Every year, Rensselaer students openly complain about how poor the academic advising is on this campus. Advisors are often difficult to contact, unhelpful, or simply not knowledgeable about both the students they serve and opportunities available for them. Erin Glasheen officially holds the title of Director of Undergraduate Programs for the school of Humanities and Social Sciences, but her biggest task is her job as academic advisor for all communication and EMAC majors.
Erin, as she prefers to be called, truly fulfills the job of an academic advisor. She is aware of her students’ current progression toward graduating and she knows what courses they need to take to get their diploma. Glasheen also sends out e-mails reminding EMAC and COMM students of registrations add/drop and pass/fail deadlines. These are duties of an academic advisor, and most fail to meet them, but Glasheen does not stop there.
More importantly, Glasheen takes the time to really get to know her advisees, which has allowed her to recommend classes those individual students would truly benefit from and find interesting. She looks for ways to not only help students succeed, but also further their academic experience at Rensselaer. Glasheen also shows concern for her students’ overall well-being. She is always willing to take time out of her busy schedule to meet with students to discuss not only academic issues they are facing, but difficulties they may be struggling with outside the classroom as well.
Furthermore, she has increased her role as a student aid by also looking for opportunities for her undergraduates outside of the realm of Rensselaer. Glasheen tends to occasionally flood the EMAC and COMM lists with various internship openings and is always willing to sign a nomination form or offer a recommendation for students who are looking for a way to build the resume and expand their educational experience.
Behind the scenes, Glasheen also works within the Language, Literature, and Communication department to improve courses and meet student demands as she receives feedback from the students. She acts as a back channel communication medium for where feedback can reach both professors and students.
Glasheen’s efforts to improve the quality of education for her students and her willingness to endeavor beyond the realm of her department, and the Institute more than warrants her nomination as Poly Person of the Year.
