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What is my boss thinking? (And her boss, and his boss?)
How the University views Academic Advising
National NACADA Code #2762014
Presenters Dr. Jonathan Rosenthal, Associate Provost Years of advising 25+
Dr. Amelia Noël-Elkins, Director, University College Years of advising 20+
Wendi Whitman, Associate Director, University College Years of advising 15
The themes: What is the value of advisement to campus? How do you improve your campus without making your boss’s
job harder? What are you doing well? Prove it!
Case Studies to stimulate conversation are at the end of the slides.
Like this one…
Case study: A university trustee indicates to the president that his neighbor's son was given terrible advice and that he must “do something about it.” How does the president's call get to you and what do you do about it?
Illinois State University 4 year public 6 Colleges, 35 Academic
Departments, 160 Fields of Study
Total Enrollment: 20,500 Undergraduate students:
18,500 Graduate students: 2,000
60% of undergraduate from Chicago area
55.6% female 20% underrepresented Moderately selective
#74 public
Top 25 Colleges that add value
Top 10% in graduation rates
Case Study – ISU circa 2003-2005 Distributed advising model Total intake (University College and Honors) for new FTIC;
professional advisors Departmental/College for declared majors above 24 credit
hours; mostly professional advisors, some faculty
Dysfunctional Communication Blame is easy in the absence of good communication
Provost established Task Force on Advisement Broad-based representation Deep breathing
Case Study – ISU circa 2003-2005 Provost Task Force on Advisement Recommendations
http://emas.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/aaac/advisement_taskforce083105.pdf Strengthen the functional integration of the different units and professionals involved in
advising so that the system functions as a cohesive whole for students and an efficient whole for advisors.
Utilize information technology more effectively to support Advisors and advising by enhancing communication across the advising system and increasing the efficiency in the handling of routine matters.
Expand the use of information technology to provide more information to students so that they can better plan their education and manage it responsibly and effectively.
Minimize and, to the extent possible, eliminate confusion for both Advisors and students as to who is responsible for what as students make transitions from one academic status to another
Establish clear expectations and protocols for students with multiple identities Improve the ability of ISU students to manage their own education responsibly and
effectively. Improve advising for Undeclared Students to help reduce the number of students without
majors. Integrate advisors into the academic planning process.
Case Study – ISU circa 2006 Advisement Steering Committee To put action to the recommendations of the Task Force
Recommendations of the Steering Committee http://emas.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/aaac/advisement_steering_committee_report.pdf Representation of advisors on multiple campus-level
committees Establish an Academic Advisor Advisory Committee to advise
the Provost on advising issues and to enhance the current advising system at ISU
Improve technology for advisors and students
ISU circa 2006-2014 Where does advising fit in the organizational chart and
beyond the organizational chart? Academic and organizational governance impacts
resources available to advisors in doing their job. Organizational structure University College- 23 professional and 19 Peer Advisors;
Honors – 4 professional advisors 40 Departmental advisors 25 Faculty advisors Registrar AAC Provost
ISU Advising organizational chart
What is the value to campus? Enrollment Management The division charged with creating happy and successful alumni
donors, starting with prospective students. The division charged with bringing in the right number of
students with the right tuition revenue. The unit charged with helping students make the right choices
of college, of financing college, of finding the right major and graduating on time (so that they’ll be successful alumni donors!).
Enrollment Management Creation of a pre-enrollment advising team to assist transfer
students in finding a realistic major if their first choice wasn’t in the cards.
Transfer/outreach advisor travelling with Admissions staff Redbird Receptions – Admissions, University College and
Financial Aid Advisors working with Financial Aid. (Referrals) A coherent “look and feel” of publications that extends from
prospect to enrolled. A communication plan to coordinate (and limit) the
communication flow. Who does the student respond to? Advisor? Registrar? Student
Accounts? Financial Aid? Analytics When does communication become spam?
Enrollment Management Creating a culture of “retention is everyone’s job.” Students have invested time, money and trust with us. We dare not let them down. It takes only a few more retained students to “move the
needle” on retention statistics. But it’s not about the numbers. It’s about supporting the
individual student.
Still very much a work in progress.
Curriculum and Planning (and enrollment management) Consistent recommendation to all departments and
colleges: put an advisor on all of your curriculum committees.
Curriculum and Planning (and enrollment management) Advisors know what courses are needed when and by
how many. Develop the relationship!
