Most people at Binghamton University want to feel like they’re more than just a number. They want to walk into Harpur Advising, be on a first-name basis with an adviser and really feel like that person cares about their life.
Cue Jill Seymour.
As assistant director of Harpur Academic Advising, Jill makes you more than just a number. She makes you feel like you’re No. 1.
Seymour went to the University of Notre Dame and was part of the third class of women admitted to the university. On a slow week, Seymour said she sees 30 to 40 students, not including the daily phone calls and emails she receives. Seymour has been on virtually every committee and taken charge of most offerings through Harpur Academic Advising. As the associate director for the Individual Major Proposal (IMP) and general academic advising, she is a busy woman. She is also the current chair of the Orientation Vision team, which works to find new ways to approach the orientation process.
And those are just her duties on paper.
“I am also involved with two grown daughters, a husband and three cats and two dogs,” Seymour said.
While Seymour may have a busy family life, she still manages to make students’ lives a little bit easier. Senior Tara-Marie Lynch said she owes her ability to triple major and minor to the masterful work of Seymour.
“She helped me plan, from Day 1, my entire undergraduate career,” said Lynch, who is triple-majoring in economics, political science and international political economy. “Jill is great at what she does.”
In fact, part of Seymour’s approach is to provide students with a plan they feel comfortable with.
“I try to break down what might seem like overwhelming or impossible problems to smaller, manageable issues and then talk about how to handle them,” Seymour said. “I like to work with students on developing a plan.”
Seymour offers more than just academic advice, though. Her approach to counseling is to treat every student the way she would want her daughters to be treated by their college advisers.
“I want them to know that there is no question or problem too small that they can’t bring into the office,” Seymour said. “I want them to know that is what I am here for.”
After 31 years of service at BU, it’s a no-brainer that Seymour is at the top of her field. She’s been here long enough to have made connections with all the right people. And she knows exactly what her goal is: to help students make the most of their undergraduate experience.
College is about partying and fun, but it’s also about academics. A lot of students can’t seem to find the right major, whether it’s because they simply have too many interests or because BU doesn’t offer exactly what they are looking for. While most Harpur students aren’t aware of this, there is a way to change that — the IMP program. Essentially, you make your own major, choosing three subjects that act as your major’s foundation and complement your interests. However, the IMP isn’t easy by any means.
After you have compiled your list of at least 12 courses, you write a major proposal and present it to a committee. If you are approved (which nine times out of 10, you’re not), you begin working on a proposal for your capstone project. Then, in the last semester of your senior year, you work on your capstone project, a project that mirrors your major. Most IMP students need a push to pursue such an endeavor, and almost any IMP student will tell you that Seymour provided that extra push.
Personally, Jill has been my own life coach throughout my college career. Our relationship started at freshman orientation, when she let me in on a scheduling secret, explaining that courses can be cross-listed and have multiple CRN numbers. Because of that, I have always gotten into all of my first-choice classes. By now, some of you may be thinking this is my love letter to Seymour, but I’m not the only one who feels that way.
“Over the course of my four years here at Binghamton University, I have grown to know Jill not only as an adviser, but also as an amazing mentor,” Lynch said. “When I say this, I’m sure that I am speaking on behalf of many other Harpur students as well.”
And her charm doesn’t just work on students. Erik Colon, a fellow Harpur adviser, spoke highly of Jill.
“Jill is a mentor, mother, role model and overall one the best advisers in the field of higher education,” Colon said. “I want to be just like Jill as I continue my transition in my career.”