Deborah Burns

Biography

Dr. Deborah R. Burns is passionate about promoting access, equity, and inclusion in both her practice and her research. She earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a M.A. in student personnel administration from New York University, a M.A. in English and comparative literature from Columbia University, and an A.B. in English literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Her research has been published by MIT Press, Rowman & Littlefield, and McFarland and she has presented at international and national conferences including the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) conference in Istanbul, Turkey, the American Educational Studies Association (AESA) national conferences in San Antonio, TX and Pittsburgh, PA, and the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) national conference in Portland, OR.  Prior to joining NMSU, she worked at Arizona State University, Southern Illinois University, and New York University in a variety of administrative and teaching roles including senior coordinator, interim chief academic advisor, academic advisor, and full-time instructor.  She enjoys bringing her twenty years of experience of working in higher education to the NMSU community.  In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and practicing yoga.

 

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Why did you become an academic advisor?

I fell into academic advising because it was one of the first jobs that I was offered after moving to a new locale.  I didn’t really know what it was going to be, but I ended up really enjoying working with students.  One of the most rewarding parts of my advising roles has been working with academic departments and other stakeholders to remove structural obstacles to student success.

Why/how did you decide what you wanted to major in in college?

I decided what I wanted to major in college by finding my passion. I found it in my major and two minors and thoroughly enjoyed my college experience.

 

Did you face any challenges while in college?

One of my challenges in college was receiving my first “C” after being placed into the wrong physics course by my faculty advisor. Although I didn’t enjoy it at the time, it was a great educational experience to learn how to pick myself up after a “failure.” It also allowed me to learn a little bit more about myself and my strengths and weaknesses.