Endowment Established to Continue Advising Success as UCM Retirees Earn Recognition for Service

By Nicole Cooke, August 8, 2024

Ken Schueller and Dr. Robert Fernquist at Schueller's retirement celebration.

 

The success and ongoing legacy of the University of Central Missouri’s academic advising team has been on full display this year, most recently with two global award announcements and the establishment of an advising award endowment through the UCM Alumni Foundation.

 

Ken Schueller, senior director of student success, celebrated his retirement in late July after working for UCM since August 2001.

 

In recognition of the milestone, Schueller and his family created the Kenneth J. Schueller Outstanding Advisor Award Endowed Fund. The endowment will ensure that one faculty mentor and one professional advisor are honored annually with a monetary gift.

 

“From Career Services intern to the Senior Director of Student Success, more than anything else, I hope that I am remembered as a professional who had a deep-seated passion to invest my energy into making a positive difference in the lives of students,” Schueller told those gathered for the occasion.

 

“More than anything else, this is the legacy that I hope to leave behind,” Schueller continued. “To do so beyond my time here at UCM, I have established an endowment to honor those who clearly demonstrate that they are fully committed to doing the same.”

 

Courtney Goddard, vice president for advancement and executive director of the UCM Alumni Foundation, said the family’s donation is an investment in the academic advising program Schueller worked so hard to build over the past two and a half decades.

 

“Ken isn't just hoping that his legacy lives on and hoping that things continue to go in the direction that he set them. He’s ensuring, with this endowment, that that happens,” Goddard said during Schueller’s retirement celebration and endowment signing ceremony. “He is ensuring that his legacy continues, that the best of the best advisors and faculty mentors continue to be honored, and that this program and all of this work for the students continues.”

Schueller’s career at UCM began with a semester-long internship with Career Services in 1999. It turned into a two-year internship, which developed into an opportunity for a permanent position. He joined the university full-time in August 2001, retiring from the Air Force later that year after more than two decades of service.

 

Since then, Schueller has helped more than 6,000 students, as counted by the number of career assessments he administered, and countless others indirectly. Most of this was done through the Open Option program. Schueller developed the curriculum for this program in 2002, and led it for the next 22 years until his retirement.

 

In 2018, he led the reorganization of people and processes from numerous programs across campus into a unified Success Advising Center. This team created a proactive advising model that now includes three components: advisors, success coaches and faculty mentors. As a result of Schueller’s efforts, three all-time records for retention were set and the university has experienced its best six-year streak in student success.

 

National Recognition for Schueller, Fernquist 

 

Just days before Schueller’s retirement celebration and endowment signing, the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) notified him of his selection for the global Outstanding Advising Award – Administrator. Also honored was Robert Fernquist, Ph.D., who retired this summer after serving as Sociology program coordinator and chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Studies. He received the global Outstanding Advising Award – Faculty Advisor.

 

NACADA is a global organization that promotes and supports quality academic advising at higher education institutions to enhance students’ educational development and help ensure a successful pathway to completing their degrees.

 

The awards will be presented during the organization’s national conference Oct. 27-30 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

During his remarks at the celebration, Schueller called the global award “a pinnacle moment in my career.” He also said it is not a personal award but rather a reflection of “the collective greatness” of UCM advising team members, past and present.

 

“I am sure that I have fallen short, but more than a career or list of accomplishments, nothing to me has ever been more important than making a positive difference in the lives of the students that I have been blessed with serving,” Schueller said.

 

Fernquist was a member of the Sociology faculty for 27 years before retiring. In addition to teaching numerous undergraduate and graduate courses, student advising was an important and rewarding part of the job. He also appreciated the help and support he received from the program’s success advisors.

Fernquist said he enjoyed teaching and advising because both are ways to help students meet their goals.

 

“When I would meet with students, I enjoyed that because it’s more personal in nature,” Fernquist said. “Advising is a key part for any faculty member. It was important because it helped us get to know students better, what they’re looking for, and concerns about how they learn. Probably my favorite part about advising one-on-one in my office was listening to their concerns. Like anyone else, they want to be heard.”

 

Fernquist said he was surprised to learn about the award because he didn’t expect to win.

 

“There are so many wonderful professors and advisors out there, and for me to be recognized is just a privilege and surprise,” Fernquist said. “It puts a big smile on my face to know that, to some degree, I’m making a significant difference in students’ lives.”

 

This spring, Schueller and Fernquist were recognized at the NACADA regional level. Schueller received the Excellence in Advising – Advising Administrator Award, and Fernquist received the Excellence in Advising – Faculty Advisor Award. Rachelle Webster, senior academic success advisor, was also recognized, receiving the Excellence in Advising – Primary Role Advisor Award.

 

Before receiving regional recognition, Webster and Schueller were recognized at the state level by the Missouri Academic Advising Association (MACADA). The nomination process includes student surveys and letters of support from students and colleagues.

 

As part of a tradition of excellence during Schueller’s leadership, this year’s awards are the latest NACADA recognition for UCM faculty and staff. Since 2015, at least one individual from the university has been honored every year as a winner in the state and region in either professional or faculty academic advisement categories, in addition to numerous Certificate of Merit awards.

 

Learn more about the UCM Alumni Foundation here.