July 11, 2006 issue
I love EMU because we care about our students. I've been here for 15
years, nine years with the Honors College. I do a lot of advising, so
I get to personally meet numerous first-year students, and I work closely
with the presidential scholars. I've met many amazing students and I love
helping to motivate them to take advantage of the excellent opportunities
available through the University. I am proud that we purposefully embrace
diversity.
Our students give me energy and make me laugh. They have great ideas
and challenge me to look at the world from a different perspective. They
are hardworking, often juggling jobs, large course loads, athletics and
family responsibilities. I love seeing students with hopes and dreams
for the future. I know they will do amazing things when they leave us.
I'm a "why not" kind of person. When students come to me with problems,
I help come up with creative ways to make things happen. If a student
needs to graduate early because they have a job offer, I'll help them
find a way to graduate with honors.
You could call me a walking history of the Honors College. I've worked
with many directors and the transition from Honors Program
to Honors College. The Honors College is a great recruitment
tool. It allows us to showcase our outstanding students
and degree programs to provide an incentive for prospective
students to come here. We hope to link students with mentors
in their area of interest, to give them the best learning
experience possible.
Another thing that I like about my job is that I get to work closely
with people in student affairs, academic affairs and advisers
in all departments. Since I'm often calling around to help
students with their problems, I get to build relationships with people
across campus. I have many colleagues that I now call my friends.
I continue to work at EMU because I enjoy the university atmosphere.
We have wonderful faculty and research opportunities for
undergraduates. EMU has a higher commitment to teaching
than many large universities. We're one of the schools
that still appreciates an outstanding teacher and provides
a wide array of possibilities to prepare honors graduates
for their bright futures.
