Pre-Major
Academic Advising Center

West Chester University

Contact Info
Lawrence Center 262
West Chester, Pennsylvania
610-436-3505
Fax: 610-436-2600
premajor@wcupa.edu


Dr. John Kinslow

Kinslow

Contact Information:
262 Lawrence Center
610-436-3508
jkinslow@wcupa.edu

Brief Bio:

I served as a professor in the WCU College of Education for the past 11 years, and found my work as an advisor to students to be the most enjoyable and rewarding aspect of my job.

This opportunity to work in Pre Major Academic Advising - new for me in Fall, 2010 - allows me to serve students in a way that fully utilizes my experience, strengths and abilities. And, their ability to build on their strengths/ abilities - is something I hope for my advisees as well! I welcome this chance to enable WCU students to fully consider - who they are, what they want, what they need to learn and what their vision is - of who they will become. I'll continue to learn and grow as our programs constantly evolve and change, and plan to assist our students as best possible.

Before I began my tenure at West Chester, I had the opportunity to work as a counselor and advisor in several different settings. I also taught courses (Temple) in Career Development, which allowed me to work directly with individual students, as well as with larger groups in classroom settings. Helping students to gain clarity, and personal insight - to enable successful academic and career decision-making - this is something I really enjoy.

Additionally, I've had great experiences working with diverse groups of students at Community College of Philadelphia, in the Philadelphia School District, and in many other locations/ settings.

As a Professor, I have a strong record of scholarly activity including: publications, conference presentations, and especially with grants acquisition and management. Obtaining funding is highly competitive, and success requires a continuous effort over time. For every funded grant, there are at least five proposals that were unsuccessful. That's the nature of this work and I think that most of the things we really KNOW - come from interaction, experience (sometimes failure), and our own RESILIENCE, as well as our PASSION and DESIRE TO LEARN! So - the thing to remember is to stay positive, just keep on working - get up, dust your self off and get started again!

I have served on many university committees, often in a leadership role. I have received tenure and promotion to the rank of Full Professor at West Chester University, and I am thankful to be a part of our vibrant community.

I believe that being a good listener, having empathy, and a dedication to helping others through a problem solving/ critical thinking process is important. These are transferable 21st Century people skills. I dedicate myself to modeling and encouraging these skills with WCU students.

I didn't come here by accident, because my parents told me to, or because it was an easier way. In fact I'm the only one with a doctorate in my family. So getting to this point, I've had some real-life work experience that I believe will be helpful: Owned a couple of businesses; worked as a full-time professional musician; taught music and Middle School Math; worked with Special Education in schools and residential settings; repaired cameras (mostly large format/ professional); worked in schools on the effective integration of Educational Technology; tended bar; worked as a busboy and then a waiter (wasn't very good); worked on a sod farm, for a pharmacy, as a construction laborer... and much more.

I'm dedicated to helping my students discover and decide where they want to take their life and how an education at WCU can help them get there - and hopefully more directly. I want to see our students get clarity on their own goals and career path as it makes sense for each of them in their own individualized process. I look forward to working as a dedicated student advocate to ensure the best possible satisfaction and success for each of our students and I'll continue to be a learner along our way!