Greg Stephany
Director of Advising and Recruitment
Honors College
After five years in 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's Office of International Programs, Stephany jumped into a new role in the Honors College. His mission now is to boost visibility of the Honors College while inspiring more students to expand their worldviews. He hopes to dispel the misconception that the Honors College primarily serves science and preprofessional students. "It's the right place for students who want to better prepare themselves for life after 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, no matter what their major or post-51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ aspirations."
What inspired you to get into your field? I come from a study abroad background, and moving to the Honors College is a natural fit for my interests and a natural evolution to my career. Working with students from varied backgrounds, interests and academic pursuits has always been a driving force in my career.
Study abroad literally changed my life, expanded my world view, provided credits toward my degree, and helped form the interests and passions I have today -- highly focused on our students experiences and passionate about providing them every tool and opportunity to help them succeed, not only here at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, but throughout their lives.
I hope to help make the Honors College a "stand out" option at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, which will help us attract more high achieving, internationally minded students from the Vegas Valley and around the globe. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the Honors College and I'm discovering that this is a place where motivated, accomplished students come to not only add dimension to their degrees, but to learn more about life and the world -- and in the process, themselves. Our remarkable Honors College students fuel my passion and are my inspiration for being in this field.
Who was your favorite professor and why? An economics professor in personal finance. That was when I learned how to learn.
What is your proudest moment? Overall, there are just too many. Just recently I finished my first triathlon.
What would people be surprised to know about you? I love being on two wheels (when I don't crash). When fully settled in this new position, I'll be bicycle commuting almost every day to work. I also look for any excuse to jump on my motorcycle and head out on the open road.
PC or Mac? Both! PC for the computer and Apple for everything else. Though I wish I never gave up my Mac and converted to PC all those years ago.
Can't work without? My morning workout.
If you could fix one thing in the world what would it be? Renewable sustainable energies.
One tip to succeed? Success at work: plan your work and work your plan. Success in life: keep an open mind and focus on personal relationships
Who is your hero? My past mentor and friend from New York -- John J. Perry, professor of English and Dean of International Programs. He was an incredibly intelligent and creative, citizen of the world. I would not be who I am today without him. Living abroad changed the course of my life and John provided the start to my career in higher education.
