By Gishelle Raghunanan, contributing writer
The second floor of Bellevue Hall, which she affectionately calls The White House, is where you can find Gina Thurman, the associate dean of students. As classes begin this fall, Ms. Thurman will be celebrating 20 years at Augusta State, having transitioned from student to faculty administrator. She fondly reminisces on her days as a student assistant in the 1980s, working all over campus from the president’s office and financial aid to the nursing department. She enjoys her career at ASU, and says, “I get to go to college every day without taking the exams.”
On a daily basis, she is responsible for overseeing the International Club, Judicial Cabinet, and Alcohol Education Programming as well as assisting the dean with student conduct issues. She especially enjoys working with international students. “It allows us to see what we take for granted.” She helps them with paperwork, aids them in getting adjusted, and has actually visited Sweden, where an exchange program is in place with Mid-Sweden University. Despite the 10 inches of snow that fell during her trip to Sweden in April, she says she still appreciates the opportunity and has hopes of traveling to South Africa next.
Although she left the classroom years ago, having obtained her undergraduate degree in business administration in 1989 and her graduate degree in counseling in 1998 from ASU, Ms. Thurman returns to the classroom occasionally to teach sections of ASUO 1000. In this orientation to studying and campus activities, she asks students to become involved in events they would probably never have attended otherwise. In teaching these courses, she says she gains pleasure from “seeing the students in a different way.”
Outside of work, she is a caring wife and mother. She met her husband, Robert, through a mutual friend and says she knew after only a few months of dating that “we would definitely get married.” They have been married for 18 years and have two children: Ashley, 12, and Zack, 8.
Ms. Thurmond is active in the community with the Neighborhood Homeowners Association, Greater Augusta Arts Council, and her church. She also is an ardent Jaguar supporter, regularly attending the basketball games for the men’s and women’s programs. In the spring, she made the trip to the Elite Eight tournament in Springfield, Mass. “I had a lot of fun, but like many fans, wish we could have stayed longer,” she says.
The high school system is the only other place she could see herself if not here at ASU. Fortunately for the ASU community, Ms. Thurman will most likely retire here. When that time comes, she wants to travel more and spend time with her family at Litchfield Beach, S.C., one of their favorite vacation spots.
Name: Gina Thurman
How long at ASU: 20 years
Little known fact: She met her husband, Robert, through a mutual friend and says she knew after only a few months of dating that “we would definitely get married.”
Family: Husband, Robert; two children Ashley, 12, and Zack, 8
Jul 25, 2009
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