For many students, the hardest part of college is deciding what to pick for a major.

Deborah Gough has been helping those students find their strengths and explore career options since she began at UW-Eau Claire in 1981 as an academic adviser.

Now as the director of Advising and Academic Testing, Gough still advises an average of 100 undeclared students each year.

“Advising is providing accurate, good information and caring about students as people,” Gough said. “It is helping them get from where they are to where they want to be.”

Her execution of that led her to receive the 2002 Outstanding Achievement in Advising Award from the Wisconsin Academic Advising Association.

Jeannie Harms, academic adviser and senior student services coordinator, nominated Gough for the award.

“(Gough) is exceedingly competent in her work, she has given most of her professional life to academic advising and she is deeply committed to students,” said Harms, who has worked with Gough for more than 10 years.

She added that Gough is very familiar with the complexity of the institution, is very resourceful, has a strong work ethic and a great sense of humor.

The award Gough received recognizes advisers with at least 10 years in the advising profession who have a record of excellence in their own areas as well as distinctive contributions to the university and distinguished achievement in developing new programs for meeting student needs.

Gough not only had a hand in developing a new program at UW-Eau Claire, but she was the program director of the Title III grant, “Advising and Mentoring Program, 1994-96” that won the National Academic Advising Association Outstanding Institutional Advising Award.

The program pioneered the use of e-mail in advising. Gough said the use of e-mail doesn’t cut out face-to-face communication between students and advisers; it just increases the student’s willingness to talk to an adviser.

Gough said she finds particular pleasure in advising transfer students.

“Whenever I see students that, as a group, seem to be having problems navigating our system, I want to help,” she said.

She helps transfer students learn about Eau Claire’s bus system, health services and other aspects of the university that a traditional student would learn at freshmen orientation.

Gough said she has made no plans yet to wrap up her career with academic advising.

“I like it here,” she said. “A day doesn’t go by where someone doesn’t say ‘thank you.’ “