Amanda Tucker is one of the Codirectors of the Helios Center and has recently won an award for her advising of students on campus, so the Exponent reached out for an interview.
You have worked at UW Platteville for a long time. Why did you pick UW Platteville? What is your favorite part of working at UW Platteville?
In the final stage of Grad school, I applied super widely and got an interview at Platteville where they quickly offered me a job. I really like Platteville because Wisconsin has a really strong history of supporting education and public universities, and that is really beautiful. I also want to work with and support first-generation college students, and that is my favorite part of my job. The energy here is great, and it is a place I have always been happy to stay.
You are one of the leaders in the Helios Center, how do you get involved with the center? Why do you think it is important? How does that influence your teaching on campus?
A few years ago, I was the Director of the General Education Program and saw it was infuriating to students because they felt like they didn’t need these classes. Professor Katie Kalish, who was the Director of the First Year Writing Program saw a similar thing in her class, so we came together and tried to figure out how to help students thrive and have meaningful educative experiences. We wanted to make class fun but also meaningful, so students don’t have to hold their noses and suffer through the process.
You have won an award for your advising. What do you do as an advisor to make your students feel supported? Why do you think it is important?
Advising is another form of teaching, and I think that is really cool. You get to have another relationship with the student that doesn’t always happen in the classroom because students need at least one person who is there to support them and wholeheartedly believes in them.
