Irene Enlow
Academic Advising, Susan McCormack Center for Student Success
Academic Advising Professional
In their important book Relationship-Rich Education, Peter Felten and Leo M. Lambert argue that college students must feel that “they are valued as people [and] that they belong on campus” if they are to thrive academically. Irene Enlow believes that providing personalized, proactive support to the students with whom she works will contribute to their sense of belonging at the University of Wyoming.
Irene first heard about U.W. thanks to a timely e-mail from her academic advisor. After earning a B.A. from the University of Iowa, she moved to Wyoming to pursue a master’s degree. Now working as an academic advisor for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Irene looks forward to helping her advisees explore their passions and meet their goals.
Advising Philosophy:
Each semester, college students encounter opportunities to strengthen their problem-solving skills and take ownership of their decisions. While these opportunities may be easiest to identify in the classroom, they also present themselves in the advising office. As an Academic Advising Professional for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, I encourage my advisees to recognize that they can use our time together to further develop the critical thinking and communication skills needed to thrive in any profession.
Working as collaborators, my advisees and I can create academic plans that reflect their knowledge, interests, and ambitions – as well as the expectations established by specific degree programs and the university.
I take seriously my responsibility to understand and explain those expectations. I also consider it crucial to seek out opportunities through UW and NACADA to learn from other advising professionals about how I can better promote student success.
In my experience, any productive act of collaboration requires respectful, clear communication. Therefore, I believe that my advisees and I should remain in regular contact. I hope that my advisees will not hesitate to reach out when they have accomplishments to celebrate or questions to share. When students pose questions that I cannot answer or seek support that I cannot provide, I recognize the importance of connecting them with other collaborators on campus who can further contribute to their personal and academic flourishing.
