Office of the Vice-Provost
Teaching & Learning
MEMORANDUM
TO:
President’s Advisory Council and Department Heads
Academic Programs Committee
FROM:
Ernie Barber
Vice-Provost, Teaching & Learning
SUBJECT:
Results of the external review of undergraduate student advising
DATE:
June 28, 2010
Many of you will be aware of the external review of the campus-wide undergraduate student
advising system which was commissioned by my office and sponsored by a steering committee
(membership listed below). This review coincided with an in-depth review of the advising
function in the College of Arts and Science. Both projects began with an extensive self-study
followed by an external review. The external reviews were conducted by three consultants with
the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) whose mission is to promote and
support quality academic advising in institutions of higher education to enhance the educational
development of students. The team consisted of: Eric White, associate dean for advising, The
Pennsylvania State University; Nancy King, executive assistant for strategic initiatives and
former vice-president for student success and enrollment services, Kennesaw State University;
and Casey Self, executive director, University College Academic Advising, Arizona State
University.
The reports from the three external consultants have been received and are available by following
this link: http://www.usask.ca/ip/assessment/reviews/unit_reviews.php. I encourage you to read
both reports together as they present a more comprehensive picture of the review. The same site
also includes the self-study documents as well as the recommendation from the Undergraduate
Forum which initiated the review..
As you read through these reports you will see that they highlight our strengths and challenges
associated with advising, both in the university system and within the College of Arts and
Science. The steering committee has made the following recommendations based on the campuswide report:
We recommend that the campus, under the leadership of the office of the vice-provost
teaching and learning, implement the following recommendations as soon as possible:
• Establish a campus advising council chaired by the vice-provost teaching and learning.
The terms of reference for this council should be based on the these reports and the selfstudy document used by the reviewers
• Implement a fully functioning degree audit system
• Develop an advisor training and professional development curriculum designed to create
a framework of core competencies for new advisors and opportunities for enhanced
development for experienced advisors.
I know that many colleges are considering investments in academic advising, and for those of you
who are considering such investments, I encourage you to review the reports and other
information to guide your decision-making and to consult with the incoming Vice-Provost,
Teaching and Learning to ensure coordination.
As the executive sponsor of the commitment, the review of undergraduate student advising is a
high priority initiative under the Retention Strategies and Initiatives commitment in the Second
Integrated Plan. The review was undertaken in response to student concerns and a self
realization by our many hard working and competent student advisors that we had room for
improvement. In 2009, the Undergraduate Forum recommended that enhancements to the
accessibility of academic advising be identified as among the very highest priorities for
investment during the second cycle of integrated planning. We now have an obligation to learn
from our self-study and from the external review and to take action to optimize the benefits for
our students and to support our student advisors in their work. I trust that we will continue to
be responsive to student concerns and ideas as we develop plans for investing in student
advising.
I am enormously appreciative of the members of the university community who participated in
these reviews by meeting with the review team to provide their views and insights. Your input
has been and will continue to be extremely important. I would like to acknowledge the
leadership and guidance of this project by the office of Institutional Planning and Assessment.
And I offer special recognition and thanks to the members of the project steering committee who
so expertly took this work from identification of need all the way through to the reports that are
now before you. We will continue to rely on their hard work and insights as we go the next step
toward learning from the assessment and taking appropriate action. Thank you.
If you have any questions, please contact Laura McNaughton at laura.mcnaughton@usask.ca or
966-5809, who will direct your inquires.
Ernie Barber
EB/lm
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Steering Committee
Tonya Wirchenko, Acting Director, Student Retention, Support and Development, SESD
Tom Steele, Associate Dean Undergraduate Affairs, College of Arts and Science
James Pepler, Student Initiatives and Special Projects Coordinator, Office of the VP
Finance and Resources
John Ault, Manager, Student Employment and Career Centre, SESD
Sandra Ritchie, Manager, Open Studies, Student Central & Retention Services, SESD
Keeran Wagner, Advisor, College of Kinesiology
Alison Renny, Associate Dean Undergraduate Programs, Edwards School of Business
Louise Alexitch, Associate Professor, Psychology, College of Arts and Science
Kyla Shea, Strategic Planning and Projects Officer, Institutional Planning and
Assessment