As Sharon Ward approaches the new semester at Temple University Ambler, she is most looking forward to students sharing their stories while they build new chapters toward success on campus.
“As an advisor, I take an empathetic approach to each student. In the middle of working full-time or even going back to school, life happens,” said Ward, who recently began her new role as Academic Advisor II at Temple Ambler. “There are forks in the road that everyone faces and sometimes you have to go a certain way — it might not be your first choice, but that’s the choice presented to you at the time. For me, seeing everyone and hearing their stories is the most important thing — actively listening to their stories about where they are in this moment.”
At Temple University Ambler and University College, Ward will be advising an eclectic mix of students who may be at very different points in their academic journey. She will be providing in-person and virtual advising services, academic support and guidance, course selection and registration support and academic coaching for students taking courses and programs at the Ambler Campus, students seeking University College certificates and students in the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program.
“I see my role as more of a guide, particularly for the population of students that we are enrolling here. The BGS Program is designed with adult learners in mind. Hopefully I’m able to give students a sense of ease and assuage their anxiety about coming back to school after an extended period of time being away,” said Ward, herself an adult learner when she returned to the classroom to get her bachelor’s degree at Chestnut Hill College. “Every student is so unique, which makes this role very interesting and challenging in the best way. With the BGS program in particular, students are coming back with different histories, different backgrounds. I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge — getting them on the right path to ensure their success.”
According to Ward, many students ask “how long it is going to take them; how much more do they need to accomplish to get that degree.”
“They are intentional about what they are doing now and that’s so important because they might be juggling a full-time job and family responsibilities. That is something I can completely relate to,” she said. “When students see that they can apply what they have accomplished professionally into a learning environment, it’s a great incentive. It also gives them a sense of confidence because they are familiar with their subjects from their experience in the professional world.”
It can be an intimidating proposition to go back into the classroom, Ward said. Universities “can also do a little self-examination.”
“What can we do to ensure that students have access to and are using all of the resources that we have here to help them succeed,” she said. “It’s both the students and the institution working together to ensure success.”
According to Ward what initially drew her to higher education as a career “is the culture and mission of a place — almost every institution I’ve been in, my interest goes back to that.”
“I previously worked in the mortgage and the corporate world, which is a very different atmosphere. Higher education to me, it feels like home rather than just a job,” she said. “I returned to Chestnut Hill College to go to school as an adult learner and started working there soon after. I began working as an Administrative Assistant in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, which is the adult program.”
At Chestnut Hill, Ward then went onto advising “while simultaneously getting my master’s degree in human services and I simply loved everything about it — I loved being in academic advising, particularly with adult learners.”
Ward arrives at Temple Ambler with nearly 20 years of experience working in higher education, most recently as the Transfer Credit Evaluator at the Drexel University School of Nursing & Health Professions.
Working with adult learners within University College, Ward said, “it’s full circle for me.”
“Combining that with our traditional-aged students, it gives me a whole new population to work with and that’s very exciting. The Horticulture & Landscape Architecture students are so creative and talented — it’s wonderful to see them apply what they are learning practically while they are still here on campus,” she said. “Temple Ambler is such a beautiful campus with an incredibly rich history. There’s also a great deal of resiliency with what has taken place on campus since the tornado in 2021 —that translates to every student that walks through here and, hopefully, that inspires them.”
Temple Ambler’s students, “are an essential part of preserving campus history,” Ward said.
“Everyone’s landscape changes, but you can plant new roots and move forward. It’s important to stay grounded in that legacy while adding your own piece of the campus’ history to it,” she said. “I hope students feel comfortable sharing their stories with me and trust the process. I really think that’s what it is, a process. Anything worth doing takes time. I hope they get comfortable and are put at ease and know they’ve got this!”