The Peer Advisor Program (1989–2009)

The Peer Advisor (PA) Program within the University of Virginia’s Office of African American Affairs (OAAA) became a nationally recognized model for student support, retention, and success under the leadership of Associate Dean **Sylvia V. Terry**, who directed the program from 1989 until her retirement in 2009. Designed to bridge the gap between admission and retention, the program centered on personalized, one-on-one mentoring relationships between trained upper-class students and entering first-year and transfer students, with a particular focus on African-American student success (Terry, 2; Williams, 1).

Guided by what Dean Terry described as the “caring person syndrome,” the PA Program emphasized consistent outreach, relationship-building, and early engagement, often beginning before students arrived on Grounds. Peer Advisors were carefully selected and matched with advisees based on shared academic interests and experiences, and contact began during the summer prior to enrollment to foster an early sense of belonging and community (Terry, 2; Terry, 14).

The program featured signature events such as the **Welcoming Reception**, **Harambee Orientation**, and **Harambee II**, which reinforced student ownership of the University, celebrated academic milestones, and connected students to campus resources. Additional initiatives, including academic enrichment programs, professional exploration workshops, and structured study support provided ongoing engagement throughout the year (Terry, 2; Bromley, 4).

Peer Advisors themselves received extensive training and support, including multi-day orientations, ongoing workshops, leadership development opportunities, and structured reflection. Dean Terry intentionally cultivated student leadership within the program, empowering Peer Advisors to shape programming, mentor one another, and take ownership of the program’s growth (Terry, 17).

Internal assessments and longitudinal studies consistently demonstrated the program’s effectiveness. In the University of Virginia’s *Longitudinal Study of Undergraduate Education: Class of 1999*, Black students rated the Peer Advisor Program as the most impactful resource during their first year, with continued influence throughout their undergraduate experience (Institutional Assessment & Studies, 19; Terry, 2). During this period, UVA achieved the **highest Black student graduation rate among public universities**, a success widely attributed to the structured and intensive mentoring provided by the PA Program (Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 20; Olson, 21; Casteen, quoted in Terry, 2).

Nationally, the Peer Advisor Program received numerous awards and recognitions, including honors from the American Association of University Administrators and the John Templeton Foundation, and was featured in major publications such as *The New York Times*, *The Washington Post*, and the *Journal of Blacks in Higher Education* (6; 20; 21).

Although Dean Terry retired in 2009, the Peer Advisor Program, the Peer Advisor Program continues this legacy as a cornerstone of student success and retention at the University of Virginia. As one student reflected, “It was the Office of Admission that attracted me to UVA; it was the Peer Advisor Program that kept me here.” (Terry, 2).

*Summary adapted from* **Williams, S. L. (2019)**, *The Peer Advisor Program in the Office of African American Affairs at the University of Virginia, 1989–2009*, with references including Terry (2), Bromley (4), Institutional Assessment & Studies (19), Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (20), and Olson (21).