“Most of the time it’s the Golden Rule,” said Art Farlowe, the undergraduate coordinator in the psychology department’s Office of Student Services, who for the past 5 1/2 years has helped guide his department’s lower division majors to the courses they need or has just been there for them when they wanted to talk.

“It’s a matter of treating people the way you’d want to be treated,” said Farlowe, who in May became only the third professional staff person at the University to win the Ada B. Thomas Outstanding Advisor Award.

The other two staff winners were Micky Ward of the Department of History and Kathy Smiling in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

“I don’t have any children,” added Farlowe, “but if I did I would hope that wherever I sent them there would be someone there who would take an interest in them and care about them. It’s one of those things you can feel good about when you go home at night because you helped somebody during the day.”

Farlowe’s job basically entails helping freshmen and sophomores among the department’s approximately 950 majors decide which academic route they want to take. If that path requires specialized guidance, the student is handed off to a faculty advisor.

But most of the time Farlowe is in the position to work with the undergraduates in a process by which he tries to help the students make good decisions, but not make the decisions for them. “I try to give them good information and sometimes to be a good person at reading between the lines,” he said.

Part of the job depends on getting to know the students, along with developing a sense of whether an undergraduate might need a pat on the back or a “let’s get on the ball” talk. Sometimes the students just want to hang out in the Student Services Office and visit without talking academics.

Farlowe can relate to students because they’re following in his footsteps. The native of Ramseur, N.C., received his bachelor’s degree in history and his master’s degree in student personnel services from the University. This summer he started work on a master’s degree in history.

From his work on the University’s Retention Committee, Farlowe knows that his work and that of other advisors can be a key factor in whether students decide to leave or stay at the University.

“It’s a good feeling to know we’re putting a good face on the University and that we’re making students’ experience here positive,” he said.

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