Associate Professor Sandra Winn has been with the college since 2013. Each term, she mentors approximately 50 students in the Arts and Humanities Division from SUNY Empire’s Latham location. Winn teaches courses in Literature, Communication and Cultural Studies, as well as Education.

Winn has been teaching since 1986 at schools and colleges in the United States, as well as Japan. She has conducted research and project management in a host of areas, including communication, education, museum studies, organizational change, program and curriculum development, accreditation, strategic planning and organizational systems. Outside of her work at the college, she is an avid gardener, outdoor enthusiast, voracious reader, active participant in the local foods movement and a newly elected Whispering Angels board member.

Winn sat down recently to talk about her experiences as a mentor, how her role has evolved over the years and why the unique mentoring model used by the college is equally rewarding for her and her students.

“What I really like about adult students is that they come in with a wealth of experience where, I feel like I get to learn from them as much as I believe they learn from me,” she says. “If you're looking for a rigorous education that is very high quality, where you can build a degree program and a work-life balance that is right for you, this is the college that you should come to, because you can work full time, have a family and take courses.

“You can succeed at your degree in your own time in your own way with a specialty in what you really want to do. We make a real solid commitment to our students and work with them through their whole program to make sure they really get what they want in a high-quality way and in a format that really fits their life.”