Nicole F. Hurd
College Advising Corps
Nicole Farmer Hurd, Ph.D. is the Founder and CEO of College Advising Corps. A passionate advocate of post secondary education, Nicole has led College Advising Corps from a pilot project in Virginia to the largest college access program in the country, placing hundreds of advisers in high-need schools from coast-to-coast. Under her leadership, the Advising Corps received the 2012 National Service Impact Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service for the "positive and lasting impact they are making through national service." Nicole was named to the Chronicle of Higher Education's 2014 Influence List.
Prior to launching College Advising Corps, Nicole served as an Assistant Dean and Director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of Virginia. While there, she founded the College Guide Program that was the precursor to College Advising Corps. The College Guide Program received national attention and a $10 million grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to expand into 10 additional states. Because of the growth and success of College Guides, Nicole was awarded the Governor of Virginia's Award for Volunteerism and Community Service in 2007.
While at the University of Virginia, Nicole taught in the Department of Religious Studies, worked with successful Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Fulbright, and Truman Scholar candidates, and led the first university-wide Office of Undergraduate Research. Nicole remains active in higher education, teaching at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government.
The co-author of Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do, a publication of the US Department of Education, Nicole holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, a Master's degree from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with her husband and their two children.
Prior to launching College Advising Corps, Nicole served as an Assistant Dean and Director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of Virginia. While there, she founded the College Guide Program that was the precursor to College Advising Corps. The College Guide Program received national attention and a $10 million grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to expand into 10 additional states. Because of the growth and success of College Guides, Nicole was awarded the Governor of Virginia's Award for Volunteerism and Community Service in 2007.
While at the University of Virginia, Nicole taught in the Department of Religious Studies, worked with successful Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Fulbright, and Truman Scholar candidates, and led the first university-wide Office of Undergraduate Research. Nicole remains active in higher education, teaching at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government.
The co-author of Helping Students Navigate the Path to College: What High Schools Can Do, a publication of the US Department of Education, Nicole holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, a Master's degree from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with her husband and their two children.
