DRAFT: First-Year Experience Advising Subcommittee Report
An Advising Subcommittee of the First-Year Experience Task Force was created to review current advising practices and make recommendations to improve advising services for freshmen. Committee members include Caryn Asleson (A&S), Mike Bila (Business), Lysa Burnier (A&S), Laura Chapman (University College), Lori Friel (Athletics),Dan Gulino (Engineering), Patrick Heery (Student/ HTC),Joe McLaughlin (A&S), Jan Slater (Communications), Elizabeth Warren (Student/) and Laurie Zucker (Registrar). Our initial goal was to survey the colleges to determine the types of advising services currently offered to first-year students. We developed and distributed a survey for this purpose and we are currently analyzing the data. At the Provosts request, the subcommittee presented a preliminary report that included the following recommendations:
- Recognize and reward academic advising
- Change Promotion and Tenure documents to include advising as part of teaching
- Create advising awards for academic departments that can demonstrate best practices
- Encourage colleges to recognize outstanding advisors
- Ensure that new faculty contracts include advising responsibilities and the importance of advising
- Support faculty membership in the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)
For our final report, we plan to present an in-depth analysis of our current advising practices for first-year students and compare these with best practices in the field. We welcome any suggestions that you have on this topic!
