Academic advising
Marianne Radke and Kathy Vranos
"Their partnership epitomizes the best of academic advising at GCC."
- Larry Dean, Director, Title III Grant for Advising
Marianne’s experience may sound familiar to other students who come to GCC uncertain about what they want to study and where they want to work. Kathy, as Marianne’s advisor, helped her to recognize her talents and develop a plan to take advantage of them in a way that may not have occurred to Marianne otherwise. Kathy, who normally advises only business students, remained committed to Marianne, even while encouraging her to pursue English literature.
“Marianne’s talent for writing was clear to me immediately,” says Kathy Vranos, Assistant Professor of Business/Marketing, and Advisor to Marianne Radke, GCC student. “The challenge was to make Marianne aware of it and to help her find a direction which could allow her to pursue her passions while leveraging her talents.”
Marianne transferred to Greenfield Community College from Mount Wachusett Community College in the fall of 2006 without knowing what she really wanted to do with her studies or her life. As a liberal arts student, Marianne took a full load of courses, including Introduction to Business taught by Kathy, and Kathy became Marianne’s academic advisor.
“Kathy and I just began talking outside of class, and she began pointing out talents that I didn’t know I had,” explains Marianne. “Kathy also asked a lot of questions about my interests, and I shared my love for organic farming and reading with her. Eventually, we arrived at a plan for my education and career which would help me build on my talents while preparing for a career in non-profit communications. It’s such a relief to be studying what I enjoy, while knowing that it leads to a career path, too.”
Last spring, Marianne took another full load of courses, including two taught by Kathy, Principles of Advertising and Business Communications. This fall, Marianne is taking another full load, including three 200-level English literature courses and a photography course. She plans to graduate from GCC with an associate’s degree in liberal arts and transfer to UMass for the 2008 fall term. The free course and $100 gift certificate that she recently won for completing a survey for the Title III Grant for Advising may bring her back to GCC in the spring for an art course she yearns to take.