MSU Department of Physiology welcomes new academic advisor
Growing up as an only child, Ashley Maloff can’t remember a day where she didn’t want to be a teacher.
“I was the child who used to line up teddy bears in the living room and played school,” she recalled.
It’s this passion for teaching and helping students that made her the right and ideal candidate to join Michigan State University Department of Physiology as its newest academic advisor. She joins the department from her previous position as an ability access specialist at MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, or RCPD.
“I provided support to students and employees with chronic health and co-occurring conditions,” said Maloff of the former position she held since 2017. Additionally, Maloff was also the coordinator for advising, training, production work, and innovation efforts of the Tower Guard, which is a sophomore honorary student service organization.
“I oversaw technologies for accessible textbooks, tactile graphics, 3-D modeling, online learning, and STEM accessibility,” Maloff said.
Born in Detroit and raised in Oak Park, Michigan, Maloff grew up as an only child. In high school, she had her first opportunity to work with students with disabilities through peer mentorship and tutoring programs.
“That’s what sparked my interest in the field of special education,” said Maloff who went on to major in special education learning disabilities at MSU. She then completed her graduate studies at Grand Valley State University where she studied higher education with an emphasis in its College Student Affairs Leadership program.
“I have a broad range of experiences in the student support, academic advising, and disability services areas,” said Maloff who also previously worked as a learning skills specialist at the University of Indianapolis and then as an academic advisor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University prior to coming back full circle to RCPD at MSU.
Maloff said she was motivated to apply for this new role because it provided her the unique opportunity to combine her passion for STEM education, academic advising, and accessibility.
“My professional passion is to build inclusive and accessible educational experiences for all students while helping them reach their academic, personal, and career goals,” she said.
Some of Maloff’s future initiatives for the department includes proposing a faculty/student mentorship club for at-risk and transfer students and brown-bag lunches that focuses on academic success strategies.
“I also want to create a holistic wellness program focused on the six-dimensions of wellness for students in our department,” said the former competitive horseback rider. “I believe that the addition of these support programs will increase student success, persistence, and diversity within the college and profession.”
Despite Maloff’s ingenuity still far from being set in motion, she wants students to know that they currently have a support system of people who care about them and want to see them succeed.
"I want students to know that they are worth more than any exam grade,” she said. “They are creators, innovators, artists, teachers, and engineers. While courses and grades are important, a poor grade will not dictate their future, even though it may seem that way in a fleeting moment. If they are struggling or need to discuss resources, they can reach out to the advising office because we are here for them.”
Maloff’s official first day as an undergraduate academic advisor in MSU Department of Physiology is Thursday December 1, 2022. Her office is located in the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building in room 2240.
By: Tyler Lee
