For the 10th year, the University of Memphis honored two faculty members with its Alumni Association Distinguished Advising Award. Dr. Robert Blanton and Sara Williams accepted their awards during the University’s annual Faculty Convocation April 20.

Sara Williams and Dr. Robert Blanton were recognized for their advising skills during Faculty Convocation. (Photo by Susan Prater)

Blanton is the Dunavant Professor of Political Science. He also directs the International Studies Program and the Governor’s School for International Studies. Blanton maintains an active research agenda that focuses on the relationship between economic interactions and social and political rights. Those who pass by his office may find him discussing anything from “international economic policy, to the Dead Kennedys, back to the Rwandan Genocide, and finally talking about educational pursuits, all in 10 minutes time.” As one student noted, “The primary reason Dr. Blanton deserves this award is that he cares about his students, their interests and their long-term goals. He has a talent for helping them find the intersection of these thing.” Blanton tailors each academic plan according to the needs of the individual student and the available resources, and cares deeply about the academic progress of each of his students.

Williams, an academic adviser in the University College, holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of South Carolina. She embraces the challenge of advising students in a variety of circumstances, as demonstrated by comments from her adult student advisees. “Since I started back to school at the U of M after seven years, Ms. Williams provided me a clear path of what I needed to reach my graduation,” said one student. Williams’ work is an example of the comprehensive nature of the advising profession. Another student said, “Ms. Williams never gave up on me. Out of the blue I would get an uplifting email from her when I felt like quitting. Now I am a senior with only one semester and one summer session left before graduation. She doesn't realize how she has helped my life and my children’s future.”