College of Nursing – Advising
The University of Akron
Directed and Nominated by: Rita Klein
The advising services in The University of Akron’s College of Nursing have gone through tremendous growth and development over the last seven years. A change in university admission policy and news of the projected nursing shortage propelled the college into a total metamorphosis in advising services. During this time the student population nearly doubled and an accelerated BSN track was added to program offerings. While nursing is a very regimented and controlled major with advising for the most part centralized in the College’s Office of Student Affairs, many of the adaptations developed might be useful to other areas to keep students well informed, engaged and on track toward graduation. Successful strategies used in our program include:
- Annual advising workshops for faculty
- Group orientation and advising sessions for students
- Student listserves for mass electronic communications
- PowerPoint presentations covering college policies and procedures
- Immediately assigning advisers to students on admission to the college
- Liaisons from the general university advising center to nursing and from nursing to the Honors College
These may be the most easily transferred strategies to other advising programs.
New
Student Advisement
Tarrant
County College Southeast Campus
Directed
and Nominated by: Curtis
Hill
As
the millennium nears its second decade, community college student
services divisions face an ever changing landscape. The “open
admissions” philosophy of the community college creates
both challenges and opportunities for administrators working in
the area of academic advising and counseling. A few of the challenges
are double digit annual increases in enrollments, meeting the
needs of a diverse student population, providing services for
a generation of unprepared First Time in College (FTIC) students—many
need remedial education, and managing dwindling department budgets.
These challenges present opportunities to use creativity and excellence
in providing advising services.
New Student Advisement (NSA) is a
creative solution to meet the present challenges in advising FTIC
students at Tarrant County College, Southeast Campus. New Student
Advisement was implemented in fall of 2004 in an effort to relieve
the backlog of students waiting for academic advisement, and to
maximize the power of group dynamics. As a result of this program,
there was a significant reduction in advising personnel stress-loads.
New Student Advisement bears no additional costs in personnel
budgets, and provides the Southeast Campus Counseling Center with
an efficient means to begin the developmental advising process
for FTIC students.
Undergraduate
Colleges
Stony
Brook University
Directed and Nominated
by: Jean Peden
Stony Brook University's
Undergraduate Colleges are transforming the way in which undergraduate
students experience University life. Every first-year student
enters Stony Brook as a member of one of six undergraduate colleges
organized around themes of general interest to students. The Colleges
support and develop the interests of students and assist them
in taking advantage of the vast resources Stony Brook has to offer.
Each College is led by an interdisciplinary team consisting of
a senior member of our faculty, student affairs staff and academic
advisors.
The greatest strength of the Undergraduate
College advising model is the multilevel interaction between advisors
and students. The hybrid nature of the College Advisor position
allows Advisors to connect with faculty, staff and other offices
to broaden the scope of traditional academic advising. The Advisors
teach four sections of a freshman seminar and interact with students
in many programs throughout the year in addition to traditional
advising appointments. The nature of these varied interactions
with students strengthens relationships and allows the advisors
to best determine academic interventions. Their relationships
with students begin during the pre-registration process and continue
from Orientation through their full freshmen year. Because advising
takes place in the context of the undergraduate college system,
the strong network of interdisciplinary support enhances the delivery
of academic advising services.
University
of Minnesota Duluth
Directed
by: Jerry Pepper
Nominated
by: Kim Roufs
The
College of Liberal Arts Student Affairs and Advising Center (CLA
SAAC) serves a student population of 2,200 students including undecided
first-year students and students with declared majors and minors
within the College of Liberal Arts .
CLA
SAAC has set a high standard at the University for responding to
the advising needs of students and faculty and for implementing
a student-centered "advising as teaching" philosophy. CLA SAAC carries
out this philosophy through the programs and services they provide
including walk-in advising, a Learning Community Program for first-year
undecided majors, a strong faculty advising program, new faculty
advisor training, a monthly advising newsletter for faculty and
staff, advising technology initiatives, direct support of transfer
students, an online transfer student orientation system, and individual
advising for returning students and students who have been academically
dismissed and are pursuing good academic standing through UMD's
Continuing Education program.
