Foundations of Excellence: Academic Advising

Final Report & Key Recommendations

Read the Report

Addendum to the final report

Read the Addendum

On Oct. 8, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Mary Kraus formed the Foundations of Excellence Advising Committee. Committee members were named on Oct. 16, 2018, and the committee was charged with “providing recommendations to the campus for the adoption of transformational recommendations to improve the first-year student experience that have been advanced by several key initiatives on our campus.”

Specifically, Kraus requested the committee take on six key tasks for the campus: 

  • An overall review and assessment of advising structures and services across campus
  • A campuswide mission, vision, value statement for advising
  • A roadmap for establishing advisors as first-point-of-contact and source of holistic student support, including identification of assets, gaps and opportunities related to that model
  • A plan for ensuring academic advisors across all academic units and relevant persons and offices within Student Affairs have seamless communication with each other, including sharing information and data
  • A first-year advising network model that can be implemented in fall 2019 and augmented thereafter, including an assessment of the financial, communications, and personnel challenges and opportunities that would result from adoption of this FoE recommendation
  • Metrics by which campus leadership can determine the success of any proposed changes to advising

Kraus requested the committee’s report and recommendations be submitted to her by Feb. 1, 2019.

Related

Committee Members

Co-chair: Shelly Bacon, Associate Vice Provost 
Co-chair: Mary Steiner, Associate Dean for Students, CEAS

  • Kelli Stevens, Director of Undergraduate Advising, Leeds School of Business
  • Daryl Maeda, Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies and Associate Dean for Student Success, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Stephen Jones, Assistant Dean of Student Success, College of Media, Communication and Information
  • Maria Spoon, Campus Advising Specialist, University Exploration and Advising Center
  • Jess Morris, Professional Academic Advisor, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Dylan West, Academic Advisor, Program in Environmental Design
  • Crystal Lay, Director of Residence Life
  • Carol Wessman, Professor and Chair, Environmental Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Cori Shaff, Assistant Director of Career Advising and Outreach
  • Sandy Jones, Dean of Students
  • Heidi Mallon, Assessment Coordinator, Academic Affairs
  • Olivia Wittenberg, Student Representative, CUSG Tri-exec
  • Roudy Hildreth, Associate Director, CU Engage
  • Amy Westfeldt, Senior Director of Development
  • Lily Board, Assistant Dean, Academic Advising & Student Success, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Elizabeth Garfield, Professional Assistant, Office of Undergraduate Education