About Dr. Bob

As the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University, I was in charge of Student Academic Affairs in a college of more than 2,000 students in a university of 7,000 undergraduates.

As I look back on the thousands of hours I spent listening to and advising students over 25 years, I realize that in the process I’d been gathering an enormous amount of valuable information. I’d been acquiring an intimate knowledge of college students, gaining insight that only a handful of educators are privy to. Given the poor performance of the majority of today’s college students, I feel compelled to share what I have learned — especially since no other book is addressing this problem.

At Marquette University, my college’s Advising Center handled more than 1,000 student contacts per month. I helped develop an interview process whereby advisers in the Center could uncover obstacles to learning and suggest strategies for handling them

I also administered virtually all aspects of Student Academic Affairs for the College —

• Oversaw the College’s Admissions programs, interviewing and screening prospective students and their families.
• Chaired the Academic Appeals Committee that each semester reviewed the cases of students in academic trouble, often setting probationary terms with frequent counseling sessions to try to salvage these students.
• Authored the Academic Advising Guide used by faculty who supplemented the Advising Center by acting as “major” advisors in the college.
• Supervised Class Registration for the College each semester, a job that affected all undergraduates in the university.
• The College of Arts & Sciences offered courses that were required for all of the university’s students.
• Co-directed the Pre-Medical Scholars Program, with the Medical College of Wisconsin for admitting gifted/talented pre-medical students to broaden the scope of physicians within the medical profession.

My daily duties included waivers of degree requirements, approval of grade changes, temporary (incomplete) grades, complete withdrawals from the university, extensions of academic deadlines, registration problems, dishonesty cases, approval of transfer credits, admissions, attendance regulations, and so forth. I chaired the Academic Censure Committee and sat on the Academic Review Board for the Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC programs. In short, if the matter had to do with students, courses, degree requirements or academic regulations, I was the person contacted by students, faculty, parents, and other university officials. My days were filled with “action.”

My professional experience as well as my experience as a father has more than equipped me to develop the strategies that I’ve shared with students over the years. It’s been exhilarating and confirming to watch both the strategies and the students succeed. These strategies are time-tested and truly a way that younger students can work at succeeding in college.