The
staff of CLA SAAC delivers these programs and services with courtesy
and professionalism while taking a personal interest in each student
they serve. Their goal is to supply students with the guidance,
information and education necessary to help students become independent,
life-long learners.
University
of Texas at Austin
Directed
by: Neal F. Foley
The
University of Texas' College of Liberal Arts,
with an enrollment of 12,514 students, is the largest undergraduate
college at the University. The thirteen advisors in the Student
Division serve around 2,000 of these students, but the scope of
our duties extends far beyond helping undeclared students register.
Beginning with Freshman Orientation and culminating in graduation
and degree certification, Student Division advisors competently
handle a variety of duties and challenges. Presently, our office
serves as the unofficial advisement center for many undeclared/exploratory
students; as a result, our advisors can assist students seeking
information on almost every major at UT.
We
provide personal, individualized advising to those seeking a
place within Liberal Arts as well as those wishing to transfer
to other colleges and majors. In addition to helping students
in transition find their niche, we use developmental and learner-centered
strategies designed to empower students to think critically about
education options and life goals.
Student
Division advisors have contributed to the development of a
number of programs and initiatives now in use by other departments
in the College of Liberal Arts.
Through our numerous committees we organize and facilitate
New Student Orientation, design and disseminate student publications,
train new advisors, implement initiatives such as "On Track
Advising," and build assessment tools to better evaluate our
services.
Our versatility
and breadth of knowledge became particularly evident when we advised
and registered over 300 visiting students displaced by Hurricane
Katrina. Without access
to transcripts or records, we found open classes for students and
helped them locate emergency services for housing and financial aid.
The
University of Texas at Austin
The
McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin
currently enrolls approximately 4400 undergraduates. The mission
of the academic advising program in the McCombs School reflects
the overarching goals of a professional staff dedicated to
intrusive, intentional, and individualized service to students.
Aspiring to dispel the myth that a student arriving on our
campus will be "just another number,"
advisors in the McCombs School work diligently to personalize
the educational experiences of our undergraduates, planting the
seed for significant advising relationships to develop.
Employing
the centralized Self-Contained organization model for the delivery
of advising services, all academic advising of students, from
orientation through graduation, is provided from a central
administrative unit. Additionally, each student is assigned
a professional academic advisor upon enrollment in the McCombs
School and remains assigned to this advisor throughout his
or her undergraduate educational career. Advisors meet weekly
with assigned freshman advisees as instructors of a required
seminar course, one of the components of the Freshman Interest
Group program. Frequent contact subsequently continues each
semester through intentional one-on-one advising sessions and
ongoing email correspondence. Students who need additional
academic assistance meet monthly with advisors as a requirement
of the Comprehensive Advising Retention and Enrichment (CARE)
program.
The
advising team stands firm in its belief that quality advising depends
upon ongoing training, development and evaluation. The successful
efforts of a highly trained advising team are reflected in student
survey responses indicating an overwhelming satisfaction with the
advising services they receive.
Undergraduate
Student Services (www.sociology.ohio-state.edu/UndergradProgram/)
Department of Sociology, The Ohio
State University
Nominated
by: Robert L. Kaufman
The
Sociology Department's Undergraduate Student Services at The Ohio
State University provides students a friendly and holistic approach
as it serves the ever-growing, ever-changing needs of 1151 diverse
undergraduate Sociology and Criminology majors. Undergraduate Student
Services integrates general curriculum and career advising while
serving as a compass to guide students through their undergraduate
experiences. This process begins with a Pre-Major Orientation, followed
by individualized Curriculum Planning Conferences, and lays a foundation
for students to return for additional assistance with, and management
of, their curriculum programs through graduation.
