Virginia Peterson is the 2006 MU Outstanding Faculty Advisor
By Erin Meyers, posted 5/3/06

Voted as MU’s 2006 Outstanding Facutly Advisor by MU’s Advisor’s Forum, Virginia Peterson, PhD, is known to most of her students as a mentor, one with whom they feel open to ask questions and share thoughts.

“Dr. Peterson helped keep me calm and focused my freshman year, which allowed me to think clearly and try to figure out where I was headed. She has been someone I could go talk to whenever I was feeling stressed, which has kept me from losing my mind many times,” senior biochemistry major, Jordan Nickell, said.

Serving as the director of undergraduate advising for biochemistry majors, Peterson is expected to advise freshman and sophomore level students, which she says can at times be overwhelming. As well as advising, Peterson is the resident instruction associate professor of the biochemistry department. With so many responsibilities, Peterson says she’s still excited to come to work each day.

“To be a good advisor you have to like college-aged students, and you have to enjoy talking to them,” Peterson said.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle, Peterson earned a BS in Chemistry. According to Peterson, she never changed her major, which is a rarity with most college students. After graduation, Peterson worked as a lab technician in medical research for eight years, which led to her second academic degree, a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Maryland in College Park. 

In dealing with students who fall in the undecided major category, Peterson says she tries to help them in a couple of steps. First, she accesses the classes the students have taken and encourages them to pursue more classes in the field they appear to be strongest. After that, Peterson presents the student with information regarding a career explorations class offered by the Student Success Center.  

“I don’t care where they go, they need to find their passion,” Peterson said.

Peterson also has a son who attends MU as an undergraduate student. She says he is pursuing an engineering degree but is also interested in animal science.

“He keeps flipping between engineering and animal science, and I’ve been very patient with him because he’ll figure it out in the end,” Peterson said. “If he wants both degrees, it’s manageable. It takes longer, but it’s manageable.”

Peterson is the fifth CAFNR faculty member to receive the advisor’s award in the past 11 years it has been awarded. Peterson, who has advised for more than 20 years, believes that CAFNR has a long reputation for helpful faculty who take the time for their students. She believes that students need an advisor on whom they can depend.

“Things happen to students, they get sick, they have problems in the dorms, affecting their academic success,” Peterson said. “They need to talk to someone. I don’t give advice, but I’m a good listener.”

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