Four staff members honored for excellence in graduate education support

Each year, the Graduate College recognizes staff members who impact graduate education at Arizona State University through the Graduate College Staff Awards of Excellence Luncheon. These awards honor individuals whose work exemplifies innovation, dedication and a student-first mindset.

The awards were presented during the Graduate College Staff Awards of Excellence Luncheon in May. Nominations were accepted in four categories: Outstanding Collaboration, Going the Extra Mile, Outstanding New Staff and Supporting Student Success.

Outstanding Collaboration: Jennifer Litten

Jennifer Litten, manager of the Graduate Applicant Processing team, was recognized for her strategic efforts to improve the graduate admissions experience for applicants and academic units.

Since joining ASU in 2017, Litten has overseen the domestic and international application review process, working to streamline procedures and promote efficiency. She also supported the inclusion of three-year degrees as admissible credentials, a change that broadened access for students around the world.

“Receiving this award is an honor and motivates me to continue learning and growing,” Litten said. “This recognition is a welcome reminder of the impact we can have when we work together to support our graduate students”. She emphasized that while much of her team’s work is behind the scenes, they take great pride in ensuring each application is handled with care and student success in mind.

Going the Extra Mile: Rebecca Dial

Rebecca Dial has been a cornerstone of the School of Earth and Space Exploration for 17 years. As academic programs manager, she supports graduate students from application to graduation. She often serves as their first point of contact and ongoing advisor.

“It is extremely rewarding to be recognized for the work that I do, but working in academics is really a team effort,” Dial said. “I am grateful to the SESE community that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of all these years”.

Dial’s work includes coordinating fall recruitment and admissions, curriculum development, data reporting and student event planning. Her colleagues praised her skill at solving complex academic policy questions and dedication to helping students stay on track. “I get to learn new things all the time, which certainly keeps the job interesting,” she said.

Outstanding New Staff: Madison Edmonds

In less than a year at ASU, Madison Edmonds has made a powerful impact as program coordinator for the MS-AIB and MS-EI graduate programs in the W. P. Carey School of Business.

“This recognition is incredibly meaningful to me,” Edmonds said. “This year has been transformational, and I’ve grown so much in this role personally and professionally”.

Edmonds provides academic advising, event coordination and operational support for her students. This spring, she also helped lead the Capstone Showcase, a major collaboration across three graduate programs that brought together over 200 students, faculty and industry partners. “I do my best to listen thoughtfully, validate students’ experiences and guide them toward the most helpful next steps,” she said.

Supporting Student Success: Anna Engelbrektson

Anna Engelbrektson, principal research specialist in the Genomics Core within Knowledge Enterprise, was honored for her mentorship and support of graduate researchers using the facility’s cutting-edge tools and data analysis services.

“I love watching students and interns learn and grow into confident, successful scientists,” Engelbrektson said. “It’s gratifying to realize that my work is appreciated, even though it’s primarily behind the scenes”.

Her recent work included transitioning microbiome sequencing operations to a new platform, a change that significantly improved student researchers' data quality and project outcomes. “Our team is just as dedicated to the success of the projects we work on as the researchers who publish the results,” she said.

These awardees exemplify the commitment, care and expertise that elevate the graduate student experience at ASU. Whether guiding students directly or supporting key systems behind the scenes, their work reflects the university’s dedication to access, excellence and student success.