Dr. Laurel Rabschutz

A Cozy Atmosphere for Finishing Your Degree

When you walk into the office of Dr. Laurel Rabschutz, assistant director for BGS and non-degree programs at the Storrs campus, you’re immediately drawn in by the décor. Plants add a homey touch to the window sills; ceramic dogs and festive snowmen create a cozy, warm feeling atop files and bookcases. A multi-colored stuffed snail relaxes on one bookcase; a purple dinosaur that doubles as a watering can sits on another. Framed photos of her Newfoundland dogs in holiday garb grace the top of a file cabinet, and the entire wall beside her desk is an eye-catching collage of newspaper articles, posters, photographs, beads, ribbons, and colorful hangings.

The welcoming atmosphere and Laurel’s ready laugh (she prefers Laurel to her official title of Dr. Rabschutz) are bound to put potential BGS students at ease. “A lot of people say it's always entertaining to come here,” she says with a laugh. “It lets them know it's not a sterile environment. It helps to open them up a little bit as to who they are as a person. We try to keep it cozy here, make sure it's a friendly experience for people.”

Laurel started working in continuing education at UConn in 1987; five years later, she began working as a part-time BGS counselor. After finishing her master’s degree in education, she was appointed assistant director and full-time counselor. It was a dream job for Laurel because she identified with the students. She started college when she was 25 and married, earned her master’s degree when she was 40, and earned a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Relations in December 2006. 

“Having gone to school as an adult, I know what it's like to juggle family responsibilities, running a household, trying to meet the mortgage payment, having to deal with only one car,” she said. “I know what it's like to try to study on evenings and weekends. I know what it's like to have math anxiety and I never had to take a second language, so I can understand the struggle of students who have to meet the general education requirements. I think that helps. The theoretical knowledge comes from my master’s and Ph.D. − how students learn, how adults are different than traditionally aged students.”

Diverse Students with Different Goals
BGS students at the Storrs campus tend to be diverse. Some are traditional aged students seeking an individualized program; others are returning adult students who need a bachelor’s degree for a promotion or a career change. Another segment is adult students who return to college for personal growth and/or personal satisfaction.

“You see people really grow once they start going back to school,” said Laurel. “People will develop by the courses they’re taking, and not necessarily the courses that they thought that they would be interested in. That’s one of the nice things about general education: it exposes people to different ideas and different (academic) departments. You’ll see people take a different tack and say, ‘Wow, this really is interesting’ and maybe end up getting a minor in that area or pursuing something more on a personal or hobby basis.”

Adults who return to school for the personal satisfaction of finally completing their degree, tend to be much older than other returning adult students.

“I had a student some years ago who completed three years at UConn and then went over to Europe during World War II to be with her husband,” Laurel said. “She came back to complete that final year and she did it. It is confidence and being persistent that makes students successful; folks that stick with it and do it.”

A Labor of Love
The rewards of helping BGS students achieve their goals make her position a labor of love. “You can help them find their way as to what they’re really looking for,” said Laurel. “You can catch things before they become problems. We view their records after every semester. If there seems to be a problem academically, we can bring them in and talk to them. Sometimes somebody may have taken a course 20 years ago that they transferred in and they accidentally sign up for the same class and aren't going to get credit for it twice. Or they may have a few more required courses to go and sign up for a course that they really don't need. We catch those things and notify the students.

“We try to take care of as much of the detail and as much of the paperwork for our students as possible. People are appreciative that its a one-stop shopping situation here -- they talk to us first, we admit them to the program, and we work with them every step of the way. Some folks have come in and said, ‘Wow, this is so much easier than I thought it was going to be.’”

Laurel’s caring nature extends beyond her job at UConn. Her doctoral work focused on the human/animal bond; her dissertation addressed how partnering with an assistant dog affects the self-esteem and social connectedness of persons with disabilities. On a more personal level, Laurel has been involved with pet therapy for 20 years.

“One of my dogs is involved in a program in the school system called the R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) program,” said Laurel. “Underachieving readers will read to the dog because they're more comfortable. The dogs just lay there with them, but they (the students) think its fun and exciting. It’s mostly younger children; the oldest we've worked with is a student in third grade.”

Canine Musical Freestyle
In 1995, Laurel began working with her two-year-old Newfoundland named Gus to participate in a sport called canine musical freestyle, a choreographed musical program performed by handlers and their dogs.

“You teach your dog basic behaviors like sidepassing, spinning, kicking, backing -- work them into routines and choreograph them to music,” said Laurel. “You can compete or do it for your own fun, which is good exercise for the dogs. You can take it to local schools and nursing homes, you can go to competitions.”

They majority of Laurel’s canine musical freestyle performances are at public education events and fundraisers. She and Gus have performed for FIDELCO Guide Dog Foundation, at the Hartford Pet Expo, and at Saint Hubert’s Humane Society in New Jersey, where they were the entertainment for a $200 a plate fundraising dinner.

“We raise a lot of money for organizations,” Laurel said. “We have a team of people and have performed all over the eastern United States. It's fun, it’s a very creative sport, there is costuming, picking music, choreographing the music, training the dogs and putting it all together. I've done everything from polkas to rock and roll, Blue Oyster Cult.”

Laurel’s favorite performance was choreographed to Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla,” the FM radio hit from 1977.

“We have a whole town set up and the dog is dressed like Godzilla,” said Laurel with a laugh. “He knocks down the town and picks up a stuffed bus and throws it in the air. It's hysterical. We’ve been on CNN, Animal Planet, The Daily Show, Nick at Night. Nick at Night was amazing −they had a crew of 60 people and filmed for 12 hours. The theme was a high school prom. When they called, I said, “Are you sure? Some of us are in our 50s.’ They said, ‘Don't worry about; it we’ll make it work.’ And they did − it was fun.”

Whether she’s helping BGS students to achieve their dreams, or volunteering for animal assisted activities, Dr. Laurel Rabschutz has a zest for life that is contagious.