My academic advising philosophy revolves around empowering students. I believe that the purpose of advising is to help students navigate the complex and unknown world of higher education in order to help them achieve their academic goals. I believe I am responsible for equipping students with the knowledge and tools needed to help them reach their goals. I also see myself as a valuable retention tool for the university by my efforts to keep students progressing toward graduation. I work hard to earn my students’ respect by being knowledgeable and informed. I keep my students informed them of their degree plan requirements. I also caution my students about choices that will result in delays in degree completion.
I believe I earn my trust and confidence by respecting and valuing my students. I enjoy that every interaction is different since students come from various backgrounds and life experiences. I am honored and privileged to be a part of my students’ academic journey, and I uphold that trust with the highest regard. When I advise students, I aspire to meet them where they are individually and to utilize a proactive approach to answer questions they did not even know they needed to ask. The thing I value most about working with students is empowering them to advocate for themselves by orienting them to the different software systems (i.e., Degree Audit) and university policies (i.e., University Catalog) they will use throughout their college experience so that they can ask questions and be the driving force for their education.
I maintain frequent communication with support service offices around campus to make sure I am familiar with all the available services offered to students in a given semester. I find this collaboration helpful when referring students to campus resources such as the Writing Center and the Center for Career and Professional Development. I thrive on watching students overcome their academic and personal obstacles to be successful in college.
I think my greatest strength as an advisor is that I have a good understanding of the University’s connectedness across campus and as a whole. I understand how actions or decisions in one department may have unintended consequences for another department or our students. I am confident that my ability to listen and communicate effectively has contributed to all the relationships I have developed across campus over the last several years. Having a big-picture perspective on advising has allowed me to positively contribute to my department and our institution. I believe that my colleagues would describe my advising style as caring and compassionate. My personal philosophy is that we are building relationships with our students through every interaction. My students have described my advising style as sincere, dedicated and honest.
I have been volunteering at commencement ceremonies longer than I have been working at the university, and I know that I am making a difference when I see my students’ smiling faces at graduation after they achieve their goal of obtaining their degree. I have worked hard to show professional integrity in my years as an advisor. My past students have referred their friends and family members to me over the years as a trusted resource and representative of the institution.
My philosophy is that advising includes relationship building with our students, within our department and across the institution. This helps make the university the best that it can be. The closer the working relationships we develop with others, the better the atmosphere we can create for our students.
The Advisor That Cares 