Creating an
Integrated Advising System for Union College
The Advising Working Group
1999-2000
Joanne Tobiessen, Chair
Director, Career
Development Center
Fred Alford
Dean of Students
Byron Nichols,
Political Science,
Dir., Scholarships
& Fellowships
Doug Klein, Economics,
Assoc. Dean, IT
Terry Weiner,
Political Science,
Pre-Law Advisor
Brad Lewis, Economics,
Assoc. Dean,
Undergrad. Studies
Carol Weisse,
Psychology,
Pre-Health Advisor
Where do students
get Advice?
Admissions
Orientation
Freshman
AOP
Extra-curricular
Minor
Major
Grants/Fellowships
Lots of Places
Study Abroad
Career
Pre-professional
Alumni
Why Examine Advising Now?
Middle States
Intellectual Life in the Classroom: Depth (The Major):
• Advising is one of several academic “areas that could
use improvement”
• “the lack of faculty advising is a significant problem
for students in their first two years” (Chapter 1, part B.3).
Intellectual Life in the Classroom: Breadth (Gen.Ed.)
• “… find a way to enable and perhaps require students
to fulfill their science requirement … much earlier…”
(Chapter 2, part IV)
Why Examine Advising Now?
Other Concerns
 No routine audit of student progress by advisors.
 There is no functioning mechanism to ensure that faculty
advising is occurring.
 Inadequate data provided to advisors about advisees.
 Poor incentives for either faculty or students to take
advising seriously.
 Pre-professional students score below expectations on
standardized tests.
Why Examine Advising Now?
 Students (current and prospective) expect a higher quality
of service.
 Pending move of some student services into Becker Hall
provides an opportunity to re-engineer advising at Union.
What kinds of information
would assist advisors?
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High school record
Activities
Aptitudes and interests (by test and conversation)
Transcript / degree audit / major, minor, Gen. Ed.
Record of past advisors
Aspirations
Test scores
Employment history (before, during, after Union)
Other relevant comments
Vision: To provide Union Students with
trained, knowledgeable advisors at every stage
of their academic career and beyond, supported
by a central facility and modern technology.
Solution:
Integrated
Advising
System
Essential Features of the
Integrated Advising System
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Underclass Advisors
Departmental Advisors
Pre-professional Advisors
Career Development Center
Graduate Honors and Fellowship Director
Counseling Center
Central facility (Becker Hall)
New Technology
forming a seamless advising network.
Essential Features
• Underclass Advisors
50 select faculty
25 Freshman / Sophomores each
2-days of advisor training
Contact students before arriving @ Union
Work with Orientation Committee
Regular formal & informal meetings with advisees
Pre-registration advice
Spring-term Freshman year progress assessment
Spring-term Sophomore year, formal Progress Review
Refer advisees to special programs, as needed
Compensation
Using Technology to put the Puzzle Together
Sharing Information among:
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Admissions
Underclass Advisors
Departmental advisors
Dean of Students
Registrar
Graduate; fellowship advisors
CDC
Finance
Alumni Office
How can it be done?
What do we have?
What do we have?
What else might there be?
Integrated
Advising
System
What?
Why?
Who and for Whom?
How?
When?
And….How Much ($$)?
Task
Jan. '00
Jul.
Dec. '00 Jan. '01
Colleague 16 Conv.
Degree Audit
On-line Web. Reg.
Web Advising
Coll. Rel. Outlook
MPPR Program
Re-Write Program
HR System Implem.
Benefactor 6 Upgrade
Telecomm. Web
Ongoning Coll. Sup.
Ongoing Ben. Sup.
Ongoing PC Sup.
Ongoing Serv. Sup.
OCS - ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES STRATEGIC PLAN
MAJOR PROJECTS FOR NEXT 2 YEARS
Jul.
Jan. '02
Costs of an
Integrated Advising System
1. Underclass Advisor training & stipend **
2. Technology conversion *
3. Technology licenses **
4. Technical training & support staff **
5. Building renovations *
* One-time
** Recurring
VISION: To provide Union Students with
trained, knowledgeable advisors at every stage
of their academic career and beyond, supported
by a central facility and modern technology.
Creating an
Integrated Advising System for Union College