Dr. John Richardson, the director of the University Honors Program, advises Allison Martin, a pre-med Honors student.

So, how’s the advising?

“How is the advising?” Do students visiting a college actually ask a question like that? Not usually. But as quality indicators go, advising is more important than many others that are touted.

Harvard educator Richard J. Light, Ph.D., in his highly regarded Making the Most of College dedicates an early chapter to “Good Mentoring and Advising.” Light, whose longtime research interest is what makes college work, does not shilly-shally. The chapter begins “Good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience.”

In recent years U of L has enriched its advising services. There are added academic counselors, summer orientation sessions and a one-credit class featuring guidance through a bewildering wealth of university resources.

In addition, the University Honors Program has Honors advising -- repeated, extended personal advising especially for Honors-related concerns.

As Honors students prepare to enroll for the coming semester, each signs up for a 20 to 30-minute advising appointment with the academic counselor of his or her choice. Melissa Stordeur, Luke Buckman and Tony Robinson are the Honors Program three full-time counselors. Both the Honors Program director Dr. John Richardson and several of the Honors Faculty Fellows are available for student advising.

Advising since 2000, Luke Buckman believes the most common mistake new students make is to confuse the college counselor with the high school guidance counselor. The job is similar, but the differences are enormous. University academic advisors truly guide and advise. They are willing to answer, or find the answer, to any question. And there are some things that university academic advisors never do; these include dictating your coursework, making your decisions and signing you up for a class. According to Luke, Honors academic advisors are interested in the whole person; they encourage you to become educated, not trained, and promote a love of exploration.

“We provide holistic counseling including academic, career and personal goals” according to Melissa Stordeur, who has also advised U of L students since 2000. “We may talk about how the student performed in the past and how he or she enjoyed the teaching style of individual faculty members.” According to Missy, the Honors academic counselors have a passion for what they do, but they also have fun. The Honors counselors plan gatherings and promote activities that make an Honors academic career both socially and academically satisfying.

 

To enhance advising, the Honors Program added academic counselor Tony Robinson, an experienced counselor from A&S.

Tony Robinson, like Luke and Missy a counselor since 2000, immediately rattled off the following, “good advisors are really teachers working with you one on one. The advisor is a resource touchstone for everything.” According to Tony, a lot of people view advising as an accounting measure, but it is more about helping students understand themselves. It is intellectual counseling, degree counseling and also career counseling. Academic counselors also help students as they wander in the academic mine field, giving students the tools they don't have, allowing them to make their way through it.

Dr. John Richardson, the director of the University Honors Program since 1998 and one of U of L's biggest advocates of quality advising, describes Honors advising as “welcoming and personable.”  Dr. Richardson adds, “We are able to provide personalized advising to students in a wide variety of majors and disciplines.”

Often selected by science and pre-med students as an advisor, Dr. Richardson's own work is in chemistry. Melissa's academic work is focused on history and sociology. Luke, who is working on a master's degree in higher education, has undergraduate degrees in English and humanities; Tony, who is working toward two master's degrees, one in higher education administration and one in history, has an undergraduate degree in psychology. To round out expertise, the faculty fellows frequently serve as Honors advisors. The fellows are specially appointed Honors faculty with Ph.D.s in any number of areas including business, religion, English, political science, communications and psychology.

To promote easy access to advising, the Honors offices are in the Etscorn Honors Center located on the ground floor of the Honors residence, Threlkeld Hall. Etscorn is also the site of one of the high-tech Honors classrooms. Geographic convenience increases casual drop-by advising.

Casual advising can be ongoing during the four-year academic career. Students who participate in conferences and the travel seminars get to know Honors faculty and staff well enough to quickly move into a mentor, mentee relationship, adding depth to the advising relationship. Participation in Honors-related activities and professional development as well as working as a student assistant can do the same.

Academic advising is the primary advising Honors offers, but it is not the only advising available. Our National Scholarship Office director Dr. Patricia Condon, located in the Overseers Honors House, meets regularly with students who contemplate competing for prestigious national scholarships and fellowships during or after their undergraduate years. Alert first and second year students make appointments with her early in their undergraduate careers to discuss how to develop academic and personal interests into competitive plans.