MC Teacher Education and Leadership instructor receives Outstanding Advisor Award
Jo LeVert, MC instructor in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership, has been selected as Mississippi College’s Fall 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor Award recipient.
MC Provost and Executive Vice President Mike Highfield presented the award to LeVert on Jan. 27.
“Academic advising is one of the most important ways we help Mississippi College students thrive,” Highfield said. “Advising is where planning meets encouragement, and it is where a student’s goals are translated into a clear, confident path to graduation and beyond.”
Established by the MC Office of Institutional Effectiveness and the ARISE Advising Office and Advisory Board, the honor recognizes advisors who “go above and beyond” in supporting their advisees and students. An award is presented to an MC advisor during the spring and fall semesters.
LeVert said she is “truly honored” to receive the award.
“This award means a great deal to me, as it affirms the vital importance of advising and the lasting influence it can have on students’ lives,” she said. “Advising has always been a responsibility I hold dear to my heart. I make a conscious effort to ensure that my door is always open and that I am never more than an email away for my students.
“I value the opportunity to get to know them – where they come from, their experiences, and the connections we may share – because meaningful relationships are at the heart of education.”
Highfield said LeVert is an outstanding choice for the award because “she pairs deep expertise with genuine care for students.
“After more than three decades serving Mississippi schools, she imparts exceptional wisdom in literacy and early childhood education to our MC students, and she consistently helps future teachers make smart academic decisions while staying focused on their calling to serve.”
LeVert joined the MC faculty in 2019 after retiring from the Mississippi Public School System, where she gained 32 years of experience in Jackson Public Schools and Madison County Schools. Her area of expertise is literacy and early childhood education. At MC, she supervises student teachers and teaches classes in early childhood and reading instruction.
“As a retired educator, commitment to my students is simply part of who I am,” LeVert said. “The relationships I build with my advisees are strong and purposeful. My role is not only to guide them in selecting the appropriate courses and staying on track for graduation, but also to listen, to support them, and to ensure they know they are truly heard.
“During a time in their lives filled with significant decisions, having someone they can rely on for guidance and perspective can make all the difference.”
The award is selected by a university committee that considers recommendations submitted by undergraduate students. Candidates for the award are chosen based on the core values put forth by NACADA, the global community for academic advising. The organization identifies exemplary advisors as being caring, committed, empowering, inclusive, professional, respectful and filled with integrity.
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