Rickus honored nationally as pacesetter for exemplary leadership in academic advising

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Jenna Rickus, senior vice provost for teaching and learning at Purdue University, has been awarded the Michael C. Holen Pacesetter Award by the National Academic Advising Association.

NACADA is an international non-profit association that represents and supports academic advising professionals across higher education. The Pacesetter Award is given to exceptional higher education executives who demonstrate exemplary commitment to academic advising and serve as champions for advising, students and advisors across their institution.

“Jenna’s visionary leadership has been fundamental to the success of our teaching and learning programs and affirm the university’s continued commitment to investing in student success at the highest level,” Purdue Provost Patrick Wolfe said.

Rickus, who also holds faculty appointments as a professor of agricultural and biological engineering and biomedical engineering, provides leadership in undergraduate education and student success to the West Lafayette and Indianapolis locations.

Under her leadership, Purdue boasts one of the nation’s best student-to-advisor ratios and ranks first among Big Ten universities. At a ratio 225 to 1, students receive more personalized guidance and are able to build stronger connections with their advisors. With support of Rickus and the Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, the university continues to invest in its advisors through an award-winning professional development program offering career certifications at all levels and centrally funded grants for continued growth. Most recently, her team led efforts to support the launch of the Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising’s Advisor Relief Program, ensuring consistent support for students and departments should an advisor take an extended leave of absence.

“I’m honored to receive the Michael C. Holen Pacesetter Award and proud to represent the incredible work and dedication of my Purdue colleagues, whose steadfast commitment drives student success and fosters a transformative learning environment,” Rickus said.

Looking forward, Rickus is helping lead Purdue’s advising community into the future with AI-driven tools to support both advisors and students, by enhancing, not replacing, the human connections that are essential to student success.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.