Academic Advising Award

Jessi Peterson

Jessi Peterson, lead of the Food and Nutrition program in the College of Education, Health and Human Development, is the recipient of this year’s Academic Advising Award. The award, sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs, honors an individual who has made meaningful contributions to academic advising. It comes with a $2,000 honorarium.

In addition to directing the Didactic Program in Dietetics at MSU, Peterson is an instructor and advises more than 50 juniors and seniors in the Food and Nutrition program. She offers both advising appointments and drop-in hours while maintaining a 10-credit teaching load each semester.

Peterson has submitted curriculum revisions for both Food and Nutrition options and helped develop an accelerated 4+1 program for students to receive a Bachelor of Science in food and nutrition as well as a Master of Science in dietetic systems leadership. She also serves as the faculty adviser for the Montana Student Dietetics Association.

"As an academic services coordinator in EHHD, I work closely with Jessi on her program-related efforts. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who cares more about their program and their students,” wrote Emma Ford in a letter nominating Peterson for the award. “Everyone who works with Jessi, whether it be students, staff or faculty, adores her. She is simply a joy to be around.”