Jenny Gibbs, an advisor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, has been named an Outstanding Engineering Advisor. She will be recognized by the university’s Engineering Student Council in a banquet April 21. The honor is based on student nominations.
A popular advisor with students, this comes on the heels of another recent recognition for Gibbs as an exemplary peer mentor supervisor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Gibbs joined the CBE staff in 2013 after obtaining an M.S. in post-secondary education and student affairs at the University of Northern Iowa. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UNI.
With typically about 200 undergraduates in her charge, Gibbs said she values the opportunity to work with her students on a personal level: “I really enjoy getting to know all of them individually – what they are great at, what they enjoy, and learning about them as a person, not just a student.” She said only about half of her appointments with students are to discuss academics, and many conversations revolve around other topics that are important to them. “We talk about things like career goals and future plans of course, but then they often want to talk to me about things like boyfriends, girlfriends, roommates, and many personal things like that.”
Gibbs also said since she just left college two years ago, she feels it really helps students relate to her. “I think some of them see me as sort of a big sister figure – someone they know they can talk to, but at the same time someone they know they need to respect in my position as an advisor. But since I’m close to them in age it really does help them relate well.”
“Sometimes they bring me little gifts,” she said of her students, “like chocolate or tea.” Another gift, one of recognition, will be coming her way – the second in a two-week span.