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Student Advising

Your IR/PS Student Affairs staff can address concerns ranging from academic policy to personal support services. Stop by the first floor of the Robinson Building Complex to visit the Student Affairs team during normal business hours, or email IR/PS Student Affairs to schedule an appointment.

Meet Your Team

Nancy Gilson
Director of Academic Degree Programs

Nancy holds a BA and PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She taught for seven years at Simmons College in Boston before moving to UC San Diego in 1993. Since coming to San Diego, Nancy has been a full time lecturer, teaching courses for Political Science, IR/PS, and the International Studies Program on US and European immigration, the politics of race and ethnicity, civil liberties and civil rights law, and social policy and gender. Just before arriving at IR/PS, Nancy spent five years teaching and developing the curriculum of the yearlong American Studies sequence for the Dimensions of Culture Writing Program at Thurgood Marshall College at UC San Diego. In addition to her teaching, she has spent time in administration, serving three years as Assistant Dean of Academic Advising at Earl Warren College, working with central campus administration units to bring technology into advising in the six colleges, and developing transitional programs for transfer students and winter admits. Dr. Gilson has two children; her daughter has just started at Sarah Lawrence College and her son is beginning his first year at La Jolla High School.

Art Guaracha Jr.
Assistant Director of Student Affairs

Art has worked at UC San Diego since 2001, beginning in the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) where he promoted higher education to first generation and low income students. In 2004 he was hired as an academic counselor at Sixth College where he counseled and organized programs to support undergraduate students. He has a Master's in counseling from San Diego State and a Bachelor of Arts from UC Riverside.

 

Assistant Director of Student Affairs
aguaracha@ucsd.edu

Laura Gracia
Academic Advisor

Laura is a graduate of the Community-Based Block (CBB) Master’s Program at San Diego State University, which seeks to develop a baseline of cross-cultural knowledge, awareness and advocacy in the training of multicultural counselors. Prior to receiving her master's degree, Laura attended UC San Diego where she received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology. Her professional experience includes nine years at UC San Diego Student Affairs. She has held counseling positions in undergraduate academic advising, underrepresented minority retention programs, and graduate-level student affairs. Her experience and perspective as a UC San Diego alumna equips her with a wealth of knowledge to assess students’ needs and help them to reach their educational and professional goals.

 

Academic Advisor
lgracia@ucsd.edu

Renate Kwon
Academic Advisor for MAS-IA Students

Student advising for the Master of Advanced Studies in International Affairs (MAS-IA) is conducted by IR/PS' executive education unit, the Global Leadership Institute (GLI). Please contact Renate Kwon for MAS-IA advising inquires.

 

Academic Advisor for MAS-IA Students
rmkwon@ucsd.edu
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