Vol. 18, No. 14	Dec. 10, 1998

Excellence in advising

"Advising is an important part of students' college experience," Duke said. "It makes a significant difference in a student's individual progress and bond with a school if faculty are concerned about them. When students have a good relationship with a faculty adviser, they are more likely to succeed academically, to be committed to institutional goals and to generally be good citizens," she added.

I'm the point person or ombudsman for students in the honors program, so I get to know many students. When they are undeclared, when they change majors or are in transition of any sort, they frequently come to me and I try to point them in the right directions. In the honors program, students may have double majors or triple minors or be involved in research programs and may have multiple mentors or advisers," Duke said.

"When a student comes in the office, we may begin by discussing courses and immediate concerns but often end up talking about long-term goals," she said.

Duke does advisement on a large scale, in addition to being in charge of freshman orientation for the honors program, which involves interaction with departments across the campus.

Since she became associate director of the program in 1990, there have been several changes, including the fact that the number of new students entering the program has doubled to approximately 540, she said.

"We have a saying in the honors program: 'They grow up, they graduate, but they never really leave,'" Duke said. She corresponds with many honors program graduates, and, yes, she has been invited to several weddings.