Award Winners
In recognition of the excellence of individuals in the field, the International Center for Supplemental Instruction presents the following awards.
Exceptional Veteran SI Leader/Mentor
Criteria: This award is for an experienced SI Leader who has been in the position for more than one academic year. They are outstanding in their service as a leader and have made a significant contribution to the overall program through leadership and mentorship beyond their role description. They also demonstrate significant personal and professional growth from serving as an SI Leader.
Gigi Ghiselli
Hi, my name is Gigi, and I am a nursing major at California State University, Chico, graduating in spring 2026. I served as a SI Leader for Human Anatomy for four semesters before transitioning into an SI Mentor role, where I am currently in my second semester supporting new and returning SI Leaders as they grow in their roles.
My experience in SI has shaped my passion for leadership, creativity, and compassionate service. I love finding engaging and approachable ways to help students learn challenging material, and my greatest motivation as a leader has always been seeing the “lightbulb moment” when a concept finally clicks for a student. The sense of connection, empathy, and support that SI fosters is a major reason I fell in love with the program. I am excited to carry the skills I developed through SI, communication, mentorship, and advocacy, into the field of nursing, where caring for and supporting others remains at the heart of my work.
Outstanding New SI Leader
Criteria: This award is for an SI Leader who has been in the position for a minimum of 3 months but no more than one academic year. This leader will have been thoroughly involved with the program beyond their role description. They also demonstrate significant personal and professional growth from serving as an SI Leader.
Tori Fox
Tori Fox (she/her) is a student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Women, gender, and sexuality studies at Grand Valley State University. Facilitating for Psychology 101 and now serving as a content lead for both Psychology and Math, Tori has been involved in the SLA program for two semesters and continues to strive for improvement wherever possible. Tori credits the SLA program with being what finally connected her to campus, pushing her to go further and be more involved. With a passion for education, she strives to create a space where everyone feels welcome and capable of claiming their education. After graduating with her bachelor’s in science, she aims to obtain a PhD and find her way back to GVSU as a psychology professor. Anchor Up!
Outstanding New SI Supervisor
Criteria: This award is for an SI Supervisor who has been in the position for less than four years. The candidate will have led the program to outstanding quality and continuous improvement through adherence to core principles, campus engagement, leader development/support, excellence in quality of service, program evaluation, and integration with other campus activities.
Robbie Lyons
While Robbie is still relatively new to the field of education, he comes with experience from a variety of other industries. After a transformative, non-traditional path through college, Robbie has devoted himself to the field of higher education, seeing firsthand how empowering and life-changing the journey can be. From his original exposure to SI as a student, Robbie worked as a SI Leader and then a SI Mentor at California State University San Marcos. Robbie now serves as a SI Coordinator at UC San Diego, where he has planted his feet since 2022. Robbie hopes to continue in the field of higher education, looking to leverage his personal and professional experience to guide other students as they discover what it means to be a leader and to give back to the greater good.”
Exceptional Veteran SI Supervisor
Criteria: This award is for an SI Supervisor who has been in the position for at least four years. The candidate leads the program to outstanding quality and continuous improvement through adherence to core principles, campus engagement, leader development/support, excellence in quality of service, program evaluation, and integration within the SI community (local, regional, national, and/or international).
Jessica Morr
Jessica Morr joined The University of Sydney Business School in 2008 as a team member for the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) and Peer Mentoring teams.
Since 2009, Jessica has coordinated and managed the growing PASS facilitator team, which now includes over 40 facilitators across 21 units of study and more than 200 sessions per week. She has facilitated and coordinated the expansion of the program into other faculties, including the Sydney Law School, where PASS supported 10 units (until 2022), and continues to lend her expertise to other Peer Learning programs university wide.
As a senior accredited PASS supervisor, Jessica has contributed to many external initiatives to promote the University of Sydney and the PASS program. She has been awarded a Vice Chancellor’s Award for Systems that Achieve Excellence (2011) and the International Outstanding SI Program award (2020). Jessica has also successfully supported her team through international award applications, participated in shortlisting international facilitator awards, and provided consultative advice to teams from other local and international universities. She has served on senior panels for the recruitment of new coordinators and staff at other prestigious universities across Australia.
In addition, Jessica is Chair of the Australasian PASS and Peer Learning Awards Committee, helping to recognise and celebrate excellence in student-led learning initiatives across the region.
