The conversion of the Honors program to the Honors college has come with some changes, one being new and dedicated student advisors. These advisors are here specifically to assist honors students with potential advising needs as the student numbers grow and the college expands. New to the college are Suzanne Melloni, The Director of Student Support Services and Kristin Kadlec, The Assistant Director who, since the beginning of this semester have served as advisors for students within the honors college.
Though they are new to the Honors college, Suzanne and Kristin have long been a part of the UMassD fabric. They are both UMassD alums and have worked with the university for some time as advisors, with Kristin coming up on five years here and Suzanne recently celebrating twenty-five years with the university. As student advisors they both endeavor to cater to the needs of each student. For Suzanne, advising is vital, and being an advisor at UMassD is particularly rewarding because she has the opportunity to help students at her alma matter. “It does the soul good to know that you are helping fellow corsairs reach their goals”, She says. She and Kristin are happy to be working with the honors students and are looking forward to many semesters with the college.
The role of these new advisors is not to replace the academic advisors assigned to each student by their department or college. Instead Suzanne and Kristin work with each student as well as their academic advisor to create a schedule for the student that caters to both their major requirements and their honors requirements comfortably. They also attend to honors specific advising issues such as choosing an Honors 200 class or Honorizing contracts that are required for Honorizing a class.
Aside from advising help, they act as tour guides for students, helping them navigate problems such as how to remove advising holds, and answering general questions about the completion of their program. They also hold workshops for the students throughout the semester. This semester, these workshops have focused primarily on getting the first-year students acclimated with university particularly because of the drastic shift in teaching modes. In these workshops, students are free to ask questions or engage in open discussion about concerns they may have regarding their schoolwork. However, upcoming workshops will also target sophomores and upperclassmen, and all students are encouraged to attend. Workshops for all students include guides to Honorizing courses, stress and anxiety workshops that will be held in conjunction with the university’s Counseling center for stress and anxiety, and Resume writing that will be held in conjunction with the University’s career center. Additionally, students can request to meet with them one-on-one to discuss honors specific or general problems that might be plaguing them in regard to their academics.
So, if you are a freshman struggling to adjust, a sophomore looking for an honors class to fit your schedule or an upperclassman trying to complete your honors requirements do not hesitate to contact either Suzanne Melloni (smelloni@umassd.edu) or Kristin Kadlec (kkadlec@umassd.edu) to schedule an appointment. Their contact information is also posted on the Honors College webpage and they offer help over Email as well as Phone or Zoom so that each student can opt for whichever they find more comfortable.
Take advantage of the opportunity uniquely provided you as a distinguished member of the Honors College here at The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
Written By: Busola Awobode