The pandemic has made the virtual experience the “new normal.” Except it’s anything but normal. Higher Education scrambled to ramp up existing virtual resources to meet the need. What was discovered is that even with everyone’s effort to meet students “where they are,” our new digital reality was missing something essential: warmth. Students want, need, and expect to build relationships, especially with their faculty and staff supports who help them navigate an overwhelming system. Suddenly, the in-person interactions that previously made relationship-building easy were gone. But the void created by a cyberspace of boxes with talking-heads made everyone start thinking out-of-the-box. By building relationships between offices and across campus, the Advising and Student Accessibility Services Offices have cultivated a system of improved protocols, coordination, and communication making relationship-building not only possible, but also more effective for student success.

Biographies: 

Andrea Gustafson is a veteran of disability advocacy. Originally trained as an Earth Scientist right here at Buffalo State, she found her calling after receiving support for her own disabilities. Remaining at Buffalo State to receive her masters in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration, Andrea now works in the very office that once supported her in her academic endeavors as the Learning + Accommodations Specialist for Student Accessibility Services. She is an innate problem seeker and solver who mixes logic with creativity and firmly believes that given the right assistance, anyone will succeed. Andrea works equitably among all groups at Buffalo State (faculty, staff, and students) to provide access for students with disabilities to programs and services.

Faherty Nielsen is a Professional Advisor in the Academic Success area. After growing up in Buffalo, she graduated from Wells College with a BA in History and a minor in Religious Studies. She then attended Binghamton University where she earned an MA in American History and a PhD in Race & Ethnicity: African American History with a focus on 20th Century Civil Rights and Buffalo History.

Faherty has over 15 years’ experience working as an educator. She worked as a college instructor for several years teaching everything from survey-level American History to more specialized courses in the American Social Movements and American Legal History. After working in the college classroom, Faherty pivoted to work with students one-on-one through tutoring and college/career preparation programs. It was through these programs that Faherty discovered her true passion for advising. After working in the non-profit world for a few years, she returned to school (again) where she earned an MS in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration and is working to complete a Certificate of Advanced Study in Assessment in Student Affairs at SUNY Buffalo State College.

Presenter: Andrea Gustafson and Faherty Nielsen