• Years at UHM: 35 total (4 as an undergraduate in Music & German and 2 as a GA in Music, 11 years teaching in Music, 0.5 in Financial Aid, and 17.5 years as an academic advisor) 
• Last Position held: Academic Advisor in the Colleges of AH/LLL
• Retirement Date: December 31, 2020 
• Past roles:
  • Director Advising Center AH/LLL (2015-2019)
  • Director, Advising Center CASSAS (2014-2015) 
  • Director, Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center (2008-2014) 
  • President, National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions
    (President Elect 2008-2010, President 2010-2011)
  • President, Western Association of Advisors for the Health Professions
    (President Elect 2008-2010, President 2010-2011)
  • Chair, UHM’s Council of Academic Advisors (2009-2011) 
  • Chair/Board, variety of national and UH committees (AATN, APC, Faculty Senate CAPP, CAA Academic Policy, EAA’s Organization subcommittee) 

I met Ruth for the first time via a phone interview for my first position at UH Mānoa. It was 2012 and I was interviewing from California in hopes of relocating permanently to Hawai‘i.  

In my first weeks on campus, I met Ruth in person when I went to learn about the Pre-Health/Pre-Law Advising Center and working with this population of students. Ruth later became my GUIDE Mentor and we served on a number of committees and projects together over the years. I think the best advice she ever gave me was to take the time to get to know my counterparts across and on other campuses. These relationships would support students and the advising program I was working to build. 

1. What do you wish you had known when you first started? 

Ruth shared that she wished she had known “how it all works!” and commented that she felt “[Her] entire career was a learning curve.” Knowing Ruth as a lifetime learner with many interests, I was not surprised to hear that ongoing learning was a large component of her career. 

2. What was the biggest challenge you faced in your career and how did you address it? 

Administrators and faculty who do not understand or who misunderstand academic advising. This is an ongoing problem and requires continued education and advocacy for the profession. 

And always “having too much that needs doing.”

3. Thinking back on your career, what was your favorite memory or proudest accomplishment? 

Memory: While not a favorite memory, Ruth shared the case of a student she advised early in her time with the PAC office. The student was graduating and thought she was going on to medical school. However, she had not done well in her science courses (barely passing)  and had not taken the MCAT. Through their discussion, she realized the student had not known that she was not on track and she could not spend additional time or money pursuing medical school. Ruth said, “Remembering her still makes me cry; we all – advisors, teachers, TAs, administrators, UHM, and the entire University system – had failed her.”  This case served as a touchstone reminder for Ruth about the critical work that advisors do and the impact we have on student lives. 

Accomplishments: During Ruth’s 35 years at UHM she served in many capacities including student, graduate assistant, teacher, and academic advisor. In her varied roles across campus, she had a number of accomplishments. While there are too many to include in this article, we  highlight a few of them here: 

• Ruth was a key contributor to Program Sheets and Academic plan templates which later led to STAR audits as well as Dr. C’s Academic Planning which led to the development of STAR GPS. 
• She served as the chair of the Ka‘ie‘ie organizing committee, wrote the final proposal, and chaired the initial Implementation Committee as well which led to the development of the Mānoa Transfer Coordination Center and the expansion of Ka‘ie‘ie across the entire University of Hawai‘i System. 
• She founded Ho’ola Malamalama, a consortium of UHM health programs.
• She co-designed the Doctor of Medicine Early Acceptance Program (JABSOM Scholars).
• She co-created a training program for student peer advisors, which became the model for the Manoa Peer Advisors (MPA).
• She also published 15 refereed articles and gave more than 60 conference presentations.
• She mentored many academic advisors both formally and informally.

4. What is your biggest piece of advice for advisors? 

Ruth suggests that advisors “remember every day with every student, the power and potential of advising: Imagine a university where all of our students understand the purpose of higher education, why they’re enrolled, where they’re headed in life, how to navigate the system, and how to get the most out of the experience. Imagine a university in which every student has a transformative college experience that changes their lives, allows them to achieve their dreams, and carries that transformation into improving our world. Now go make that happen.” 

5. What is your favorite retirement activity?

Since retiring Ruth is enjoying all the projects she never had time for while working which include: gardening, renovations of homes, hiking/swimming/potluck with friends, transcribing/translating old texts, philanthropy, cooking, travel, languages, coin collecting, research, and time with family. Ruth misses her students and colleagues but is truly making the most of retirement. 

Jennifer Brown, EdD

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa