Download - NACADA Presentation - Denver kg edits
Taking Faculty Advising to the Next Level: A Collaborative Approach
PRESENTERS:
Kate Gold, Director of Advising Resources
Meaghan Meachem, Assistant Professor, Electronic Journalism Arts
LYNDON: Who We Are
SelectedDemographics:
- Enrollment: 1436 (Fall 2010)- Out of State: 35%- In State: 65%- 1st Gen, Low Income: 55-60%
of entering Freshman class- Faculty/Student Ratio: 15 to 1- Average Class Size: 25- Retention Fall ‘09 – Fall ‘10:
65%
Project Compass- Mission: A multi-year program
to help underserved students graduate from public four-year colleges and universities in New England.
- 2008: Year 1 Logic Model (developed by a diverse group of faculty, staff and administrators) - 9 intervention areas including assumptions, strategies, outcomes, measures of success and long term impacts.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Lyndon Pre-ARC
A Note on Data CollectionWorld Café: Large group facilitation method useful for qualitative data collection
(more information at: http://theworldcafe.com/)Gathered faculty & staff and first generation students to discuss their views of our assets and gaps in services
Surveys – paper and electronicDistributed to faculty advisors regarding their advising contacts with first generation, low income adviseesDistributed to all faculty regarding interest in professional development
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
The Faculty Perspective: (World Café, January 2008)
“Maintaining and building relationships is critical to the success of any program here.”“Move beyond talking about schedules and major requirements.”“Provide assistance and information so advisors have support, too.”“Improve communication to advisors!”
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
The Student Perspective: (World Cafés, March 2008, February 2009)
“Advising needs some changes – this could be a good information clearinghouse opportunity, but most advisors don’t know a lot about the college other than about their departments.”“Experiences with advising can make or break the experience, and can the difference in staying or going elsewhere.”“Advising seems to come down to the personality of the advisor – some faculty are just not well suited to advise some students.”
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
What students LIKED about LSC Advising:“My advisor sat down and talked to me for at least 10 minutes before even starting to talk about class schedules for the next term.”“Professor treated me [freshman student] more like a future colleague – really felt welcome and comfortable at the college.”“Advising from some of the academic support staff as been very helpful. They know about lots of classes, not just major classes. They aren’t judgmental or dismissive.”“My advisor really listened to me – helped me through some personal issues.”
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
What students were concerned about:“Could not find my advisor for a month – had trouble signing up for classes.”“Explorations advisors don’t seem to be well informed.”“My advisor met with me for less than 10 minutes at registration time and just ‘checked the box’ so I could register on my own.”“My advisor didn’t seem to know a lot about classes outside my major.”
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Students even made some suggestions!“Students could come prepared and organized with a list of classes they want to take.”“Have a “black market advisor” who would be a resource or individual who could answer questions about many departments and classes, especially the GEU, and could give a more unbiased answer.”“Create a clear place for resources available to the students who want to change majors or advisors.”“More training for advisors so they are better informed and have a better “feel” for college as a whole.”
Ch-Ch-Ch-ChangesWhy the heck not?
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Summer Institute – Summer 2009 (Kansas City, KS)Creating the “Action Plan”
Gathering DataAnd interpreting our findings!
Getting the faculty advisors on boardCreation of a college-wide definition of advising by faculty
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
“Quality academic advising at Lyndon State College is a collaborative relationship between a student and an academic advisor. Quality advising is both accurate
and timely. In quality advising relationships, academic advisors guide and support students with academic program planning that will empower them
to realize their maximum educational potential. Quality advising helps students clarify life and career
goals and provides referrals to other campus resources as necessary.”
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Campus-wide awareness initiativesHighlighting higher education trends nationally
George Kuh, Vincent Tinto, Betsy Barefoot, Peggy MakiHighlighting local excellence and expertise through the STAR (Scholarship, Teaching, and Research) centerIncreased faculty attendance at all professional development eventsGrowing interest and involvement with NACADA
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Negotiating location and duties of ARCCampus Planning Committee approval
Backfilling space freed up by new building?Find a new space?
No new staff - Coordinated through three officesFirst Year ExperienceCareer ServicesStudent Success (now Advising Resources)
So….What does an ARC do anyway??
What We DoMission Statement:
“The Carhartt Advising Resource Center will prepare students and faculty advisors for quality advising experiences that contribute to academic, personal, and professional grown and success.
In support of this mission, the Center will:• Assist students in accessing career and academic planning
resources to develop self-sufficiency and improve preparedness for faculty advising interactions.
• Collaborate with faculty and academic departments to generate resources and professional development opportunities that address on-going needs and advising trends at Lyndon.”
What We Do
Professional development for faculty and staffSupporting faculty advising w/pre-advising“Do more with less”: coordinating existing offices and resourcesStudent involvement and assistance
Taking Stock: ARC after our first year
Taking Stock After Year One
Challenges and SetbacksDelayed move-in for First Year ExperienceTangled lines of reporting – two supervisorsData collection – who, how, what, whyTranslating mission statement into day-to-day operations
Progress and SuccessesYear 4 Project Compass Logic ModelFaculty/Staff collaboration
Where do we go from here?
Questions??Contact Information:
Kate Gold: [email protected] | 802-626-4860
Meaghan Meachem: [email protected] | 802-626-6228
