Advising Director Margie Russell Retiring
The Engineering Advising Office is home to nearly 20 advising professionals dedicated to the success of Vols attending the Tickle College of Engineering (TCE).
Eighteen years ago, it all started with one person.
“When I was hired as the director of advising, I was a one-woman show,” recalled Margie Russell, the director and founder of TCE’s Main Advising Office.
Russell feels that establishing a professional advising office for TCE is the greatest impact she could have hoped to have, and she is proud of the legacy—and the strong advising foundation—she will leave.
“I’m just here to help make sure students are thinking of everything. There may be impacts that they don’t know about,” said Russell. “Professional advisors working collaboratively with faculty for the benefit of the undergraduate population is the best practice for the college, and it’s the best practice for the students.”
Rocky Top (Almost) Forever
Russell has always enjoyed talking to UT students and helping them find classes and other opportunities—even when she was a student herself. While working towards her bachelor’s degree in Honors Political Science (’88), Russell worked as an undergraduate student advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).
“Advisors are the people who help students feel confident in the plan that they’re making,” Russell said, “and make sure it’s a plan that they want.”
Russell then stayed on Rocky Top to pursue her master’s in College Student Personnel (’90) in UT’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences—a degree that made Russell familiar with student developmental theory, counseling, and the legal aspects of working with students in higher education.
In 1993, Russell returned to UT as a staff member, working in the housing department, serving in the chancellor’s office under Bill Snyder, and even working as an associate university registrar.
For much of that time, she was also working toward a PhD, a goal which she undoubtedly would have completed if adopting her daughter, Grace, had not eclipsed it. (Grace is now a senior art major in CAS.)
In 2007, Russell landed back in the advising chair once more, this time as the first director of the new TCE Advising Office.
Advisors Connect Students to Opportunities
Over the last 18 years, Russell has made a profound impact on countless students.
“Ms. Russell is one of the few people who aided me in my major decisions at UT. She also helped in keeping me grounded because the stress of college can be overwhelming,” said mechanical engineering alum Erika Finley (BS ’13). “She was a sympathetic ear on campus that I have been unable to find anywhere else.”
Helping students stay grounded in their studies while facilitating new opportunities is a balance that always thrilled Russell.
“We’re not going to tell you what to do—it’s your degree!” she said. “As advisors, we connect students to opportunities with whatever they want to experience beyond the classroom—whether that’s research, study abroad, or student leadership. We might even see possibilities that a student doesn’t see in themselves.”
A retirement reception will be held for Russell on Wednesday, May 14 from 3-4:30 pm on the 4th floor atrium of the Zeanah Engineering Complex. Everyone is welcome to join the TCE community in celebrating Russell’s retirement with sweet treats and warm wishes.
And just in case you cannot join the reception, Russell has some parting wisdom for students of any major.
“There’s no magic pill to make college super easy. But if you do the basics, you can succeed,” Russell said. “Go to class; visit your faculty in their office hours and get to know them; do your homework. And, of course, talk to your advisor.”
Contact
Izzie Gall (865-974-7203, [email protected])