Grant McCormack
CFANS Academic Advisor
Pronouns
He/him/his or they/them/theirs
For appointments, call
130 Coffey Hall
Advises for undergraduate programs in:
Animal Science
Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management
Forest and Natural Resource Management
Sustainability Studies Minor
About Me
Hey CFANS students!
I was born and raised in Northwest Indiana in a town called Schererville, but "home" is a few different places for me and not always a specific place. I received my B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, Behavior from the University of Minnesota with a minor in Art, and I received my M.Ed in Student Development in Higher Education from the University of Maine. I’m excited that I get to work in the Twin Cities on the Saint Paul Campus – my home away from home in undergrad! Previously, I worked in Residential Life at both University of Maine and Purdue University before returning to the U for Advising.
My background in the biological sciences, love for working with and in nature, and slight obsession with birds makes me very excited to work with CFANS! My hope is to both challenge and empower all students I work with to not only be successful in college, but personalize the experience for them to grow into the best versions of themselves possible. I love getting to know what makes each person unique, and my goal is to always provide the best resources, advising, and conversation to help each student develop into critical global leaders.
In my free time, I’m a complete geek. I spend a lot of my time on my computer, playing board games, and talking with my friends about video games. I also go outside sometimes. Music is a huge part of my life, and I have dance experience in both ballroom dancing and freestyle hip hop. I love dogs, have an adorable mutt of my own, and have been repeatedly called a dog whisperer. I am also an aspiring baker and one day hope to get a Paul Hollywood handshake. My passion is helping you. Please feel free to reach out and ask tough questions about college, the University of Minnesota, society, and the world. I’ll more than happily help you navigate these questions to go out and make an impact. Just let me know what you need!
Advising Philosophy
Academic advising should be more about a relationship of trust than a formal meeting. No student should walk into my office feeling like a scheduled appointment, but instead a partner in navigating their college experience. Taking a student’s unique background, personality, and interests into consideration is integral in providing the best, most applicable advising to the student. In considering students holistically, I challenge them to develop the skills to independently determine their plan for college, empowering them to critically use the necessary tools to plan their college career.
I mentioned advising is a partnership. My role is to know the resources, programs, contacts, and information a student needs to personalize their experience at the U. The student’s role is to come in ready to learn how to manage their college experience, do their research before coming to advising meetings, and ask lots of tough questions! We are all constantly learning from each other at different stages of our lives, but we need to mutually work toward solving these tough situations and questions.
Professional Development Highlights and Focus Areas
Awards:
- Professional Staff Exemplary Intellectual Curiosity - Purdue University, 2018
- Equity and Diversity Certificate – University of Minnesota Office for Equity and Diversity, 2019
- Rising Star Award – University of Minnesota Academic Advising Network, 2021
- Community Excellence Award – University of Minnesota Gender & Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life, 2022
Committee Involvement:
- Trans Advisory & Action Team, Facilities Head
- Animal Science Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee
- New Advisor Group Co-Chair
- Former Academic Advising Network Board Member (2019-2022)
- Former Records and Financial Coordinator (2020-2021)
- Former CFANS ISSS Liaison (2019-2023)
Publication:
- McCormack, G. (2017). Measuring college student integration through social media. Journal of Student Affairs at New York University, 13, 17-34. Retrieved from http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/josa /Journal2017
Other interests/ focus areas:
- Queer leadership development for college students
- 2SLGBTQIA+ American history and intersectional justice
- History of racially charged housing discrimination in the US