With
a staff of three counselors, USS has developed model programs that
are now being adapted by other university departments and that have
garnered University-wide recognition. The Internship program provides
students with hands-on career-related experiences. The Pre-Law Advising
focus resulted from feedback that suggested a growing number of
Sociology or Criminology majors are interested in pursuing law degrees.
The Honors/High Ability focus links students to departmental and
university resources for Honors and Scholars. The award-winning
Diversity Outreach Program includes a student led minority organization
as well as forums that focus on minority concerns, academic success,
and post-graduation informational sessions. Also, the USS unit provides
a Sociology Web letter that augments services through weekly communications
with all students.
Based
on a philosophy of continual improvement, USS uses a number of evaluation
tools to improve its services including Graduating Senior Exit Surveys
and surveys that follow Pre-Major Orientations and Major Declaration
Conferences.
The
SGU Pre-Medical Program
St. George's University, School
of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies
Nominated
by: Peter Slinger & Thomas Day
The
St. George's University (SGU) Pre-Medical Program is a US-based
curriculum combined-degree (BSc/MD) Program situated in Grenada
, West Indies . The program is charged with preparing Caribbean,
and international, students for entry into the university's medical
school. SGU Pre-Med students are a minority, at-risk population
within the institution. For the first seven years of the program,
Pre-Med students struggled to succeed, and a high percentage of
qualified students dropped out.
Three
years ago, the program was designated as a combined-degree program,
a new Director was appointed and the program was placed under the
purview of the School of Medicine. Since then, a large number of
support services have been developed for students, and the administration
of the program has been improved. The academic performance of students
in the program has improved significantly over this time. Currently,
the vast majority of the students are retained and enter the School
of Medicine. As a group, they perform better than those students
admitted from North America. Furthermore, while in the program,
they develop a strong appreciation for and understanding of the
profession of medicine.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Nominated
by: Patrick Farrell
The
College of Engineering , University of Wisconsin-Madison, has
a tradition of pragmatic excellence dating back over 100 years.
The Pre-Engineering Office, charged with advising all undergraduates
in the College not yet in a degree program, has worked since
1996 to evolve a comprehensive approach to undergraduate advising
that is seamlessly merged with other efforts to enhance students'
academic experience. This nomination for Outstanding Advising
Program argues that this evolutionary, broad-based approach which
comprises teaching, outreach, new student recruitment, curriculum
enhancement, and academic support, is a new model for academic
advising that transcends the traditional model of advising as
an information-providing enterprise. The UW-Madison Pre-Engineering
Office's approach is unique in its creative growth over the past
6.5 years. It has continually improved by going beyond the usual
office-centered, course-choice model for advising toward globally
supporting its students' academic experience at the same time
that it provides professional growth for its advising staff.
This nomination describes in detail the evolution of the program,
which now includes recruitment of high-ability students, orientation
of all new engineering students, academic advising of 1300 undergraduates,
extensive efforts to enhance success of students of color, teaching
of a freshman careers class, coordination of a full-service tutoring
center, participation in a major National Science Foundation
project, administration of a supplementary instruction program
in key classes, leadership in curriculum reform efforts, and
contributions to NACADA, all with 4.67 FTEs, including clerical
support staff. Constant assessment has been a guiding principle
throughout.
University
of New Mexico
Nominated
by: Charles B. Fleddermann
The
Engineering Pre-Major Program at the University of New Mexico has
been in operation since 1996 and is designed to prepare Engineering
and Computer Science majors for admission to a degree-granting Department
in the School of Engineering.
Faced
with an under-prepared incoming student population, the Program
instituted a variety of events and techniques to increase student
retention and success in progress toward Engineering and Computer
Science degree programs. Special summer Orientations for incoming
engineering freshmen give individual attention to each student member
of the Program, and identify them as a specific cohort within the
larger University population. Intrusive advising techniques throughout
the life of the Program ensure that students are taking the correct
courses in the correct sequence and making progress each semester
toward their intended major. A student study and activities room
provides computers, office equipment, refreshments, and a quiet
study environment, as well as space for study groups, student organization
events, and Program presentations.
