Maryville College names Dr. Karmen Stephenson as inaugural director of academic advising
Oct. 13, 2023
In an effort to improve academic performance and elevate the student academic experience, Maryville College has named Dr. Karmen Stephenson as the institution’s inaugural director of academic advising.
Stephenson, who most recently served two years as the academic affairs coordinator for the University of Tennessee University Honors program, will design, lead and oversee academic advising as an integral part of the student journey, from first-year experiences for new students to collaboration with other partners and departments across campus to the facilitation of training and development for students, staff and faculty advisors.
“The fact that this is a new position is daunting, but I believe it may be the most exciting thing about the role,” Stephenson said. “This is an opportunity to work with faculty, staff partners across campus and with students, and I hope that these collaborations will result in the creation of an advising center that is an integral component of the Maryville College community for learning and that will promote the fulfillment of the Maryville College mission and vision.
“I enjoy investigating structures and processes and figuring out what is going well — what things we should celebrate and where we should continue investing our energy and resources. I also like the challenge of identifying obstacles and opportunities for growth and improvement, and I like helping to develop strategies and solutions. In my first few days at Maryville College, I have had the privilege of meeting many faculty and staff, and I am eager to get to know our students as well.”
Already, she shares a trait in common with them: Her lived experience of studying everything to prepare for anything is a mirror image of the journey MC undergraduates embark upon during their time at the College. She entered high school with a healthy interest in visual arts, dance and music, and her studies at a magnet academy for science and mathematics broadened her academic interests. At the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she majored in both anthropology and Spanish because choosing one over the other seemed impossible, she said.
“Many years later, I can see that these areas of study appeal to my interests in social sciences, the arts and humanities, and even the natural sciences due to the breadth of scholarly inquiry that is possible in these fields,” she said. “Following my undergraduate studies, I worked as a high school Spanish teacher for several years before pursuing graduate study. Teaching was not a career path that I entered intentionally, but it was a fantastic opportunity to use my degree to do work that I feel is important and meaningful.”
She enrolled in the UT master of arts program in anthropology, choosing to focus on cultural anthropology thanks to her experiences as a teacher. The anthropology of education became a passion, and her research focused on various cultural topics in K-12 education, and her graduate assistantship in academic advising helped her develop a comprehensive understanding of student experiences and made her a better educator, she said.
“I also developed an interest in scholarship in academic advising, particularly in advising theory and philosophy,” she said. “I found that advising gave me the opportunity to work with students one-on-one and in the classroom, and that I could employ the pedagogical methods and theories that I had been utilizing and studying for years to do scholarly work in the field. While I did not go into this graduate assistantship with a career in academic advising in mind, I quickly discovered that it was a great fit for me.”
After completing her Ph.D. in anthropology in 2018, she served as a full-time academic advisor for three years at UT before being promoted to her most recent role, in which she served as honors coach to undergraduate students in the University Honors program; advised students on the development of research undergraduate thesis and capstone projects; and facilitated faculty connections as well as networking and mentorship relationships.
“I believe that good academic advising does not just ensure that students take the right classes to earn their degrees and graduate on time,” Stephenson said. “Good academic advising empowers students to engage in self-exploration, to connect their academics with experiential learning and career preparation activities, and to design their path from education to career and to see the many trajectories that are possible with their own unique combinations of strengths, interests, and academic and practical experiences.
“I have always been a proponent of liberal arts education and I admire Maryville College’s focus on developing strong academic and practically applicable skills via the robust core curriculum present in all programs of study. The opportunity to help develop an academic advising structure that supports students as they enter the College, prepare to declare a major (or sometimes transition majors) and navigate their undergraduate careers is exciting in itself, and particularly so given the dedication to academic advising and student support that is evident in the Maryville College faculty and staff.”
With the newly created position filled by an educator of Stephenson’s caliber and qualifications, the student academic experience at Maryville College will be a more rewarding one, according to Dr. Dan Klingensmith, vice president and dean of the College. While her role will be available to all students for schedule changes, referrals and problem solving, new students and those considering a change of major will find her office especially helpful, he added.
“Dr. Karmen Stephenson brings an extensive background in academic advising and success to Maryville College,” he said. “We are making a focused effort to improve academic advising over the next few years, as a part of improving the student experience and making the path to graduation easier. As our first ever full-time director of academic advising, her considerable professional knowledge and her focus on how we advise students, especially as they are entering the College, is going to be really valuable to us in making that effort successful.”