There’s one thing that Jim Donathan knows will be left behind at Elon University as something he essentially created, that he built for all students to use: the degree audit.

“I always say it’s an ugly baby, but it’s my baby,” Donathan said, laughing. “It was not something I was trained to do, it was not something I had any knowledge about, not anything I particularly had any interest in. But, it was handed to me and I have molded it into something that I think is very useful. I think it’s a good tool — and it’s just a tool, but it’s a good one.”

Within Donathan’s fi rst few years at Elon, he was handed the project by his supervisor, former Associate Dean of Academic Support, Mary Faye Rich. Rich retired in 2007, leaving Donathan now as the Assistant Director of Academic Advising.

He came to Elon in 1994, after stints in the academic advising offi ce at Appalachian State University and residence life offi ces at Rhode Island School of Design and Guilford College.

When Elon students are facing academic probation, Donathan is the man who works with them to see if they can fi x the problem. He’s the man who devotes his days to making sure students are adjusting to school well, that they are fi guring out their place on campus. He’s the man who makes sure the students he works with get in the classes they want.

Now, Donathan fi nds himself having to fi ll a lot of different roles. Every day he meets with students to help them fi gure out classes and schedules, he works with them decide whether the school is right for them or even just gets them in contact with someone who can.

“I love the title of academic adviser — you’re giving advice,” he said. “You’re letting them think through, letting them talk through what their options are, rather than saying, ‘You have to do this, you have to take that course.’ And I think they often come to the best decision on their own, they

just need someone to talk it out with.”And according to Donathan, there are three major duties he has on campus:

meeting with students in person to help them with schedules and majors and going through the class schedules to make sure they are appropriately set up; working with students that are suspended or put on probation; and then maintaining the degree audit.

He says working with students is why he took the job, though. For him, it is more about getting to know and helping students during their time at Elon than anything else.

“I feel like that’s what I do best,” Donathan said. “My strength is sitting down one-on-one and talking with students. That’s what feeds me, is to get to talk with students and hear their plans, talk about what’s important for them.”

But he also has to be the one to break news to students that they cannot come back to campus, occasionally, when students are suspended or put on probation due to grades.

“It happens generally at the end of each term,” he said. “The university has standards of all students and if they fall below those standards, we call them to task for it. We say, ‘Here’s what you need to do.’ And often we say, ‘No, you need to stay away for a semester.’”

As for being a leader, Donathan said he works well behind the scenes and likes to think that he’s a leader on Elon’s campus more in the sense that he provides the tools for deans and department heads to do what they need to do.

“It’s getting the right information to the people who need it so they can make the best decisions,” Donathan said. “I have to put my ego aside and not feel like I need credit for anything, I just need to get the information to the people.”

AUDITING THE PATHS OF STUDENTS

43 // � e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders

Story By Jack Dodson

Jim Donathan

AUDITING THE PATHS OF STUDENTS

� e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders // 44P

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Story By Jack Dodson

GET TO KNOWJim DonathanArrived at Elon in 1994

Hometown: Aberdeen, NC