Louise Brown, Dean for the Class of 2013

img_4626Louise Brown is the Dean for Academic Advancement and the Dean for the Class of 2013.  Hailing from Minnesota, Dean Brown graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. in political science before earning her Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in the same discipline.  Prior to her work at Wesleyan, Dean Brown was at Connecticut College and Eugene Lang:  The New School for Liberal Studies (formerly part of the New School for Social Research).  Married to a great photographer, she has two kids, grows roses, and sings in a rock band (Busted Roses), among other things. 

So what does a class dean do?  A class dean monitors students’ progress towards graduation (although students are responsible for knowing and meeting the graduation requirements!), provides general academic advice and support, helps students to understand the academic regulations and resolve academic issues, and refers students to the appropriate resources on campus.  She works with students from their entry as first-years to their graduation as seniors, and so serves as a “go-to” person for students’ four years at Wesleyan.  Dean Brown also teaches in the government department when she has a chance.

Dean Brown holds regular drop-in hours and also is available by appointment.  She is excited to meet each member of the great Class of 2013, so do come to her office at 202 North College or call her at 685-2758 to set up a time to meet.

Student Academic Resource Network (SARN)

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You should know by now that people who reach out and ask for help are the most successful. But where should you go to ask for help when you are at Wesleyan? Mosey on over to Student Academic Resources Network (SARN). The network is a virtual space for you to ask for help.  At the website, you will find links to programs that can help you find scholarships, organize your time, improve your paper-writing skills, learn how to use the on-line library resources, find internships or grants, and explore study abroad programs. Will you be looking for academic help with math, statistics, biology and chemistry, or might you simply want to improve your studying skills and habits? Explore the links at the SARN Web site. You will find these programs and more!

Peer Advisors

pasfa03Dean Sarah blogging here! I supervise the SARN peer advisors. Here is what one student thought about the peer advisors and they helped her succeed during her first year at Wesleyan:

The SARN Peer Advisors are the single most helpful academic resource we have on campus. Peer advisors have advice for their students about anything study-related; a few I can think of right now are reading habits, [and] note taking…. My peer advisor helped me shape my notebook to be neater and easier for organization, [and] taught me how to read an extensive amount while retaining the information…. I have adopted several strategies from my sessions with my peer advisor: I started using the Cornell method for note taking and I have consulted the Writer’s Workshop as per her advice. In short, my peer advisor has been a tremendous help to me and my grades.

Peer advisors can show you how to stay on track and prioritize your activities so that you can enjoy and complete your coursework while making sure you participate in co-curricular activities, too! Check them out at the Peer Advisor, a blog written by peer advisors to help address your questions about coming to Wesleyan.

Faculty and Student Advising Handbook

This summer, as you think about which courses you will be enrolling in after you arrive at Wesleyan in September, please take time to carefully review the Faculty and Student Advising Handbook. The Handbook is designed to help you achieve your educational goals by providing advice on how to get the most out of your relationship with your faculty advisor as you build your program of study over the course of your Wesleyan career. The Handbook also provides information about academic departments and programs, graduation requirements, study abroad, the major declaration process, academic support services for students, and the procedures of the Honor Board and the Student Judicial Board.

Peer Advisor Blog

The Peer Advisor blog is a student-authored publication that provides news and information about academic and co-curricular life at Wesleyan.  A service of the Student Academic Resources Network, the blog is a place where new students can get answers to questions before arriving on campus. Current posts cover topics such as What’s an FYI? and What are Essential Capabilities.  Future posts will discuss topics such as how to unpack the Summer Registration Form, how to read a WesMaps course catalog page, how to work with your Faculty Advisor, and life beyond the classroom.

The Peer Advisor blog is maintained by peer advisors (upperclass students with expertise in navigating the “Wesleyan system”) and is available at http://peeradvisor.blogs.wesleyan.edu/. Anyone can browse the blog, but only authenticated members of the Wesleyan community may post comments.  If you will be posting comments (which requires login using your Wesleyan username and password) please be aware that there is bug in the blog software that may cause an error the first time you try to login. If this happens, just click on your browser’s Back button to login again and you should be OK.