Colleen Hansen, MSW
BSW Program Coordinator
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Department of Social Work
Advising Award Winner
Colleen Hansen, Program Coordinator for the BSW, advisor to all BSW students, Academic Instructional Staff, and all-around caring, talented, and essential member of the Department of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, was officially recognized for her dedicated service to students. In the Fall of 2019 she was awarded the Faculty/Instructional Academic Staff Advisor Award by the Advisory Council for Comprehensive Academic Advising (ACCAA) through the University Academic Resource Center.
Colleen joined the department as an ad hoc instructor in 2005 and began advising three years later. After serving as an advisor for several years she was appointed Program Coordinator, responsible for recruiting, advising, and leading the BSW program and maintaining affirmation through the Council on Social Work Education. She uses her position to learn about the challenges students face as well as the knowledge, skills, and aspirations that they bring.
In Colleen’s own words;
As Academic Staff and an advisor in the Department, I believe this provides me with a significant advantage into the insight of BSW students and their strengths. The profession of Social Work requires practitioners to work with an often oppressed or vulnerable population. As an advisor I assist students in looking at their strengths, challenges, and goals academically and professionally from a Social Work perspective.
The students, some of whom were responsible for nominating her, agree. According to Olivia Smith, a recent graduate –
“Colleen has also been an exceptional resource for me through her extensive knowledge of the Social Work Program and university policies in general. Whatever question I posed to her, she knew almost on the spot and if she did not know it offhand, she was quick to find the answer for me by looking through her resources or asking for another opinion.”
The department is grateful for Colleen Hansen’s dedication to students and celebrate with her this well-deserved acknowledgement of her work.