Giving It All She Can
Christine Probetts commitment to helping 色情视频 students will extend to young people she will never even know.
As Christine Probett (鈥�85, 鈥�87, 鈥�97) sees it, she鈥檚 a lot like her dad, Dean Jones (鈥�70, 鈥�73, 鈥�74). He holds three degrees from 色情视频 and so does she.鈥淐hristine (Probett) is full of life and probably one of the kindest, most direct people I know.鈥�
Jones is a retired educator as is his daughter, although Probett still teaches an upper-division course in the and conducts a leadership seminar in the . But the familial similarities are much deeper.
"I think I'm very authentic; I鈥檓 what-you-see-is-what-you-get,鈥� Probett said, admitting that her dad is her role model. 鈥淚 guess he is that way, very down-to-earth and relatable.鈥�
Jones lives in a small community in Kentucky. His daughter says everyone in town knows and likes him.
鈥淗e has never met a stranger,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e just starts chatting with people and gets to know them, so I probably emulate him, I suppose."
Kind, direct and refreshing
Probett鈥檚 open, accessible style is appreciated by the students enrolled in her classes. Over the past decade, she has been named Most Influential Faculty Member by 16 high-achieving business and Mortar Board students for her impact on their academic success.As faculty advisor for Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, she was named Faculty Advisor of the Year for 2011-2012 by the Interfraternity Council and was also honored as an Outstanding Faculty Member at the 2012 色情视频 Associated Students Aztec Achievement Awards. Many of her former students recall Probett鈥檚 assistance, guidance or advice as key to advancing their goals.
Years ago, Andrea Steinbrenner (鈥�11) and a fellow business honors student crashed Probett鈥檚 operations class after the two were unable to enroll. The two had planned to take the course along with two members of their cohort who had managed to register. She remembers pleading her case to the instructor.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楲ook, we just crashed your class," Steinbrenner said. "We have got to get in. The four of us have to move through this program together. Christine was like, 鈥極K,鈥� and she let us take the class."
Steinbrenner, impressed by the unexpected ease of the accommodation and Probett鈥檚 dynamic teaching style, soon signed up for another of her classes. The two became friends and have remained in touch since Steinbrenner鈥檚 graduation.
"Christine is full of life and probably one of the kindest, most direct people I know,鈥� said Steinbrenner, who is now vice president of operations at San Diego-based TGG Accounting. 鈥淵ou never have to guess where you stand with her, but she's never abrasive or condescending.
鈥淪he's very honest and you can trust what she says, so I find her extremely refreshing. She is motivating, super alive in front of a group of people, and she's the kind of person who makes you want to get involved with whatever she's talking about."
鈥淒ial it in and do it鈥�
Probett says she tries to remain empathetic to students because she remembers what the classroom was like from their side of the lectern. As a student, she transitioned from studying history to pursuing a second degree in aerospace engineering, where the assignments were, quite literally, a whole new equation.鈥淪ome of my classmates would just see it and they would get it,鈥� Probett explained. 鈥淚 needed to study a lot. I got good grades, but I had to work very hard for them. I had to take more time whereas for other people, it came easily.鈥�
She shares this story with her students 鈥渏ust to show them that to be successful you鈥檝e got to figure out who you are and what it takes to be successful. In some cases it might be an hour of study and in some cases it might be 20, but dial it in, figure out what you need, and do it."
A different perspective
Having worked in the aerospace industry, Probett鈥檚 professional experience is a bonus she brings to her lectures. Former student Kevin Gelfand (鈥�11) recalls being impressed by her background."She was someone from the professional field who had come to teach, so it was a different perspective,鈥� Gelfand said. 鈥淪he was very real about what was going to be applicable to our lives outside of the class."
Gelfand, who is co-founder and president of Shake Smart, counts Probett among his mentors and friends. He turned to her for advice when trying to launch a health food business that now boasts seven locations in California and Texas.
鈥淪he doesn't sugarcoat anything,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he simplifies everything and listens before she answers and that鈥檚 what I really appreciate about her.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 into it鈥�
Probett knows her required Operations and Supply Chain Management class can be challenging for many students.The instructor insists she doesn鈥檛 have to muster the will to perform before an audience of hundreds in a giant classroom. She genuinely loves lecturing and connecting with students.
"I'm into it and I just give it all I can. The class I teach is an important class. There's a lot of important business learning - not just operations, but of being in business and just how business is - and if I can convey it in a way that they can understand, then they will take away a foundation for their careers and not just an operations piece of it, but how it all fits together.鈥�
The perfect legacy
Probett is making sure her commitment to helping 色情视频 students will extend to young people she will never even know. She and her husband have established the Christopher J. and Christine H. Probett Endowed Scholarship to assist high-achieving students far into the future.鈥淭he cost of education is increasing every year, so if there are more scholarships and students are helped, then that's important," she said. "It's a cool thing to set up something that will be going on in perpetuity.鈥�
The endowment also ensures that Probett will forever contribute to student success at 色情视频. It is the perfect legacy for this second-generation, triple-degree Aztec.
