KATHY WILSON
Academic Adviser
Insurance, Legal Studies and Real Estate
Terry College of Business
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| A UGA employee for
14 years, Kathy Wilson has also worked in
undergraduate admissions, the College of Education
and University Studies. Prior to working at
UGA, she lived in Washington, D.C., and worked
for an insurance company. (Photo by Peter
Frey) |
JOB DESCRIPTION:
“I advise real estate and insurance and risk
management majors, but it’s not just your
typical academic advising. It’s talking about
the big picture. I try to spend as much time as
can with my students, and I feel like they know
they can just stop by any time. I have an open-door
policy, so I spend a lot of time just talking with
them—getting to know the students is an important
part of being an adviser. I have more than 350 students,
so it’s not an easy task, but I encourage
them to come by so that I can get to know something
about them personally, as well as academically.
We can celebrate the victories together and I can
also be a shoulder to cry on when times aren’t
so good.”
YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION:
One and a half.
A TYPICAL DAY:
“I don’t know that you could use the
word typical because it changes every day. During
the advising period, I have about 10 appointments
a day with my students. We work on their schedules,
talk about internships, jobs, interviews and anything
else they want to discuss. Other times, it is whatever
comes up that needs to be done.”
MOST REWARDING PART
OF MY JOB: “By far, my students. They’re
amazing, every one of them. It’s very exciting
to be a part of their college careers. Also, I am
part of a tremendous college and department. Dr.
Rob Hoyt, the department head, is an amazing person
to work for and with, as well as the faculty in
this department. The Terry College of Business is
a wonderful environment and one I am very happy
to be a part of.
“I was recently honored by receiving the campus-wide
2003-04 Outstanding Academic Adviser/Mentor Award.
“My students, who wrote the most remarkable
nomination letters, bowled me over. It meant the
world to me that they would take the time and effort
to do that.
“I found out about the award a couple of weeks
ago, and that I also will be nominated for a national
award through the National Academic Advising Association.”
PREVIOUS WORK EXPERIENCES:
“I have been with UGA for almost 14 years.
I started out with undergraduate admissions, and
then was an adviser in the College of Education
and University Studies.
“Prior to working for UGA, I lived in Washington,
D.C., and worked as the human resources director
for the lobbying office of a major insurance company.”
IF I WASN’T DOING
THIS JOB, I WOULD MOST LIKE TO: “Be
a professional golfer. It’s not that I’m
that good of a golfer, but my father encouraged
me to learn to play golf when I was a teenager,
at a time when there were not a lot of sports opportunities
for girls, and I have always loved it. I think it
would be so much fun to travel and play golf at
the same time.”
OFF-THE-JOB INTERESTS:
“I love to read, play golf, work in the yard
and be outside. I like to watch sports: tennis,
golf, college football, baseball and, of course,
any UGA sports.
“I’m also a crossword puzzle fanatic.
I got hooked on them when I lived in Washington.
I would wake up by doing the crossword puzzle in
the Washington Post
every morning.”
A BOOK I WOULD RECOMMEND
TO OTHERS: “Death
of a President by William Manchester, which
is about the assassination of President Kennedy.
It was fascinating to read about the details and
the events leading up to it and immediately afterwards.”
THE PERSON I MOST ADMIRE:
“My mother, Freda Townsend, because she’s
an amazing person. Just to give you an example,
in the span of about 15 months she lost her husband,
her mother and her pet—and she successfully
battled breast cancer. She had the most amazing
attitude, courage and strength, and to this day,
I am in awe that she got through it all the way
she did with such dignity and grace. She’s
always had an optimistic outlook on everything,
and strength of character that’s unbelievable.
She’s never been a judgmental mother; she’s
just always been supportive, no matter what, and
she’s my best friend. That’s been the
greatest source of strength in my life.”
THE ISSUE THAT CONCERNS
ME MOST ABOUT TODAY’S WORLD: “Violence
and crime—especially against children. I was
lucky to grow up in a time when you didn’t
have to lock your house or your car, and all the
neighborhood kids would spill out into the street
and play together. My parents didn’t have
to worry about the fact that we were outside by
ourselves. I think it’s tragic now that we
don’t have those kinds of freedoms.” |
—Susan
Myers |
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