Meet the Center Staff

Meet the Center Staff

The Center for Academic Advising staff are passionate about good advising and have many years of advising and mentoring experiences.

Ms. Olympia Stewart was born and raised in Milan, Tennessee, but her path would eventually lead her to Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. Ms. Stewart graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Middle School Education and earned both a Masters of Arts in Education and a Master’s of Science in Human Development and Leadership with an emphasis in Organizational Communication. It was during her graduate studies that she discovered her passion for helping students discover their path to success at Murray State University. Ms. Stewart’s passion led her to accepting the Retention Specialist position in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Murray State. For two years, this position allowed her to hone her skills in working closely with students who had risk factors that hindered their academic and personal growth, goals, and success. Ms. Stewart is currently the Coordinator of Academic Transitions, Advising and Advising Center Operations in the Center for Academic Advising. In her current role, she has the privilege and challenge of helping undecided students find their career path. She coordinates the Fall Majors’ Fair, teaches a freshmen transition course, and assists with recruitment and retention efforts. In her spare time, Ms. Stewart likes to spend time with family and read.

Mrs. Peggy Whaley recently joined the Center for Academic Advising following rewarding positions at Colorado State University in teaching and advising in the School of Education and most recently as a director of information services at a school district in Iowa. While at Colorado State University in her role as advisor and instructor for 10 years, Mrs. Whaley was awarded the outstanding advisor award from her academic college. Mrs. Whaley has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Education and a Master’s of Education Degree in Instructional Leadership from Colorado State University. Mrs. Whaley currently teaches new student orientation courses for first year students and advises students who are undeclared and conditionally admitted to Murray State University. Mrs. Whaley also manages the website for the Center for Academic Advising. She enjoys all aspects of advising and especially enjoys helping students find a major or area that fits their interests and passions. In her spare time, Mrs. Whaley enjoys spending time with her family and friends and exploring the beautiful state of Kentucky.

Dr. Barbara Cobb earned a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and Philosophy. She joined the Murray State University faculty in 2002. As Coordinator of Academic Advising, Dr. Cobb works to provide resources and training for all academic advisors, including the close to 300 faculty academic advisors from disciplines in every college and school on our campus. In addition to this work, Dr. Cobb teaches courses in Shakespeare and English Renaissance literature, as well as introductory courses for English majors. She also serves as the Coordinator for the Liberal Arts major, an innovative program that allows students to build their own major by combining three fields of study, study abroad, internship, and a capstone senior project. Dr. Cobb is the Director of the Shakespeare in the Schools Partnership Initiative, in which she trains teachers to incorporate fun Shakespeare units into grade 3-8 curricula. She also serves as the Associate Chair and Teacher Education Coordinator for the Murray Shakespeare Festival. In her spare time, Dr. Cobb enjoys writing scholarly articles and hanging out with her family.

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