Sheri Lynn Brown Says Academic Counselors at University Work 'in the Trenches'

Tara Ferkel

After six years in another position at the U of A, Sheri Lynn Brown joined the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design's advising staff in 2008. Now senior academic counselor for the school, she manages advising for second- through fifth-year students.

Editor's Note: As the U of A strives to become an employer of choice, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is highlighting the faculty and staff who help the school excel.

Born and raised in the Arkansas River Valley, Sheri Lynn Brown managed the office of Richard Hudson, the U of A's former vice chancellor for government and community relations, for six years before joining the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design's advising staff in 2008.

She has an Associate of Science degree in psychology from Westark Community College (now the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith). In fall 2007, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in American studies, with a minor in history, at the U of A. 

Brown, senior academic counselor for the Fay Jones School, manages advising for second- through fifth-year students. She said she enjoys guiding students through their academic careers and helping them to succeed. 

"I try to remember that everyone has their own story. I try to deal with people on an individual basis," Brown said. "It can be challenging to pull that off at times. I advise a lot of students, and I recognize them all."

One of the hardest parts of Brown's job is having to share bad news. She said that when a student doesn't pass the requirements to continue the program, it typically falls on her to communicate it.

However, she hopes that being a mother has helped her share the message in a way that is not discouraging.

"I can help the students understand that this is not the end," Brown said. "Watching them walk across the stage at commencement makes up for all the ups and downs."

It was because of being a mother that Brown started working at the university. She was working at a law office in Fayetteville, but felt she needed to spend more time with her son.

She got a part-time job at the university working with Hudson. While in that position, she also completed her undergraduate degree.

Following her graduation, and feeling more settled with her son, she started looking for full-time positions. When she saw the opening for academic counselor at the Fay Jones School, it seemed like the perfect fit.

"I was well versed in how the university operates from the students' perspective and understood the administrative side," Brown said. "I also had always been fascinated by the work and thought it would be an interesting job."

 She started on April 1, 2008. Sixteen years later, she said she still sees the value in her work, but rarely is it easy.  

Even with all the time academic advisers invest in students, Brown said they often find that people don't know what they do. While most people assume they are just like a high school guidance counselor, she said they are academic advisers — with the key word being "academic."

"Students see us as a one-stop shop, and they think they should be able to just talk to us and get everything taken care of. But some things we can't help with," Brown said.

Academic advisers cannot handle financial affairs, nor intervene when students have an issue with a course or an instructor. Also, the advisers can only work with the student, not the parent.

Brown said that everyone in the Fay Jones School, not just the advisers, contributes to student success.

"We are in the trenches here," Brown said. "At the Fay Jones School, students do so much to get here, study here and then ultimately to successfully leave here. And the academic advisers put a lot of work in to make that happen."

Read the full Q&A with Sheri Lynn Brown.