The progress of
the Engineering Pre-Major Program has been closely monitored and analyzed
since its inception. Students in the Program provide feedback several
times each semester, and each cohort of incoming freshmen is tracked
to the end of their academic career. The success of the Program has
been demonstrated by a 15% higher retention rate than that of the
overall University student body.
College
of Human Ecology Advising
Center
Michigan
State University
Directed
by and nominated by: Lynn
Forsblom
In
1998, Michigan State University conducted a university-wide survey
about academic advising-students in the College of Human Ecology
indicated that their satisfaction was low in the area of academic
advising. To meet the student and faculty needs resulting from years
of using a faculty advising model, the College (undergraduate enrollment
of 1,687) created an Advising Center to centralize lower level undergraduate
advising using a mixed model of academic advising. Freshmen
and sophomores are advised by the Advising Center , where all of
the advisors receive extensive training in advising all majors within
the College, and faculty advisors from the students' major department
advise juniors and seniors. After three years of the Advising Center's
operation, students in the College rated their academic advisors'
expertise , their ability to make connections
between coursework and career, and the relationship with
their advisor very highly, and over 83% indicated that the quality
of advising they received was either excellent or good
; no poor responses were indicated. Students felt
advisor accessibility was adequate (87% could talk/meet with their
advisor within one week; 95% indicated their advisor responded to
their inquiries by e-mail within three days), 96% felt their advisor
was knowledgeable about course requirements, 87% felt their advisor
understood their academic and career goals, and 83% felt that their
advisor held high expectations for them. Ongoing efforts are being
focused on continuous quality improvement of advising within the
College, and advisors' roles are continually revised to meet the
changing needs of students, faculty, and advisors.
College
of Education Services & Field Experiences
Columbus
State University
The
Office of College of Education Services and Field Experiences (COE
SAFE) provides comprehensive student advisement services to
individuals majoring in undergraduate, graduate and alternative
preparation programs administered by the College of Education at
Columbus State University. Advisors are available to students throughout
the semester by appointment or on a walk-in basis. Undergraduate
students are required to review their programs with an advisor at
least twice a year in order to be allowed to register for courses.
Because advising and related issues are often complex, advisors
work with students on a regular basis. As the needs of students
change, advising services change to meet those needs.
Students
entering graduate programs in the College of Education are required
to attend an Orientation, Program Planning and Advising session
prior to their first semester of enrollment. The Office of COE SAFE
facilitates this event each term. This support service provides
each student with a plan for the efficient completion of his/her
program of study. A graduate advisor is available on a weekly basis
in the Office of COE SAFE to work with general issues pertaining
to these students. These services allow students to receive accurate
and timely assistance during their tenure at the university.
The
activities implemented by the Office of College of Education Services
and Field Experiences demonstrate a commitment to excellence in
advisement and related student services. This commitment has led
to increased student satisfaction and increased student retention
in the College of Education at Columbus State University.
Creative
Staffing: Using Shared Advisors to Maximize Student Success
Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Directed
by and nominated by: Cathy
Buyarski
Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is an urban commuter
campus serving over 28,000 students. IUPUI is very unique in that
it offers degrees from two different universities on one campus.
Further, students can earn degrees in over 180 areas of study at
levels ranging from certificate programs to doctoral and professional
degrees.
In
order to address this complexity and the overwhelming amount of
academic program and policy information, the University
College Advising Center has used creative staffing and professional
development strategies to provide advisors with the information
and knowledge they need to provide the best possible advising to
students.
In
this program, half of the University College advisors hold shared
positions in which they work 20 hours per week in an academic school
and 20 hours per week in University College . For academic programs
in which no shared advising position exists, a formal liaison has
been appointed. This strategy of sharing both human and fiscal resources
has supported the growth of programs and services addressing the
needs of new students in a manner which integrally involves each
of the degree-granting schools.
This
staffing model has proven to be so effective with degree-granting
schools that it has been expanded to include shared advising positions
with campus services including pre-college preparatory programs
and the Career Center.
