Poland named director of Statler College Advising Center

Michelle Poland has been named director of West Virginia University’s Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources Advising Center, a position she has held on an interim basis since August 2018.

By Olivia Miller
Communications Specialist

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

In announcing her appointment, Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College, said that Poland’s extensive knowledge and enthusiasm made her an ideal candidate for the position.

“Michelle brings a great deal of experience to the position after having served as academic success program coordinator for our Fundamentals of Engineering Program,” Cilento said. “She has been recognized at the local and regional levels for advising excellence and will bring a wealth of experience to the Center as it continues to grow and expand.”

The Advising Center will ultimately serve as the advising home for sophomores, juniors and seniors in the Statler College. Based in room 151 of the Engineering Sciences Building, Poland and her team are currently advising students from the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“We look forward to growing the Center and currently plan to add two additional team members to fulfill the roles of senior academic advisors,” said Poland. “I’m really excited about the opportunity to get to know each of my students from sophomore year all the way to successful graduation. It will be an incredibly rewarding opportunity.”

A two-time graduate of the Statler College with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering in 2006 and 2008, respectively, Poland actively led the advising development efforts for the Fundamentals of Engineering Program and spearheaded the Statler College’s New Student Orientation efforts. She was a member of the WVU Advising Development Collaborative and was a participant in the iPASS Excellence in Advising series.

The incoming co-chair of WVU’s Academic Advising Council for the 2019-2020 academic year, Poland was selected as the National Academic Advising Association’s Outstanding New Advisor for the state of West Virginia (Region III) in 2014, and as an Outstanding Advisor for the Statler College in 2015. She was selected to receive WVU’s 2017 Nicholas Evans Excellence in Advising Award and was named the 2017 Statler College Outstanding Advisor of the Year.

“The Advising Center is new to the Statler College and is the logical next step in helping our students. It will handle many of the academic advising needs that must be done in a timely fashion,” Cilento said. “This will allow department faculty to be more active and focus on career and professional advising and mentorships of the students in their majors. Their guidance in these areas is crucial for long-term student professional success.”

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