Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—A longtime faculty member in Mississippi State’s Department of Communication is being recognized with a national student advising award.

Instructor Frances O. McDavid’s selection by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) was based on “significant contributions to the improvement of academic advising.”

McDavid was formally honored with a “2016 Outstanding Faculty Adviser” recognition plaque at NACADA’s annual conference held recently in Atlanta, Georgia.

Earlier this year, McDavid was recognized with a NACADA regional student advising award. In 2015, McDavid received MSU’s Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Faculty Award, the campus-wide honor that led to nomination for the NACADA regional competition.

Founded in 1979, Kansas State University-based NACADA works to promote the quality of academic guidance provided to students in higher education. It also serves as a forum for continually examining the evolving role of advising at member institutions. For more, see www.nacada.ksu.edu.

A Starkville native, McDavid is a Mississippi State communication/journalism graduate who also holds a master’s degree in public policy and administration from the university. Before coming to work at her alma mater 29 years ago, she held editorial and journalism positions at area newspapers.

In addition to teaching courses ranging from introductory and advanced newswriting and feature writing to news editing and journalism ethics, McDavid coordinates the communication department’s journalism concentration.

Also completing her 18th year as adviser to The Reflector student newspaper, McDavid is a member of the Mississippi Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and Southeast Journalism Conference.

Expressing appreciation for the recent NACADA honor, McDavid said she enjoys her advising role as it enables her to interact with MSU students during critical points in their lives.

“Working with students gives me faith that many of them will become guiding forces in this country, both as citizens and through their work as journalists and in other communication professions,” McDavid said.

Part of the College of Arts and Sciences, MSU’s Department of Communication is among the largest academic units on campus, enrolling more than 600 majors. With nearly 30 full-time faculty members, the department offers a bachelor of arts, with concentrations in broadcasting, communication studies, journalism, public relations and theatre. For more, visit www.comm.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.