For Faculty

The Class Deans and Student Support Services are located in the Office of the Undergraduate Dean in Guild Hall.

First-Year Experience Dean: MB Horvath
Email: mhorvath@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x7332

Sophomore Experience Dean: Melissa Giess
Email: mgiess@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x5369

Junior Experience Dean: Baru Roberson-Hornsby
Email: broberson@brynmawr.edu; Phone: xTBD

Senior Experience Dean: Akirah Fenimore
Email: afenimore@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x5368

Office of Student Support Services

Sara Donals (she/her), Assistant Director, Student Support Services
Email: sdonals@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x5372

Rose Miller, Campus Safety Student Liaison
Email: rmiller2@brynmawr.edu

• Academic Concerns
• Accident and Injuries (e.g., Concussions)
• Emotional or Behavioral Concerns
• Family Emergency/Death of a Loved One
• Financial Aid Concerns
• Financial Hardship
• Food and/or Housing Insecurity
• Leave (from the college) guidance and support
• Medical Issue/Physical Health Concerns - 
• Mental Health Issues/Concerns
• Navigating College-Wide Requirements
• On and off-campus resource consultation
• Personal Concern about a Student
• Relationship Concerns
• Students Repeatedly Missing Class
• Title IX Support - Physical and/or mental health hospitalization
• Unable to reach a student after multiple attempts
• Uncharacteristic Behavior

If you’re ever unsure of who to contact, please contact the Class Dean directly and copy the Assistant Director of Student Support Services.

Director of Counseling: Luci MacNamara
Email: lmacnamara@brynmawr.edu; Phone: x7361
Student Life and Wellness Building

Reasons to Refer Students

• Expressed suicidal or homicidal thoughts (if urgent threat, call 911 or Campus Safety for ER transport)
• Major Life Event in Student’s Life (death of a loved one, house fire, significant break-up)
• Mental Health, Emotional, or Behavioral Concerns
• Recent mental health hospitalization
• Relationship Concerns
• Student Repeatedly Missing Classes
• Title IX-Related Experience
• Uncharacteristic Behavior

Please refer students to Triage Hours for an initial assessment: Monday through Friday, 10am-12pm and 2-4pm 

For instructions on the reviewing and approving students' online major work plans, click here. 

Faculty members provide consultation and support as students discover and explore fields of interest in their first year, decide and declare their majors as sophomores, and then complete a major as a substantial part of their junior and senior years. During their final two years, students are no longer expected to meet with their dean each semester to discuss class selection; instead, they meet and consult with advisers and other faculty in their major departments and often minor programs or departments as well.  In addition to overseeing completion of major/minor requirements, faculty advisers in the departments discuss overall course planning during the final two years and plans for post-graduate life. These meetings should take place at the following times:

• during November preregistration for the spring semester, and
• during April preregistration for the fall semester, and
• during the first week of each semester if the advisee has dropped or added any courses in their major or the advisee was away from the college during preregistration. 

Notes from these meetings, especially updates to a student’s path through the major, should be recorded in the Online Major Work Plan so as to be visible to both faculty and students.

Faculty will be invited to participate in programming sponsored by the Dean’s Office to encourage explorations of possible majors. Departments and programs will also be expected to host “Departmental Information Sessions” each semester to allow prospective and current majors to gather, meet faculty, and learn about program requirements and opportunities. 

Departments differ considerably in how they divvy up the role of major advising among their members. Some allow students to choose a major adviser from any continuing faculty member; others assign advisers to work with a particular graduating class, or assign a sophomore adviser, junior adviser, and senior adviser. All of these models have advantages and disadvantages, but in any case, it is important that departments communicate clearly with students about how major advising works in that department. The Provost’s Office collects and distributes information about major advising at the start of each year, but we encourage departments to make that information available on department websites as well. 

In agreeing to be the primary and secondary major advisers, faculty members agree to work with a student throughout their remaining semesters at Bryn Mawr. The expectation is that they will advise the student through the thesis process. Both advisers will determine the final grade for the thesis.

Advisers will fill out the online proposal evaluation form fully and frankly. The Committee relies on the advisers' knowledge of both the field and the student in deciding whether the proposed major is approvable and in deciding what revisions if any to require.  

If the primary major adviser will be on leave during the student’s senior year, this should be discussed at the time that the faculty member first agrees to be the student’s adviser. In these situations, the student is responsible for working out in advance who will fill in for the primary adviser—either the secondary adviser, if that person agrees to that, or another faculty member.

Faculty members can contact the UG Deans Office if any questions or concerns arise.

Information for students interested in an Independent Major

The College is committed to encouraging and supporting interactions between faculty and students. Students who form meaningful relationships with their professors outside the immediate context of course work consistently report greater satisfaction with their undergraduate experience. The rewards for faculty members can be just as great.

The Student Success office has funds to support faculty connections with students in small informal group interactions outside the classroom. This program intends to enhance the students’ learning experience and their sense of connection to their faculty and the College more broadly. 

Faculty members are eligible to receive up to 15 meal passes per semester for their use during lunch with students (who will cover their meal expenses with a meal plan or their own funds) that is not directly related to curriculum, e.g., language tables are not funded by the Student Success office. Faculty anticipating a need to fund course-based activities should consult with their department chair. 

In addition, a faculty member may be reimbursed for up to $75 per semester for expenses related to entertainment of students in an activity that takes place outside of class time. These can be course-related. Faculty requests for Student Success office funding to provide refreshments for students after attending an exhibit, a talk by a campus speaker, or at an end-of-semester celebration (held outside of class time) are acceptable. 

To obtain the Faculty and Student Entertainment Request for Reimbursement form, please complete the Faculty and Student Entertainment Fund Request Form and return to the Student Success Office for processing. Please allow several days to process reimbursements.