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Congratulations to Janna Underhill for being named the 2009-2010 UF Advisor of the Year! Janna has served as an academic advisor in the College of Agricultural & Life Sciences since 1994 and in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department since 1997.
Why did you decide to become an advisor?
I never really decided to be an advisor; it just happened. I needed a job and the department where I was working as an OPS employee needed help managing their academic programs, so it evolved from there.
What advising activities take up most of your time?
Academic advising is just one piece of my job. I also advise our departmental student organization, spearhead both alumni relations and career services for our unit, and over the years I’ve taken on a lot of administrative duties. I don’t know that I could describe a typical day, since no two days are really the same. For example, today I’m preparing for an upcoming conference in Chicago and tomorrow I will spend most of the day advising new freshmen and working with my club officers on a specific project.
What do you like most about your job?
The best thing about my job is that I get to work closely with alumni, many of whom were my advisees when they were here at UF. I travel to national and regional scientific conferences each year, organizing and hosting alumni events. I also correspond regularly with our alumni in industry, helping ensure that we keep increasing the scholarship, internship, and job opportunities available to current students. I work directly with company representatives to help them schedule on-campus interviews and information sessions, and I try to keep very accurate records of where our graduates end up so that we can maintain long-term contact with them. To facilitate all this, I serve on the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Alumni & Friends board with a bunch of really fun people.
What’s the best thing a student ever told you?
When a student tells me that I’ve impacted their life in a positive way, no matter the situation, it’s very gratifying. It’s just as nice to have a student thank me for figuring out a tricky scheduling problem as it is to have a student tell me that I helped keep them from failing out of UF.
What did it mean to you to be named UF’s Advisor of the Year?
Everyone likes to be recognized for a job well done. It was particularly nice to read the letters of support from students and peers, since those are the people with whom I work every day. If they think well of me, then I know I’m doing something right.
What advice do you give a brand new student at UF?
Don’t be intimidated by the size of UF. Instead, realize that a school this big has great advantages: multiple student organizations, many opportunities to get involved with research, the possibility of meeting/interacting with people from all over the world, and a near unlimited choice of elective courses, just to name a few. As long as you have resources to help you through (and you know how to find them), being at a large school can be a great experience.
Favorite TV show?
Most of what I watch is either reruns (such as old Twilight Zone episodes, bad 1950s and 60s sci-fi movies, classic film noir) or animated (The Simpsons, Futurama, etc.). I also really enjoy “No Reservations” with Anthony Bourdain. But if the TV is on, it’s more likely I’m watching a movie on DVD. Something really classy, like “The Killer Shrews” or “Plan 9 from Outer Space.”
What do you enjoy doing away from work?
Traveling, hiking, reading, listening to music, watching appallingly bad movies, floating in my pool, scavenging in second-hand stores, going for motorcycle rides, and hunting down new Halloween props.
Husband/wife/partner? Kids? Dogs? Cats? Others?
My significant other is also an advisor here on campus. Currently, we have a rescued boxer named Jester and two very cranky salamanders named Pete and Loki.
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