Juersivich named a 2026 Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate

Her commitment to helping first-year students discover their strengths earned Nazareth University’s Nicole Juersivich a 2026 Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate award. For the second year in a row, The National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition recognized Juersivich with the honor.  

The National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition sets a standard of excellence for supporting student transitions and facilitating educational success for a diversity of students in the 21st century. This includes the Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates award in collaboration with Penguin Random House Publishing.

Juersivich is the associate dean of students for academic thriving at Nazareth University, where she leads academic advising, first-year experience programs, and student success initiatives. She directs the Academic and College Success (ACS) program and fosters a student-centered culture that integrates academic support, engagement, and retention strategies. Previously, she served as first-year experience coordinator, director of academic assessment, and professor of mathematics, bringing over two decades of experience as an educator, researcher, and administrator. She earned her Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Virginia, her master’s in mathematics from Virginia Tech, and her bachelor’s in mathematics from Salisbury University. She is passionate about helping students build meaningful connections, persist through challenges, and grow into their fullest potential and authentic selves. 

She accepted her award at the Annual Conference on The First Year Experience, held Feb. 15-18 in Seattle.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2026 February
• more news:
• Academics
• Career Preparation