Meet Julie Crosby: UF@ Santa Fe Center Advisor

by Julie Crosby

I’m Julie Crosby, coordinator of the University of Florida @ Santa Fe (UF@SFC) Center at Santa Fe College in Gainesville. For SFC students working towards transferring to UF, it can be a challenge to determine and connect with the right academic program at UF. As the “Gateway to the Gators,” the center exists to help our students make these connections.  Students often come to me for general UF information and referrals. I help them determine the appropriate college and advisor, provide contact information, and encourage them to seek UF advising early. This fall, I’ll be co-sponsoring the October 10^th Gator Day @ Santa Fe event with the SFC Academic Advising Department, so please mark your calendars!

Prior to this position, I was Volunteer Coordinator of the Florida Museum of Natural History and before that an educator of middle, high, adult, and alternative education students in Putnam and Alachua Counties. I’m a graduate of UF (M.Ed, minor in Ed. Leadership), Flagler College (BA, English), and St. Johns River State College (AA). I have three daughters and I’m very excited that--if the Mayan calendar is wrong and all goes well--all of them will be in college at UF and SFC before 2013 is over! Woohoo! My husband, Scott, is also a Gator (BSFRC).

There are several ways for UF advisors to deliver information to SFC students through the UF@SFC Center. One of my main roles is to advise SFC students who are interested in the online degree programs of the Heavener School of Business and the College of Health and Human Performance; likewise, I also recruit and schedule advisors and program coordinators from all UF colleges to present information sessions and/or offer regular walk-in advising sessions at SFC. I’ve hosted wonderful presentations by UF staff representing six colleges this year, as well as monthly advising sessions from CALS. It has been a pleasure to meet so many of you and see the passion you have for your majors, programs, and colleges!

I also focus on promoting UF programs, activities and organizations, pre-professional exploration events, etc. that are open to SFC students.  Announcements--which lead to some great connections between SFC/UF students, staff, and faculty--can be targeted to students in a particular major or broadcasted to the SFC community as a whole. Our Facebook page is www.facebook.com/uf.sf.center.  If you "Like" us, we’ll "Like" you right back and happily promote your programs and events.

As coordinator of the UF@SFC Center, my ultimate goal is to bring in advisors and other representatives from every UF college to meet with targeted populations of SFC students at least once during the year.  My students are hungry for information and very eager to become Gators!  It’s so gratifying to see their response when they are exposed to UF's major options, career opportunities, and advisors who help them make well-informed decisions and eventually realize their Gator dreams!

Let’s partner to bring UF to SFC and vice versa!  Please contact me if you’d like to discuss scheduling an information or advising session:  julie.crosby@sfcollege.edu or (352) 381-7137.