Meet Shae Deschutter, Director of Student Success in the College of Engineering
Shae started her career at UNLV working in the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Admissions, and Financial Aid & Scholarships. Her experience in these key areas served her well as she transitioned to the College of Engineering as their Interventional Advising Coordinator. In her advising role, Shae adopted a holistic approach to helping students struggling in their coursework.
Then, after a former employee left, Shae got called to lead Engineering’s first-year seminar class. “I had been advising for about three years, and … I was like, I’ll take it on….” Based on student feedback, Shae and Dr. Ferrar made changes to improve the course, incorporating tools and skills that would set new students up for success and build community within the College of Engineering.
Eighteen years later, Shae’s role continues to evolve and include a variety of responsibilities, from coordinating about 700 students in the first-year seminar class, to supervising 40 to 50 peer mentors, to facilitating different initiatives to provide students the necessary resources and opportunities to succeed.
What's your favorite thing about working at UNLV?
Definitely the student impact. And, for me personally, I am the first person in my family to get a college degree. Both of my parents struggled with addiction my whole childhood, and so I knew that getting an education was going to be my avenue to a different life, and it absolutely has been. So I know firsthand the impact that this place has on people, and I've seen it for 18 years now, with all of my different students. Dr. Venkat says, we're changing family trees. Yeah. That's what we do.
What issues are women facing today that you want to help solve, and how are you helping to solve that issue?
[Women] feel like they have … to do it all, … and it can be really easy to get overwhelmed with trying to do everything. I tell [my female colleagues and students to focus] on what is most important to you. Focus on your passion, and build everything else around that. You don't have to do everything. Because if you try to do everything, no one part gets all of you, and, eventually, things get overwhelming, and they fall apart.
Tell us about a woman who's been a mentor to you.
My sister, Brenda. She has always been my biggest cheerleader. When I was in college, she had gotten a two-year degree as a nurse years ago. But when I was in college, she would always tell me, “You're going to be four years older regardless. You get to decide if you have a degree at the end of it.” And it was the thing that always pushed me. And now I tell my students the same thing. And in every move I've made in my personal life, in my career, she's the person that I go to when I'm thinking about doing something, when an opportunity comes my way, and she's the person that gives me the sage advice.
Who's an unsung hero at UNLV?
CAPS [UNLV Student Counseling and Psychological Services]. I tell my students and my mentors all the time that I am only the well-rounded individual I am today because I spent multiple semesters at CAPS as a student because of the things that I struggled with… I have seen the impact that CAPS has on so many of our other students. It's wonderful.
[And,] Chris Parker, … our Director of Advising. He and I worked in tandem together for the last 10 years in Engineering. He is for sure an unsung hero for me ... because of the working relationship that we've built and the way that we've been able to help our college and our students; …. he is a fantastic support system.
What trait do you like most about yourself?
Probably my perseverance. [In terms of learning Engineering concepts,] … I would literally take … lectures [from Dr. Ferrar and Dr. Pusko] and study them and just practice them on my drive to and from work until the words became my own and until I actually understood the underlying message of every lecture so that I could comfortably give it with confidence….
If you could learn to master one thing, what would it be?
I know what I would like to master - it's silly, but I would love to be able to do perfect pull ups. It's the one fitness goal I haven't quite been able to master ... yet.