Instructors
Ian provides library reference services and information literacy sessions for undergraduates in College Library, the university’s undergraduate library. He teaches the first-year student experience course called the Wisconsin Experience and has helped shape the course’s information literacy component. Ian’s current research interests include how best to create collaborations between librarians and first-year seminar faculty and staff.
Melissa Plaskonos comes to UC San Diego from Princeton University, where she was the deputy director of housing. A LEED accredited professional, Mrs. Plaskonos’ resume includes a B.S. in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Masters of Science in construction engineering and management from Stanford University. She has received Naval achievement awards for her civil engineering work as a leader in a Navy Seabee Battalion and on military installations in Iwakuni, Japan and San Diego. Mrs. Plaskonos currently heads property operations and planning for the UC San Diego department of Housing, Dining, Hospitality; a $100,000,000 program with a total of approximately 9,000 undergraduate and transfer student beds. Recently commissioned buildings at UCSD include the Village East apartment community, The Bistro restaurant, and Tamarack Apartments, all LEED rated. The new Charles David Keeling apartments, located on the Revelle College campus, are currently tracking LEED Platinum. HDH also administers year-round Graduate student and staff housing and an approximately $5,000,000 summer conference service program with an average annual attendance of 25,000.
In her current role as assistant provost for the University College at SIU, Julie is responsible for the student success, marketing, and assessment components of the comprehensive University College. Julie currently oversees the university’s Career Services, New Student Programs, and Learning Support Services, and assists with program development, communication, and marketing plans and comprehensive assessment measures for the college. Additionally, Julie concurrently served as the director of housing at SIU through the summer of 2011. Julie is an active member of both ACUHO-I and NASPA, and a graduate of Texas A&M and Indiana State University.
Bramlett holds a B.A. in Psychology from the College of William & Mary and a master’s degree in higher education administration from North Carolina State University. Early in her career, she managed the marketing and operations of private student housing properties for students of Texas A&M University and Blinn College in College Station, TX. In 2005 she joined the Office of University Development’s Carolina Annual Fund team at UNC-Chapel Hill as the phonathon manager. Bramlett has since held the positions of assistant director of direct mail, assistant director of annual giving, and associate director of annual giving, and she became director of annual giving in 2011. Bramlett has been a professional member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education since 2006 and represents UNC in the national Annual Giving Directors Consortium.
Victoria has a background in K-12, public, and private higher education, as well as in online teaching and learning. Her interest lies in creating innovative programming that meets the needs of diverse audiences. Victoria has presented both locally and nationally program innovation, transformational learning, and the educational uses of blogs and wikis.
Joe directed the first-year seminar at the University of Iowa, a course required of all new students, for more than 25 years. He is a columnist for a bimonthly newsletter published by the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, and has received the Resource Center’s outstanding first-year advocate award. He is also a 14-time recipient of the faculty member of the year award on his home campus, a student-driven award based on effective teaching and academic advising. He has delivered over 100 campus workshops and conference presentations, and authored numerous articles and chapters on faculty development, student retention, and the first-year experience.
