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WesternCourier.com
Monday, April 22, 2019 - Vol. 119 Issue 80
@WesternCourier
Western recognizes Chris Ramsey for advising work By Steven Barnum news editor
COURTESY OF WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Chris Ramsey (above) was recognized for her work as an academic advisor last month.
Chris Ramsey was named academic advisor of the month at Western Illinois University. Ramsey has worked at Western for the last 29 years. She started as an accounting clerk in Sherman Hall, moved into a bill collector position in the billing receivables office and then became the director of advising. Currently, she is a full-time academic advisor for the College of Business and Technology. As an advisor, Ramsey is able to spend time with students and help them navigate their way through their college experience. She also holds the responsibility of making sure that they are on track to earn a degree efficiently. “I want to see all of my students cross the line,” Ramsey said. “I want to make sure that they are achieving their goals. Helping them find their niche and helping them find what lights a fire in them is rewarding. It makes you want to come into work every day. The students are what makes the job fun.” Several students nominated Ramsey for the advisor of the month award, which is something that she takes pride in. She talked about a recent transfer student who was pleased with her due diligence when finding him a cost-effective path to graduation. “It was a challenge and a little extra leg work,” Ramsey said, “but I think that he really appreciated that effort.” Another student is currently interning in Washington, D.C. thanks to an email offer
that Ramsey sent to all of her students. Ramsey routinely keep students up to date on similar opportunities when it comes to internships, jobs or reminders about FAFSA. She doesn’t consider email to be for instant messaging, but she thinks that it’s still an effective communication tool when it comes looking after the interests of her students. Ramsey’s interest in her students’ well-being doesn’t end after they are done enrolling for their final semester of college. She said that she enjoys meeting their family at their graduation and following their careers on LinkedIn. “It’s truly a joy to see how well they are doing,” Ramsey said. “I want to see them succeed so I love staying in touch with them. That’s what helps makes advising the best job ever.” The advising role often presents challenges. Many students who come into Ramsey’s office are undecided in the career path that they want to take. Ramsey seeks to find a diverse combination of classes for those students so that they gain exposure to find an interest. Above all else, she said that an advisor always has to be able to listen to students. “Not everybody is a planner so empowering students to make informed and beneficial decisions is a big part of the job,” she said. “I always tell students that there are a lot of ways to get to Chicago – I’m mapping out the directions for them, but they’re driving. It doesn’t matter how they get there as long as they get there.”
Ramsey page 3