Family Social Science advisor honored with prestigious University award
Kirsten Collins, senior undergraduate advisor in Family Social Science, is among the winners of the University of Minnesota's John Tate Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising.
According to the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, Collins was recognized for her "...resourceful advocacy, skilled advising practices, exceptional compassion, and innovative programming."
In nominating Collins, Margaret Kelly, senior teaching specialist and director of undergraduate studies for FSoS, wrote, “...Kirsten is first and foremost an ally to our students…Kirsten has an understanding of the hidden curriculum that goes far beyond many. Some of this comes from her personal experience as a first-generation college student and much of it comes from her years of being highly attuned to the needs of her students…Her keen listening abilities create an environment where students can report out their questions and frustrations and Kirsten helps them to see beyond the barriers.”
In accepting the award, Collins shared her story with the audience.
As many of you know, I was an undergrad here at the U and a TRIO student. I often share that I’m not sure I would be a college graduate without TRIO advising and the folks in General College who consistently supported me without judgment. The faculty and staff patiently taught me the skills I lacked and valued the strengths I came here with. Back then, there were times it felt like General College and TRIO were the only places on campus that I felt valued, and I found myself being drawn back to Appleby Hall often.
Now, 20 years later, I am grateful to work in a college and a department that continues to reflect the values we saw in Appleby Hall. My colleagues and mentors, like Amy Kampsen and Margaret Kelly, teach and guide without judgment, and the value they see in diversity is reflected in their daily interactions with students and staff, policy and programming.
Today my sweet daughter Sally Jean, is missing her nap time to come and watch her mommy get this award. My husband, who just got off a two-day plow shift, is also missing his nap time to be here. And of course, my mom is here, as she always is. Now that I’m a mom myself, I realize that my journey to college started way before I walked through the doors of Appleby Hall. My mom worked in facilities here and would take me to every Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Granted, this usually consisted of hanging out chatting with the secretaries, and then spending the afternoon shopping at Ragstock. But, by the time I graduated high school, I knew the campus pretty well. When I started college, having mom a 10-minute walk away made this place a lot less scary. If I felt overwhelmed or, more often, just a little hungry, I walked to my mom's office in the basement of Moos towers.
In high school, I also watched my mom sit at our kitchen table doing her homework, talking to herself about how smart she was. She took one course at a time for over a decade through the Regents scholarship, graduating with a degree in English. A year later, my brother (another GC alum) graduated from here, and I followed the next year. Because of her, we knew we could do it, and we knew we deserved the opportunity to do it.
That all being said, college was not easy. I made a lot of mistakes. When I think about who and what had the biggest influence on my trajectory, self-efficacy, and resiliency, it was undeniably the people here at the U who gave me support and opportunities, but it was also the strong foundation and support provided by family. As I often tell my students, nobody does this alone. It takes a village, and that village extends beyond the academy's walls, making it, and us, better.
I share all this, not only to say thank you, but as a reminder to remember that our students have similar valuable experiences and support systems. Although they may not all have had a parent who is a college grad or equitable K-12 opportunities, their families and communities often provide other valuable resources, experiences, and input that we sometimes overlook in higher education. In order for us to be truly effective as an institution of higher learning, we need to understand that it both starts and ends with the family and community, and there’s a lot we can learn if we walk with the folks outside of these walls, instead of trying to lead them.
We also need to understand that our role is not to shield our students from perceived challenges, but to support them through the often messy and imperfect process of learning to navigate these obstacles. Whether it's something as simple as our advisors talking them through how to take the campus connector to St Paul or a more complex situation like how to return from a suspension, we need to teach students the rules of the game in a way that views uncertainty and missteps as a natural part of the learning process.
A big reason I love this work is because I truly believe that education leads to power in our society—not just for individuals, but for whole families, as it did for mine. When I look at the diverse students in TRIO and CEHD, and the future helpers, caretakers, and change-makers in FSOS, these are the people I want to have power in our society. These are the people I want making important decisions about our environment, healthcare, and human rights. In today's world especially, we need an educated and empathetic citizenry. We have the important job and the honor of collectively guiding and supporting these students, so they can continue to cultivate the respectful, kind, and just world we all deserve to live in.
More about the John Tate Award
Presented by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, the John Tate Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising is named in honor of John Tate, Professor of Physics and first Dean of University College (1930-41). The Tate Awards serve to recognize and reward high-quality academic advising. They call attention to the contribution academic advising makes to helping students formulate and achieve intellectual, career, and personal goals. By highlighting examples of outstanding advising, the Tate Awards identify professional models and celebrate the role that academic advising plays in the University’s educational mission.