Sociology
Department Advising
The University of Akron
Directed by: Virginia Smerglia and Marna Drum
Nominated by: William A. Francis
Program: http://www.uakron.edu/sociology
Listing of this URL does NOT constitute permission to copy any portion
of the web site.
Want more information? Contact:
Virginia Smerglia
The
Department of Sociology at The University of Akron, a large school
in an urban setting, provides productive academic advising for
over five hundred majors in three degree programs. For the regular
sociology degree, students expect to attend graduate or professional
schools or have entry-level positions in agencies or business.
More than half the majors are in the sociology/law enforcement
and sociology/corrections degree programs. The former leads to
careers in state and federal investigative agencies, corporate
investigative units, or other law enforcement entities. The latter
leads to careers in probation and parole or rehabilitation programs. Departmental
academic advising utilizes two full-time advisor/instructors.
Six
years ago, this department decided to pursue excellence in academic
advising by surveying students and faculty to discover what they
believe advisors should do, by committing significant resources
to advising, and by setting goals for the advising process. The
survey findings led to the establishment of departmental academic
advising goals: EXPEDIENCE (efficiency, but not at the cost of
quality), ACADEMIC SUCCESS (maximizing students' potential),
INCREASED SKILLS (adding to and enhancing students' skills for
careers/graduate school). The paper describes the history, advising
process, supportive tools, such as a well-planned program of
study, and programs, such as a careers service, a newsletter,
and undergraduate assistantships have been developed and used
to fulfill the goals.
Allied Health
Areas of Medical Lab Technology, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory
Care Technology, and Veterinary Technology
Columbia State Community College
Nominated by Nancy
Bass
The Allied Health Advising
Program for the areas of Medical Laboratory Technology, Radiologic
Technology, Respiratory Care Technology, and Veterinary Technology
consists of both individual advising programs in each area
plus a team approach.
The individual advising
programs implement advising contacts at every step of the process.
In addition, faculty from each of the four programs volunteer
as Master Advisors in the Columbia State Advising Center.
As Master Advisors, they must be able to advise for every college
program, not just their own. The key factor is that they
make themselves available to students at designated times each
week. They are involved in new student registrations.
Their involvement in
the Advising Center has caused them to share individual advising
strengths with each other and with other faculty on the team
of Master Advisors: 1) time management 2) intrusive advising
3) career counseling 4) goal setting 5) listening skills.
This
two-fold approach has strengthened their individual programs
as well as advising for the college as a whole. Not only
has their individual program retention rate increased, but
the number of graduates at the college has increased.
Students
Come First: Personalized Service from a Centralized Advising Unit,
Undergraduate Programs and Advisement Center
Michigan State University
Nominated by James F. Rainey
The Undergraduate Programs
Advisement Center of The Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan
State University is a centralized unit with a staff of seven
professional advisers who serve approximately 5,000 undergraduate
students.
Motivated by an interest in quality advising, the adoption of
a Broad College strategic plan, and Continuous Quality Improvement
(CQI) initiatives throughout the University, we worked together
to develop vision and mission statements for our unit. The
statements focus on students' individual needs and their academic
and career development. A set of commonly-held values was identified.
The primary value was to offer personalized service to students.
Associated values were commitment to diversity and collegiality,
and to the use of technology.
We are
determined to provide quality service and to face the challenge
of accomplishing this with a small staff and limited resources. We use a
combination of one-to-one advising, e-mail, "quick-advising" (short
answers to quick questions), a Web site, and an electronic appointment
system to enable us to reach our students. Other outreach
activities include advising student clubs, sponsoring a career
conference for all MSU undergraduate students, and enriching
our freshmen orientation program with diversity, CQI, and Internet
activities.
