Petrarca Earns Top Academic Advising Award

Rhode Island College Assistant Director of Academic Advising Lindsay Petrarca has been honored with the Doris Michiko Ching Award for Excellence as a Student Affairs Professional - State Award (Rhode Island). The award honors an outstanding mid-level student affairs professional and comes from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), a student affairs professional organization. The award was presented at the NASPA Region 1 Conference in November in Burlington, Vt.

Petrarca has been recognized for her outstanding commitment to the student affairs profession, including the development of programs that address the needs of students, the creation of a campus environment that promotes student learning and development, and the support of and active engagement in NASPA.

RIC Director of Academic Advising Chris Da Costa says Petrarca’s contributions have been invaluable:

“During my 15-plus years in higher education, I have worked directly with hundreds of academic advisors,” he says. “To say that Lindsay is a standout would be a large understatement. Whether a task or program is large or small-scale, Lindsay is constantly thinking of ways to ensure engagement, equity and positive experiences for everyone involved. She brings knowledge, genuine empathy and care to each of her student meetings and advocates for policy and practice changes to better the lives of our student population.”

Petrarca’s duties include working in close liaison with academic departments and advising a caseload of 150-200 students per semester. She was also credited with having a role in the creation of a new academic standing policy and overseeing New Student Orientation during a period of transition.  

In her work Petrarca says she abides by the practice of holistic advising:

“It’s important to work with each individual student to support their unique academic journey,” she says. “Relationship building, student support, degree progression and academic skill-building are at the core of our team’s approach to advising. We ensure that students are connected. I’m fortunate to be a part of this incredible team in the Office of Academic Advising. Each person on the team brings so much empathy, care and attention to supporting students.”

Of the NASPA award, she says, “I feel appreciative and honored to receive this award by my colleagues in student affairs, a field full of folks working to support students every day. ”

Petrarca was previously honored in 2022 with the prestigious Steven J. Bailey Advisor of the Year Award by the Rhode Island chapter of the National Academic Advising Association. This award recognizes those who “demonstrate qualities and practices that make significant contributions to the improvement of academic advising.”