New Undergraduate Advising Model 2018

Undergraduate academic advising is a critical facet of the college operations that is central to student success. At present the roles/responsibilities and reporting structure across the college undergraduate advising community is inconsistent. A well-defined and transparent set of roles/responsibilities and reporting structure is important for the camaraderie, professional growth and efficient operation of the undergraduate advising community as well as to ensure high standards in serving our students. This is particularly important as the college undergraduate population continues to grow and as new advisors join this community and enter the college operations.

In May 2018, I requested survey responses on this topic from all undergraduate advisors and the associate chairs for undergraduate education in each department. A significant response rate was achieved, with over 70% of the advising community either responding by email or through individual meetings with me. Survey responses and discussion centered on the manner in which undergraduate advising is presently managed in the college, best practices at peer institutions, professional development of the advising staff, and how our advising community can continue to efficiently support our students as the college grows.

A large fraction of the undergraduate advising community expressed confusion or uneasiness about the present manner in which undergraduate advising is conducted across the college, particularly as the college continues to grow. In characterizing the present operation, some noted that roles/responsibilities were unclear leading to ineffective operations, others identified workload imbalances across the college, others noted that consistent rewards/incentives for performance are not provided, and others noted that equitable professional development opportunities for the advising staff are not provided. A small fraction of the respondents thought the present operation was fine and that changes were not needed.

Two consensus findings were clearly evident in the feedback obtained:

1. Undergraduate advising has evolved to the point where it offers its own, personally-rewarding and challenging career path. Advising includes working directly with our students as well as continuously gaining knowledge of and providing service towards the development of new university policies, offerings and requirements from across our campus. On a whole, the college has not kept pace with best practices in use at many of our peer universities. A strong consensus of the advising staff is to be supervised by someone who clearly understands the role of the advising community, has strong knowledge of best practices across the nation, and is plugged into campus discussions of undergraduate education requirements, potential changes and policies.
2. Advisors are on the front-line of undergraduate education in each of the college’s departments and programs. Undergraduate advisors form bonds with our students and our students depend heavily on the advice and counsel of our undergraduate advisors, often seeking them out for support across a broad range of issues during the student’s time on our campus. Undergraduate advisors have become incredibly important to building local camaraderie and community within each of our departments and programs. The role of our advisors in shaping the undergraduate student environment in our departments and programs cannot be overstated.

From these two consensus findings, it is clear that a matrix organizational model is best suited for the college’s undergraduate advising operation. Such a model must include assigning front-line advisors to units (departments/programs) in a manner in which these advisors are expected to remain a significant part of the unit’s identity and community. Such a model must also take into account the supervisory, professional development and training needs of the advisors, recognizing that they make up a vital and cogent community of professionals within the college.

Based on the feedback gathered, I plan to modify the college advising operation in the following manner. Starting July 1 2018,

• Front-line advisors shall be assigned to specific Departments/Programs following agreement of the CEAS Assistant Dean for Students and the relevant Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education. As much as possible, assignments will be within a single unit. An advisor with less than 100% time committed to a single unit will have their remaining time assigned to a second unit or to an advising-related service position.
• Supervision of all front-line advisors shall be performed by the CEAS Assistant Dean for Students. Annual evaluations, annual merit raises, and promotion of all advising staff shall be performed by the CEAS Assistant Dean for Students, incorporating and heavily weighting department-level information obtained from the relevant Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education.
• Any change in responsibilities for an advisor shall be made with concurrence of both the CEAS Assistant Dean for Students and the relevant Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education. Any such changes shall be documented through modification of the appropriate position descriptions. Position descriptions shall include a percentage defined as “student-facing duties related to undergraduate education as needed by the department/program” that will be specified by the Assistant Dean for Students and the Department/Program’s Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education.
• New front-line advising staff in the college shall be jointly interviewed by the relevant Department/Program and the College. New advising positions shall be requested by the Departments through the annual budget augmentation process in coordination with the Assistant Dean for Students. All new positions require approval by the CEAS Dean. Hiring decisions shall be made jointly by the CEAS Assistant Dean for Students and the relevant Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education.
• Departments and Programs shall work to the maximum extent practical to collocate their front-line advising staff within a Department/Program space that is readily accessible to the Department/Program’s undergraduate students.
• Advising staff shall participate fully in both College advising meetings/functions and relevant Department/Program meetings/functions.
• The College shall be responsible for professional development and training of the advising staff. The Departments/Programs shall not lose budget as a result.
• The College shall assess advising workload at least once a year and work with the Departments/Programs on any necessary adjustments to balance workload.
• All members of the CEAS advising operation will participate in 360 reviews. Data from these assessments will be reviewed annually by the CEAS Associate Dean for Education and CEAS Dean to evaluate the performance of all individuals in the organization, and the effectiveness of this organizational change.
• After two years in the present model (July 2020), the college will utilize existing campus assessment personnel and resources or external resources (e.g., NACADA) to evaluate the effectiveness of the new advising organizational structure.

In this undergraduate advising model, the primary role of the Assistant Dean for Students is to:

• Provide leadership and supervision for the undergraduate academic advisors.
• Hire, evaluate and promote assigned staff, in collaboration with the Associate Chairs for Undergraduate Education.
• Interpret and communicate university academic advising policies and procedures. d) Direct and document training and professional development of advising staff through a process that refreshes staff on key policies and procedures to continuously improve performance and service to students. e) Develop advising assessment measures and survey best practices nationally for continuous improvement of our undergraduate advising operation. f) Collaborate regularly with the Associate Chairs for Undergraduate Education regarding workforce and performance matters. g) Direct and disseminate academic information to other university units, advisers and students regarding changes in curricula, policies and procedures.

and the primary role of the relevant Department/Program Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education is to:

• Provide leadership for the unit’s undergraduate education operations, sharing unit’s local policies and procedures with the front-line advisors and serving as a primary decision authority for relevant student petitions/issues.
• Define “student-facing duties related to undergraduate education as needed by the department/program” for each advisor. c) Integrate advisors into relevant department/program undergraduate committees to gain their feedback, insights, and suggestions in working with students.
• Collaborate regularly with CEAS Assistant Dean for Students regarding workforce and performance matters.
• Provide input to the annual evaluation, raise and promotion processes.

Questions or issues regarding implementation of this organizational model will be addressed collaboratively by the CEAS Assistant Dean for Students and the relevant Department/Program Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education. Should agreement not be achieved between these two parties, resolution will first be provided by the relevant Department Chair and the Associate Dean for Education. If matters remain unresolved, resolution will be provided by the CEAS Dean.

Thank you,
Robert D. Braun
Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science