Services,
Training, Evaluation and Recognition: Advising in a
Liberal Arts College within a Large, Research University
University of Georgia
Submitted by: Ann
R. Crowther
The Office
of Academic Advising in the Franklin College of Arts &
Sciences at the University of Georgia emerged in its present form
in 1979. Its mission is to provide academic advisement
and support to freshman and sophomore liberal arts and pre-professional
students.
Advising is mandatory
for all students at the University of Georgia. Each Franklin
College advisor advises 350-400 students per quarter. In
addition, walk-in hours are offered for questions and problem
solving. Electronic information resources have been developed
and are routinely utilized.
The Franklin College's
focus on the liberal arts is represented in its selection of
advisors.
New advisors receive eighty hours of training, during which other
advisors serve as mentors. Extensive use is made of the
College's World Wide Web site, and experiential exercises.
A commitment to the liberal arts philosophy underscores the training.
Each year, a half-day training and refresher workshop is held
for all advisors in the College. Advisors are updated on
policy and procedure changes, new techniques and information,
and personnel changes. The College's NACADA award-winning
advisor training manual is available on the web site.
Each
Spring, the University's Survey Research Center conducts a
telephone survey of Franklin College students to evaluate the
effectiveness of each Advisor, and the advising services. Results are incorporated into
each advisor's performance appraisal. Programs offered by
advisors for special interest groups of students are attended
and critiqued by advising colleagues and administrators.
Exemplary advising is recognized and rewarded each year through
the College's Outstanding Advisor awards program.
Albers
School of Business and Economics Undergraduate
Advising Program
Seattle University
Submitted by: Wendie Phillips
The
evolution of the Albers advising program began about six years
ago when the school moved from faculty advising to a central
advising. The Albers
School advising unit is now committed to providing the following:
1) Assist students with the transition from high school or
other colleges to Seattle University and the Albers School;
2) Accurate, consistent and timely advising information; 3)
Approachable and accessible advisors; 4) Increase awareness
of students' needs in career and professional development issues;
5) Encourage interaction of students and faculty--especially
with faculty in a student's chosen field; 6) Continuous training
of advisors; and 7) Visible advising services that meet a variety
of student needs.
4500
Undergraduates to Advise in the College of Business and Public
Administration! A Strategic Academic Advising Plan
to Keep Students in the Road to Success.
University of Arizona
Submitted by: Pamela Perry
The
College of Business and Public Administration at the University
of Arizona has developed strategic key contact points in their
academic advising system.
Throughout this system, a variety of service providers and communication
techniques are used, including graduate student advisors, group
advising sessions, individual advising sessions with professional
advisors, faculty advising, e-mail advising, peer advisors, formal
large-scale orientation sessions and a critical partnership with
the central Career Services Office. The over arching goal
is to prepare students with thorough knowledge of the curriculum
and a series of road maps that will allow them a clear academic
path.
Undergraduate
Academic Advising for the College of Business
Arizona State University
Submitted by: Jann Contento, Adela Gasca, Kim Jones, Mona Lomeli,
Keith Zaborski
Recent literature supports
the concern institutions of higher education have for high attrition
rates and low graduation percentages. Today college campuses
are more diversely populated by a cohort of students who are
considered non-traditional in both their appearance and approach
to academic persistence. Indecision about major choice, course
selection and career goals are common concerns for undergraduate
students seaching for a meaningful college experience. Individuals
who are considered at-risk for a variety of reasons should
be incorporated into the institution through the proccess of
validation. It is imperative for academic advisors, given the
scope of the knowledge of the institution and personal contact
with the students, to act as a support function within this
validation process (Astin, 1985, Hall, 1991, Levine, 1990,
Rendon, 1994).
The
academic support staff within the College of Business at Arizona
State University (ASU) is dedicated to assisting students pursue
a college degree. The advising and support model used by the
College of Business at ASU reflects a dedication from the university,
deans, faculty and staff to better insure student satisfaction
and success. The Model, which includes minority student services
and programs for honor students, incorporates recruitment,
retention and graduation commitment. Individual attention,
orientation, career opportunity, academic workshops and multiple
advising services are only a sample of what is offered through
the undergraduate advising program with Arizona State University's
College of Business.
