Advising
Meet the Student Services Staff
Chris Wolfgang Director |
B.A., The College of Wooster, Political Science M.A., Adelphi University, Psychology
Hailing from the same sleepy little town as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Conrad Richter, Chris spent the better part of his 20’s in an ‘89 Corolla, exploring 49 of the 50 states (Alaska and New Mexico are his favorites) before running out of gas in Des Moines, Iowa and remaining in town for a ten-month dose of Midwestern hospitality. After brief stints living in California, Maryland and New York, Chris finally settled in Philadelphia, where he lives in the East Falls neighborhood with his wife Catie, a Ph.D. candidate in Temple’s Urban Education program. He has enjoyed a variety of roles at Temple since joining the university in 2003, and in February, 2009, reunited with his first love, the CLA advising center, to serve as director. Chris also serves as membership chair for Temple’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and is a proud member of the National Academic Advising Association.
Favorite books: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole; High Fidelity by Nick Hornby; Independence Day by Richard Ford; The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell; Moneyball by Michael Lewis; and Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Advising interests: Retention, developmental advising, and student outreach initiatives
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Shiying Li Assistant Director |
B.A., Beijing University, English Literature and Language M.A., Bryn Mawr College, English
Born and raised in China, Shiying came to the U.S. on a full scholarship from Bryn Mawr College, where she earned her Master’s degree in English. Shiying also studied at the University of Manchester, England, as a recipient of the International Cultural Exchange Program Award. Shiying joined the CLA advising team in 1998, bringing with her a broad range of professional experience in academic advising, career counseling, and student services. She loves working with Temple’s diverse student population and feels that her job is most rewarding when she can help students realize their dreams of earning a Temple degree. When she’s not busy helping students, Shiying loves reading, going to concerts, practicing Tai Chi, and spending time with family and friends. Shiying also loves to travel. Her most unforgettable experience is her seven-day trip from Europe to China via the Trans-Siberian Express—the world’s longest rail trip!
Favorite books: Lord of the Flies by William Golding, The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan, all Jane Austen’s, but her all time favorite is Boris Pasternak’s Dr. Zhivago
Advising interests: Graduation-related issues, assessment, and developmental advising
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Anar P. Khandvala Assistant Director |
B.A., Temple University, Psychology M.Ed., Temple University, Educational Administration
Anar was born in the bustling city of Mumbai, India, but she has spent most of her life in the outskirts of Philadelphia. She had a love for Temple engrained in her at an early age, as several of her family members (including her mother and sister) are Temple alums. As an undergraduate student at Temple, Anar worked as a peer advisor in the Division of University Studies and realized then that higher education was her true calling. Anar has found it quite impossible to leave Temple, earning her Master’s degree here while continuing to serve in a variety of advising roles. It could truly be said that she bleeds cherry and white. She is very happy to have a home at Temple, and she hopes to remain with the Temple family for years to come.
Favorite books: Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; Unaccustomed Earth and The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Advising interests: First year college experiences, developmental advising and student outreach initiatives
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Michael Szekely Coordinator Center for Internships and Career Development (CICD)
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B.Music, The Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, Jazz Studies M.A., Ph.D., Temple University, Philosophy
Mike discovered a large pot and a couple of wooden spoons at a very young age, started into some tapping and thumping, and the rest is history. Well, not quite. Although music and drumming remains a huge part of his life, Mike decided at some point in his late 20’s that he needed to pursue a more lucrative career path. Hence philosophy. Actually, where most folks might have picked up a juicy novel or taken up water pilates, Mike started asking lots of questions to himself about esoteric subjects and spending an awful lot of time reading treatises about things like incorporeal materialism. Mike now finds students internships and advises them on potential career paths. Go figure. Putting up with Mike in Abington these days are his wife, Courtney, who received her Master of Music Therapy degree from Temple, and 3-year old son, Collin, who likes to beat on pots with wooden spoons while hip-hop dancing.
Favorite books: A Thousand Plateaus by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari; Brain Droppings by George Carlin; Blues People by Amiri Baraka; Still Life with Woodpecker, Skinny Legs and All, and Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins; Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche; and Noise by Jacques Attali
Advising interests: Career advising, internships/experiential learning
Visit the CICD website: http://www.temple.edu/cla/cicd/index.html
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Marcella Thompson |
Marcella began her journey at Temple in 1980 as a secretary in the College of Education. While working full-time as a single parent, she earned her B.S. degree in Business Education in 1989. After working her way up as a supervisor, Marcella joined the CLA family in 1991 as Office Manager. In this capacity, Marcella enjoys a broad range of responsibilities and oversees the daily operations of the advising center while working with the Director on special projects. A huge sports fan, Marcella also enjoys going to the beach, shopping, dancing and traveling abroad.
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Alta Lawless Graduation Supervisor |
Alta is proud to report that she has quite literally been at Temple most of her life. She was born at Temple Hospital, and she started her first job at Temple University Hospital’s inpatient billing department in 1969. Although she left Temple in 1977 to start a family, she returned once again in 1987, accepting a position in the CLA Academic Advising Center as a graduation secretary. From there her responsibilities have grown considerably, and Alta now serves as the Graduation Supervisor for the CLA advising center. These days, her favorite activity is bike riding with her grandsons. She also enjoys cooking, baking and flower arranging.
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Kisha Hence Advising Services Coordinator
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Kisha has worked in the CLA Academic Advising Center at Temple for six years, and currently serves as an Advising Services Coordinator in the Graduation Unit. She is a wonderful resource for information on Temple’s policies and procedures. If she doesn’t know the answer to your question, she will actively research the answer for you and she will find it. Current students may even see Kisha in one of their classes, as she is actively pursuing an English degree. When she is not working or studying, Kisha is an avid reader, listens to a wide variety of music, and enjoys spending time with her family.
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Gerald Brown Advising Services Coordinator gerald.brown@temple.edu |
Gerald is a native of Philadelphia and a graduate of West Philadelphia High School. He joined Temple in 2002 as a clerk in the CLA advising center. In recognition of his hard work and dedication, Gerald was promoted to Advising Services Coordinator in June 2009. The unofficial party planner and caterer in the advising center, many of Gerald’s signature dishes are quite popular with his colleagues. In addition to cooking, Gerald enjoys line dancing and is an active member of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.
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Mandy Wright Student Support Coordinator |
Mandy was born on Long Island, but she spent her formative years in the birthplace of Lebanon bologna. She received her B.A. from Temple in 2007 with a double major in Psychology and Religion. As an undergraduate, Mandy worked in the Division of University Studies as a Peer Advisor. Since joining the CLA advising center in August 2008, Mandy’s mission has been to develop, implement, and supervise a Peer Advising program for the College of Liberal Arts. She will complete her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology (from Temple, of course) in January 2010. When she’s not busy studying or working with students, Mandy continues her quest for the perfect cheese fries. Her favorite books include A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and anything by Malcolm Gladwell.
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