For Nancy Riggert, retirement means helping college students facing serious academic problems. It’s a role she was already familiar with, having previously worked at director of the Alcohol-Drug Information Center on the IU Bloomington campus.

Nancy Riggert. Photo by Chris Howell, Indiana University. Riggert is a volunteer student advocate, a critical role created when the Student Advocates Office launched 40 years ago to help students in an individualized manner on a large campus.

“What I am really gratified about is when I talk to students — whether on Zoom or in person — and they are visibly anxious or concerned, but by the end of the meeting I can see they are relaxed and have a smile on their face,” said Riggert, who started as an advocate in 2010.

Student advocates are retired IU staff and faculty who volunteer for the role. The model of using IU retirees was considered vital from the start because of their institutional knowledge and experience with university resources. Serving as an advocate is a great way for IU staff and faculty to remain active and engaged with the university after retiring, said Darrell Ann Stone, Student Advocates Office director.

The office typically has about 20 advocates each year, and they help more than 3,000 students annually. Students who seek help from advocates are facing either academic or conduct problems, Stone said, and need someone who can listen to them without judgment, uncover root problems, discuss options and attend any meetings or hearings if the student wishes.

“Our ultimate goal is to help the student graduate,” Stone said.

However, life circumstances — such as illness, addiction, depression and family problems — or poor decisions can cause bumps in the road. The job of an advocate is to understand the whole student and walk with them through their entire process, Stone said.

The primary characteristic Stone looks for when recruiting advocates is a love for students. She also looks for the ability to build rapport with students, dedication, responsibility and attention to detail. Current advocates help train newcomers, who shadow the veterans for a few months.

Gary Crow. Photo by Chris Howell, Indiana University. Gary Crow is in his fifth year as an advocate. He worked for nine years as a faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and also served as a department chair and associate dean in the IU School of Education. Crow said that several longtime advocates told him he’d be a good fit for the role.

“It gave me the opportunity to stay in contact with students after my retirement, to provide support to students to successfully complete their degrees and to enable students to develop strong life skills,” he said.

Crow serves on the conduct team and helps students charged with academic or personal misconduct. He said it’s rewarding to help students develop problem-solving and decision-making skills, and learn how to overcome hardships and disappointments.

Dr. Diana Ebling said she saw firsthand how helpful the Student Advocates Office was when she worked at the IU Student Health Center, first as a physician and then as the medical director over a 30-year period.

“We referred students there who were dealing with medical and health issues that impacted their academics,” she said.

Ebling, in her third year as an advocate, said some students can feel lost at a big school like IU, so she sees great value in advocates offering caring, nonjudgmental support. The challenge, sometimes, is getting students to understand that a mistake can be a valuable learning experience.

Dr. Diana Ebling. Photo courtesy of Dr. Diana Ebling“They often feel embarrassed and ashamed,” Ebling said. “I try to help them see that they are learning, and in fact we’re all learning, and that the value of making a mistake is the opportunity to learn from it and do things differently in the future.”

Riggert said it can help for students to understand that other students are dealing with the same types of problems and to hear that, despite the bump in the road, they can still achieve their goals.

“They appreciate being listened to and valued, and that there is someone who is in their court for them,” Riggert said.

Retired IU faculty and staff who are interested in becoming a student advocate can apply by completing an online form.

Kirk Johannesen is a communications consultant in the Office of the Vice President of Communications and Marketing.