What is the value of great advisement to “Upper Management”? Enrollment Management Students make the right choices Happy students Students retained and graduated Happy alums Happy Provost and President (and VP Finance)
Metrics: Retention and Graduation Rates
Curriculum & Planning Students have access to the right curriculum Courses are available when they need to be Seats are available in the right numbers. Metrics: Cost per credit hour and absence of complaints
Communication and Messaging University College established in 1996 No clear mission Not cohesive unit Contributed to the issue of advising communication (or lack
thereof) campuswide
“Advance the place and mission of University College on campus” Staff morale More effective work across organizational lines Still achieving goal of getting students the services they need
Mission and Vision
Shared vision of advisement on campus Slow but steady progress from AAC
Changing culture of advising AAC as the “clearinghouse” for ideas AAC as the voice of advisors on campus
Value of great campus Advisement for “Middle Management”?
Better services to students
Better work environment/morale
Better collaboration on campuswideinitiatives
What are you doing well? Prove it Championing your staff Non defensive way Walk through a “complaint” with your staff &
boss Plant the positive information every chance you
get Lead by example to build trust on all levels Changing culture takes lots of time & resilience
Assessment = the PROOF Students Constituencies’ & Stakeholders Advisor Knowledge Assessment Direct Observation Review advisement work Share the good, the bad and the ugly
Value of great campus Advisement to a “front line” Manager? Competency breeds excellence Train well….and then get out of their way See the direct evidence of good communication Knowing when to talk to who about what Shift communication to improve response time Effectively keep others in the loop
Trend in hiring practices at Illinois State University UC Advisors to Departments
Outreach efforts to others OUTSIDE the University Professional conferences Heartland Community College – increase scope of expertise
Questions?
Jonathan Rosenthal [email protected] Noël-Elkins [email protected] Whitman [email protected]
Case Studies to Stimulate Conversation
Communication and Messaging How do you manage your communications and message(s)? Who is the
right person to interact with the many constituencies affected by advisement? Where are the places on campus that advisors should be represented? How do you work collaboratively to have a common voice?
Case Study: Students seem just to trash all the emails they get from advisors, the registrar, and many other really important offices on campus. How do you get them to pay attention!?
Case Study: The Faculty Senate notes that the number of professional advisors is increasing while the number of faculty is decreasing. They recommend cutting advising positions and increasing faculty role in advisement. How do you respond? Who responds and to whom?
Structure and Governance Where does advising fit in the organizational chart and
beyond the organizational chart? Academic and organizational governance impacts resources available to advisors in doing their job.
Case study: Solar University has a distributed advising model with a professional advising staff for undeclared students, some professional advisors for larger majors, faculty advisors for smaller majors—and none of those groups talk to each other.
Enrollment Management (E.M.) Where would you place your institution? Beginning: E. M. seems to be confused with Admissions all
the time. How does advising help the institution reach its enrollment goals?
Intermediate: E. M. is understood in terms of recruitment and retention. How do you demonstrate the importance of advisement in retaining students beyond the anecdotal?
Advanced: E. M. is understood as providing a seamlessly positive experience for students from prospect to alumni. How is advisement integrated into this seamless approach? Handoffs? Referrals? Communications? Financially? Structurally?
Enrollment Management What is the advisor's role in recruitment, retention and
graduation? How can advisors strategically place themselves and their knowledge at the center of key decisions on campus?
Case study: The enrollment manager requests advisors advise transfer students before they are admitted to the university. How do you respond?
Curriculum and Planning Curriculum and Planning: Do advisors influence the
curriculum and should they? In their everyday work, advisors represent the curriculum to students. What is the role of advisors in assisting the faculty and administration in curricular development?
Case study: The Department of Lunar Studies is proposing a four-year lockstep curriculum.
Championing your staff Championing your staff: Advisors are under a great deal of
pressure from students, parents, faculty and administration. Your boss and your boss' boss are there to champion you publicly and loudly...and certainly criticize privately when necessary.
Case study: A university trustee indicates to the president that his neighbor's son was given terrible advice and that he must “do something about it.” How does the president's call get to you and what do you do about it?
Case study: Central advising units tend to be very “flat” organizations with many people at the same level and little possibility for promotion. How do you recognize stellar performers if you can't give them a raise and a promotion?
Mission and Vision “Mission and Vision” (and assessment): What is your
shared vision of advisement? How might it differ depending on perspective? How do we change our culture? How do we measure success?
Case study: Advisement develops a new program to intervene more intrusively with at-risk students. How do we know it will work and will be worth the extra effort? How do you justify the resources it will take to pilot the program?
