these previously established initiatives and has also created new ones.  Perhaps most notably, Mackenzie has exponentially built upon the transfer student pathway and had also developed a cohort model for students that is now being utilized within two additional groups of students. 

Not only has Mackenzie grounded the transfer student pathway in research, ensuring that is going to have a positive impact on the student experience but has also worked to build resources to continue to bolster the transfer student experience. In her short time as a professional, Mackenzie has been instrumental in building the intake survey for prospective transfer students in conjunction with the office of Transfer Services. This survey will help prospective transfer students have the best chance of coming to UGA with clear instructions on what they need to do academically to be successful while also connecting them with additional resources. She has also worked on creating a one-pager of the transfer resources around campus to share with campus partners so that they are knowledgeable and can share that information with the transfer students they interact with. Lastly, Mackenzie has worked to realign the transition leader program with the vision of the department which has helped increase the awareness of the program for students, allowing them to do more one-on-one meetings with students to help ease their transition. 

The cohort model she developed has been a learning moment for her to fill a niche in the student experience and develop something to ease their transition to college. Although it was in its first iteration, Mackenzie has been able to build a program that offers students opportunities to engage with their peers, learn about resources on campus, and get connected to professionals across campus. With the feedback taken from these initial cohorts, Mackenzie has been able to reflect on the experience offered and work to make it more impactful for participants and has hopes of creating more cohorts for different student populations. I share this to say Mackenzie is in touch with students on campus and their needs and works hard in performing her day-to-day responsibilities to ensure that we are doing our part in offering students a meaningful collegiate experience. 

In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Mackenzie actively seeks out additional opportunities to engage within the division. For example, she volunteered with the Greek Life office to serve as a facilitator for the Greek Student Retreat and demonstrated her passion for student success and engagement. This was a completely new way for her to engage with not only colleagues but a different part of the student population since she is not a member of any Greek organization. She is also diligent about being present for different opportunities to engage with colleagues in the division by being present at coffee and conversations, part of the young professionals’ affinity group, and any other opportunities that present themselves. 

Mackenzie is also a strong contributor to the field. She presented at the NISTS conference and shared her expertise with colleagues from around the country about how the university supports transfer students. Furthermore, Mackenzie has made significant contributions to the division’s web presence, creating the Pathways as they exist on the website, updating the transition leader page to be easily navigated for students, and making the interactive transition guide a mobile-friendly website. Mackenzie’s innovative approach and willingness to take on new challenges have made a real impact on the division and the students we serve.

In conclusion, Mackenzie’s contributions to the division, commitment to professional growth and development, and exceptional performance make her a deserving recipient of the New Professional of the Year award. I strongly encourage you to consider Mackenzie for this prestigious honor.

Thank you for your consideration.”