Tom Spencer

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Tom Spencer

Academic Adviser

160A Burrowes Building
University Park , PA 16802
Office Phone: (814) 865-0342

Office Hours:

  • Advising Areas: Asian Studies, Chinese, Comparative Literature, Global and International Studies, Japanese, Korean, and Linguistics
  • To schedule an appointment or for information about drop-in advising, see the links below.
  • Summer hours by appointment only.

Education:

  1. Ph.D. Adult Education, Penn State
  2. M.A. TESL, Penn State
  3. B.A. Education, The Evergreen State College

Biography:

Prior to joining the College of the Liberal Arts advising team, I was a teaching professor in Penn State’s Intensive English Communication Program (IECP). In addition to teaching in the IECP, I helped to develop special English language programs and managed student advising. This advising included advocating for international students who wanted to become full-time Penn State students, and helping them transition to Penn State academically and socially. In doing this work I discovered a passion for advising that has led me to my current job. I look forward to meeting with students, learning about their interests, concerns, and aspirations, and helping them achieve their goals.

Fun facts: I have spent a lot of time working and living overseas. I studied abroad in France and lived in Prague, Czech Republic, for 4 years. In Prague I taught English as a Foriegn Language, learned Czech, and brushed up on my French in a class taught in Czech! I’ve also spent time in two of the directional extremes in Africa: In the north, I spent two weeks traveling around Tunisia in shared, long-distance taxis (louage), camping in the Sahara, and staying in a subterranean hotel that was used as Luke Skywalker’s home on Tatooine. In the south, I spent a summer in Cape Town, South Africa, working as a residential and educational adviser through Vanderbilt University on a service learning study abroad program. In my free time I enjoy playing music (guitar, piano, bass), and hiking with my Border Collie/hound dog mix puppy with my wife.

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