Exemplary New SI Program
Criteria: This award is for an SI program that has been in existence for less than 5 years and has demonstrated excellence in all areas of program activity. This includes programmatic improvement/development, adaptability while maintaining adherence to core principles, and campus integration and collaboration.
East Tennessee State University
For the past two years, the Center for Academic Achievement’s (CFAA) Supplemental Instruction (SI) program at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) has undergone significant development, since its rebirth under new management in Fall 2023. Under the stewardship of Assistant Director Janice Levasseur, who began this work in Fall 2023 and Director Jake Alspaugh, joined Spring 2024, the program has demonstrated innovation, adaptability, profound growth in student outcomes, and a deep integration within the campus community—all while shifting practices to be in alignment with core principles set by the International Center for Supplemental Instruction. These changes led to accreditation in Spring 2025, even as further improvements continue to be planned.
The ETSU CFAA SI program actively fosters campus partnerships and community engagement. SI Leaders, SI Mentors, and professional staff have participated in and contributed to the global SI community through conference attendance and presentations, webinars, and cross-program collaborations with Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada) and University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Above all, the CFAA SI Program actively works to embody ETSU’s commitment to respect, authentic relationships, the full potential of every student, and excellence through teamwork.
Exemplary Veteran SI Program (2-Year)
Criteria: This award is for an SI program that has been in existence for more than 5 years and has demonstrated excellence in all areas of program activity. This includes programmatic improvement/development, adaptability while maintaining adherence to core principles, campus integration and collaboration, and collaboration the larger SI community (regionally, nationally, or internationally).
Middlesex Community College
Middlesex Community College’s Supplemental Instruction (SI) program, housed within the Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE) Department, has operated for over a decade as a pioneering force in peer academic support. The ACE Department employs over 90 Student Leaders each semester and approximately 45 of them are trained as SI Leaders supporting an average of 50 STEM courses. The program consistently demonstrates that SI participation correlates with improved student outcomes across all key metrics- including higher course completion and enhanced student persistence and retention. Beyond these measurable achievements, the program drives continuous innovation through comprehensive SI Leader development assessments, digital badge credentials for career readiness, and community building initiatives like the ACE Discord channel. MCC’s ACE Team demonstrates leadership that extends far beyond campus borders. As the first community college to achieve ICSI accreditation- recertifying every three years- the team serves as the Northeast regional point of contact and founded the biennial Northeast Regional Supplemental Instruction (NERSI) Conference in 2016. Through these efforts, the ACE Team mentors emerging programs and advances SI practice across the region. Most recently, MCC was recognized as the recipient of the Exemplary Veteran SI Program of the year award.
Exemplary Veteran SI Program (4-Year)
Criteria: This award is for an SI program that has been in existence for more than 5 years and has demonstrated excellence in all areas of program activity. This includes programmatic improvement/development, adaptability while maintaining adherence to core principles, campus integration and collaboration, and collaboration the larger SI community (regionally, nationally, or internationally).
Kennesaw State University
Supplemental Instruction (SI) began at Kennesaw State University (KSU) as a pilot program in the Spring of 2006 with just two SI Leaders supporting two courses. As the university has grown to over 50,000 students, the SI program has also grown to over 150 SI Leaders supporting hundreds of sections of more than 30 courses across multiple campuses, including online, by the Spring of 2026. KSU SI focuses on providing support to high enrollment, historically difficult courses, as well as courses that create bottlenecks for students progressing to graduation. Though the program has grown in size and scope, it has maintained its quality training and development expectations resulting in consistently measurable positive impact on student outcomes for those who attend SI sessions.
KSU SI is committed to a “students as partners” philosophy, encouraging SI Leaders to propose and implement initiatives that strengthen engagement and impact, and providing them with meaningful opportunities to shape the program. A robust leadership development pathway plays an integral role by empowering experienced SI Leaders to progress into Team Leads, who mentor their peers, design and deliver professional development sessions and aspects of pre-semester training, and contribute to the strong sense of community within the program. Combined with strong collaborations across campus, these efforts have expanded access to SI support and increased its visibility and recognition throughout the university community.
KSU SI continuously adapts its strategies to meet the needs of a large and evolving student population while maintaining the core principles central to SI. In recognition of this commitment to quality and effectiveness, KSU SI earned accreditation through ICSI at the end of 2025, reflecting two decades of purposeful innovation, strong partnerships, and a sustained commitment to student success.
