Editor's Note: Vivian Geller, who has been director of Cornell's Internal Transfer Division (ITD) for nearly 30 years, will retire by year's end. We asked her to share some of her reflections and lessons learned from working closely with Cornell students.

Q: Vivian, can you give an overview of your life at Cornell?

A: I first became acquainted with the university as a freshman at age 16 and then received both my bachelor's and my master's degrees from the College of Human Ecology. My husband is also a Cornell grad, with first a bachelor's in hotel administration, then an MBA and later a Ph.D. from Syracuse University. He served as a professor at the School of Hotel Administration for almost 35 years and has just retired.

After graduating, I worked for the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions, advising local community members who were interested in returning to school. When the position in ITD opened up a year later, I moved over. I was mentored by the former ITD director, the late Ray Thorpe, chemical engineering professor and adviser extraordinaire. I've loved nearly every moment since.

Q: I understand your children have followed in your footsteps?

A: Yes, they are Cornell alumnae, one with a bachelor's degree at the School of Hotel Administration and one a bachelor's at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and an MILR at the ILR School.

Q: What have you enjoyed most about your work at Cornell?

A: The students. They are bright, energetic and hopeful. But, when they come to see me, they usually feel like they made a mistake in their choice of college at Cornell. I help them find their niche here by presenting all their options.

Q: Can you briefly describe that process?

A: Cornell is unique in its decentralized admissions process, where a prospective student is reviewed by an individual school or college, rather than by a single admission committee. As a result, if a student decides to transfer, he or she must apply to the target college. Most often, it is best if students apply to ITD at the same time that they apply to the college. That way, if students don't quite qualify for admission to the target college, they may be sponsored by that college in ITD, where they are given the opportunity to meet qualifications and transfer after a semester in ITD.

Q: How successful are students in this process?

A: Very. We have more than a 95 percent success rate each year. I work very closely with all my advisees, and I follow up regularly to make sure that the students are successful after they transfer. I also have a stack of letters and thank-you notes that I've received from students over the years, which they've written to me after they've left ITD. That has been very rewarding.

Q: What do you think contributes to your success?

A: We conduct exhaustive interviews with each student before we make any decision.

One of my professors in human ecology, Kathleen Rhodes, once said, "Sometimes it is better to know what question to ask than to know the answer." Often a student will come to me and ask, "What college should I go to?" That is not the right question. The right question is often, "What do I need to do to find out which college is best?"

I also have learned how to advocate for students whom I believe will be successful; how to fight for the times when "yes" is the right answer. And I've learned how to break the news that a student is not going to make it. Anyone who works with students knows that we need to remember that each student is someone's child, someone's niece or nephew, someone's grandchild. We must treat them the way we would want our child, grandchild, niece or nephew to be treated.

Q: Have you ever made a mistake?

A: Of course. Once, a student who was supposed to get a non-admit letter got an acceptance letter. I was going to correct the situation, but when the student got on the phone, he expressed such joy that I did not have the heart to tell him the truth. I fully expected him to fail after his semester in ITD. But he didn't. He graduated, went on for his Ph.D. and has had a very successful career. This example taught me humility. It also taught me that sometimes we need to take a chance on someone.

Q: What about those students who are not accepted?

A: My first rule with students is to never allow them to walk out thinking that they have no options. Even when I need to be the bearer of bad news, I always have something else to offer them. I think that is a good rule for any academic adviser to remember. I also think humor is crucial; it can help put everything in perspective.

Q: What advice would you give to your successor -- or to any staff or faculty member, for that matter?

A: Remember why we are all here -- to support the students. We strive to be a caring community, to provide a welcoming living and learning environment. I think we need to remember that each of us contributes to or detracts from that environment in each interaction we have -- with students, certainly, but also with parents, fellow staff, faculty and visitors.

Q: Once you leave, how would you like to be remembered?

A: I wasn't expecting a question like that but I'll give it my best try. I'd like to be remembered for the same things that I would say of the Cornell staff and faculty who have served as mentors and role models for me: "She loved her students, she loved her work, and she hopes she did it with grace, intelligence and humor."