Division
of Basic Business
Tennessee Technological
University
Submitted by: Marvin W. Barker
The College of Business
Administration at Tennessee Technological University serves 1,355
students, approximately 750 of whom are advised through the
Division of Basic Business. The Division's emphasis is to provide
individualized advisement of freshman and sophomore students
as well as transfer students, prospective students, and those
readmitted after academic suspension.
Parents play a large
role in supporting freshman college students during the high
school to college transition period. "A Primer for Parents," which
was developed by the Division, is distributed during the parent
information portion of orientation.
"Clubs and Careers under
the Canopy," an event sponsored by the Division, not only emphasized
the importance of business organizations but also conveys factual
information regarding varied business careers. A unique experience
can provide pertinent advisement materials as well as a pleasant
diversion for students.
Communication is a key
to successful advisement. The Division of Basic Business has
produced a computerized presentation and a videotape regarding
the College of Business Administration. A newsletter "Basic Business Notes"
also transmits information to students.
Student response to
Basic Business advisement has been extremely positive. Those
satisfied represented 97.5 percent of students surveyed in
1993, 96.2 percent in 1994, and 99.5 percent in 1995.
Various
community college and university advisement programs have utilized
ideas gained from Basic Business resources and procedures.
Developed concepts are economical, innovative, and readily
transferable.
Teachers
College Student Services Center
University of Nebraska
Teachers College
Nominated by: Angela Smith
The Teachers College
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln provides students not only
with information and advising services, but also with assistance
in attaining both the concrete goal of teacher certification
and the more abstract goal of maturity. Through a centralized
advising office known as the Student Services Center, students
are given one-on-one, consistent, expert academic advice from
a group of professionals. All advisors at the Student Services
Center have Masters Degrees; teaching experience at the elementary,
secondary, or college level; and advising experience. Each
advisor serves as an expert in his or her curricular area by
representing a specific department within the Teachers College.
The Center has implemented
a well-organized, refined system of distributing all information
relevant to course selection and teacher certification, of
scheduling and coordinating hundreds of appointments each week,
and of problem solving with both students and faculty. Advisors
in the Center are committed to helping students while simultaneously
teaching them to learn to help themselves. The Advisors also
serve as college representatives in University and College
recruiting efforts and on numerous University and College committees.
The
Student Services Center operates efficiently and effectively,
but refinements continue to be made. Currently, the Center
is updating its computer hardware and software, with the goal
of moving to a completely paperless filing system within five
years. Efforts are also being made to continually improve confidentiality
and professionalism in the Center. Continual improvement motivates
the staff to pursue personal and professional growth, resulting
in quality which continually spirals upward.
EMSEP:
Excellence in Mathematics, Science & Engineering Program
Worcester Polytechnic
Institute
Nominated by: Ann Garvin
The Office of Academic
Advising at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's program, "Excellence
in Mathematics, Science & Engineering Program", is designed
to develop the academic skills of our students. EMSEP is our
response to the challenge and the necessity to increase the talent
pool of engineers and scientists in the near future.
Through EMSEP we are
meeting two goals: identifying, helping and retaining all students
who experience academic difficulty as they pusue the often
difficult programs of engineering, mathematics, and science,
and also attracting and retaining underrepresented minority
groups or students of color.
EMSEP is a collaborative
effort of the offices of Academic Advising, Admissions and Multicultural
Affairs, along with the office of Minority Student Affairs.
The program was launched in March of 1993. By offering services
and assistance to all students who need academic help, and
by integrating the program and services across departments,
we are able to offer a comprehensive program for our students.
EMSEP consists of three
specific components which provide a series of incremental steps
to form a safety net of academic support services:]
- The Summer Bridge Program provides a transition program for
our minority students.
- Academic Support Services are offered during the first two
years to our minority students.
- The Academic Development Plan, an intervention strategy involving
a contract , is available to all students in academic difficulty.
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