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Office of Academic Advising and Retention

• About the Office
• • Meet the Staff
  • The Advising Model
  • Advising and Registration
• Creating Your Academic Map
• Academic Probation
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• Frequently Asked Questions
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Meet the Staff

• Sandy Hough, M.Ed.
  Director

  Hough enjoys helping students succeed and has served at APU for 15 years in various capacities, ranging from the Adams Hall residence director to serving in enrollment services. She is passionate about student services and interacting with students during these formative years. Her primary responsibility is to provide vision and direction to the office while also serving on various academic councils and committees. She also teaches Foundations of Leadership for the leadership minor.

• Cathy Bartholomew, M.A.
  Assistant Director, Academic Advising

  An Azusa Pacific alumna, Bartholomew received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at APU, and considers it a privilege to serve as the assistant director of academic advising. With more than 20 years of teaching experience, including currently teaching Freshmen Writing Seminar, she has a heart for working with students during their academic journey. A veteran parent of college students, she understands the anxiety students and parents can have while navigating the academic waters of declaring a major, selecting the right general education classes, and managing transfer details. She looks forward to assisting you on your academic journey at APU.

• Stephanie Orona, B.S.W.
  Assistant Director, Retention

  Orona graduated from Azusa Pacific in 2008 with a Bachelor of Social Work. She was the first in her family to attend college, and thanks God for that accomplishment and His provisions to do reach that goal. She is currently completing a Master of Arts in Leadership. She seeks opportunities to learn, grow, and discover ways to better serve students and help others be successful based on their individual needs. As assistant director of retention, Orona serves students, and also provides parents, faculty, and staff with on-campus resources that will help support students during their time at APU.

• Peter Smart, M.Ed.
  Professional Advisor

  Smart looks forward to being a part of students' APU experience and helping with planning academic courses. Understanding what APU expects of students is important to their success in college. Before starting at APU in 2012, Smart spent five years as a residence hall director for a freshman men’s residence hall at another institution. This experience showed him the importance of academic focus throughout the college experience. He earned a master’s degree in College Student Affairs in 2007 from APU and received his undergraduate degree from George Fox University in 1999.

• Jyll Stone, B.A.
  Professional Advisor

  Jyll is a professional advisor in the Office of Academic Advising and Retention. She has worked at Azusa Pacific since 2008, graduated with a bacehlor's degree from APU in 2005, and is on track to complete a Master of Arts in Leadership in spring 2013. She is excited to be in a role where she can apply her passion for helping and developing students, and support them during their college years.

• Patti Duguid
  Information Liaison Coordinator

  As information liaison coordinator, Duguid is usually the first one you talk to when you call or come to visit the Office of Academic Advising and Retention. She has worked at APU since 2004, after two previous careers in banking and youth ministry. She enjoys working with students, helping navigate the university system and find answers to your questions. She also enjoys gardening, stenciling, and helping people understand their spiritual gifts.

• Heather Gross
  Graduate Assistant for Retention

  Gross has a passion for students, campus cohesion, and work/life balance and has worked in student affairs for two years. She earned a B.S. in Psychology in 2007 and is currently a student in the M.S. in College Counseling and Student Development program at APU. Gross is a first-generation college student, a transfer student, as well as a mother of a 4 year-old little girl. She understands the complexities of trying to balance school and life. She enjoys helping students set up a schedule to stay on track with assignments.

• Jacquelyn Andersen
  Graduate Assistant for Academic Advising

  Anderson is a graduate student in APU's M.S. in College Counseling and Student Development program and will be graduating in 2014. She received a B.A. from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and attended a community college before trasnferring to Cal Poly. She is passionate about student development and helping students reach their full potential. As part of her assistantship, she meets with students to assist them in achieving their academic goals.