Lisa Behnke regularly guides students to her office on the first floor of the Ammerman Building and sits them down to review their classes, surrounded by toys, pictures of her children and family, awards and degrees, cards from former students thanking her, and other small trinkets that make her office feel like a safe, comfortable space for students.
She helps them with their schedules for the upcoming semester — it’s especially busy now during Priority Registration time — and leaves them with a smile.
“That’s why I’m here,” she said.
A SUNY Chancellor’s Award winner
Behnke has been an advisor at Suffolk County Community College since 2013 and has also volunteered at the Stony Brook Fire Department for the past 25 years. She has advised the Disney and Harry Potter clubs and serves in the Faculty Senate.
Earlier this year, she won a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service on campus and around the community.
“I’ve been here since 2013 and have done a lot of different things, but when I put it all together to submit to the committee, I didn’t realize how much I do,” she said.
Behnke makes balancing everything look easy, but it can become stressful.
“I try to stay organized, and I try to figure out what my plans look like for the week,” she said.
Advising Dedication
While Behnke’s plate may seem full, she’s dedicated to advising her students and helping them with any questions they have.
“If she has a meeting to run to, she’s going to make sure she finishes helping the student before she leaves. Or if she wants to leave early for the day, she’s not going to leave until the student gets what they need,” said co-worker and ESL Prof. Rich Lauria. “She’s going to make sure she explains everything to the student and makes sure they understand. She’s super dedicated.”
Behnke manages a lot by herself, but she has help from student mentors who assist with registration and helping students build course schedules.
“She’s really good at problem-solving,” Gamaeel Disla-Vilceus, a peer mentor, said of Behnke. When I tell her a student is having an issue, I send them to her room and the problem is solved within a matter of minutes.”
A Return to School that Leads to A Career
Behnke recalled that things didn’t just fall into place for her right away.
“I also was a college dropout from Suffolk back in the early ’80s, so it took me a long time to come back after I had kids. I was in a different mindset,” she said.
She eventually came back as a journalism student to Suffolk, with English Prof. William Burns as a mentor.
“When I came back as an adult, I needed one more three-credit class to get an honors diploma, and his Honors Contemporary Non-Fiction Journalism class was that class,” she said.
She also credits Burns for her career at Suffolk. He recommended her for an advising position at the Ammerman campus.
Since then, Behnke has made a lasting impact at Suffolk.
“She’s amazing at what she does, and she really cares for her students and wants them to be successful,” said Disla-Vilceus.
Behnke offers this advice to students: “If I can say anything, it’s for students to do what they need to do to be successful, and that includes seeking advice and getting things done ahead so that when they’re ready to move on to the next step, they have what they need.”
