Executive Summary

University Task Force on Academic Advising Final Report

Recommendations

Concluding Comments On Work Of The Task Force

REFERENCES

Executive Summary

• In September 1998, Provost Meszaros appointed the University Task Force on Academic Advising to examine undergraduate advising as it relates to:
  
  • student/advisor needs and responsibilities;
  • methods and departmental structures;
  • use of technology; and
  • strategies for recognizing and rewarding exemplary advising.

• The decision to examine advising occurred as a result of the:
  
  • 1996 Alumni Questionnaire which indicated low levels of alumni satisfaction with advising at Virginia Tech;
  • suggestion from the 1998 SACS Accreditation Team that Virginia Tech evaluate the advising processes and use the findings to make the system more effective;
  • President's Pledge that "all students will be assigned an academic advisor during summer orientation;" and
  • Academic Agenda mandate to help all students reach their full potential by providing a multi-faceted, supportive learning environment.

• Findings and recommendations in this report are a result of:
  
  • reviewing the literature;
  • collecting information about advising practices at Virginia Tech;
  • collecting information about advising practices at other colleges and universities; and
  • involving the campus community in discussions about advising at Virginia Tech.

• The Task Force acknowledges the need for improved advising at the University, and notes that based on findings from benchmarked institutions Virginia Tech is progressive in it's response and approach to addressing issues of advising undergraduate students.

• The Task Force calls attention to the observation that the recommendations set forth require limited new funding and are structured to build on existing resources at the University.

• The University Task Force on Academic Advising believes that if implemented, the following recommendations will have a positive impact on advising undergraduate students at Virginia Tech. Suggested strategies for implementation of the recommendations are in the text of the report .

• Adopt the proposed framework (Appendix A) submitted by the University Task Force on Academic Advising for advising undergraduate students (definition, philosophy, statements of university, advisor and student responsibility, and Developmental Advising Model).

• Lead the cultural shift required to enhance the importance and visibility of advising.

• Identify and implement strategies for continuous assessment of college and departmental advising structures.

• Develop a strategy for improving the quality of advising for students in transition between majors.

• Review institutional procedures that impact advising to ensure that they are administered consistently.

• Exploit the university's expertise in technology to enhance advising.

• Provide opportunities for professional development and recognition of exemplary advising.

• Establish an Academy of Excellence in Advising.

• Incorporate the Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (CEUT) in identifying strategies for evaluating, recognizing, and rewarding exemplary advising.

Advising is an important part of the educational experience for all students at Virginia Tech and impacts student satisfaction, and retention and graduation rates. With this in mind, Provost Meszaros appointed the University Task Force on Academic Advising to examine undergraduate advising at Virginia Tech. She charged the Task Force to examine advising in four areas:

• student/advisor needs and responsibilities;
• methods and departmental structures for advising;
• use of technology in advising; and
• strategies for recognizing and rewarding advising.

The impetus for developing the Task Force was the need to identify areas in which advising for undergraduate students could be improved at Virginia Tech. This interest was stimulated by numerous factors including the:

• results of the 1996 Alumni Questionnaire which indicated low levels of alumni satisfaction with advising at Virginia Tech;
• President's Pledge that "all students will be assigned an academic advisor during summer orientation;"
• suggestion from the 1998 SACS Accreditation Team that Virginia Tech evaluate the advising processes and use the findings to make the system more effective; and
• Academic Agenda mandate to help all students reach their full potential by providing a multi-faceted, supportive learning environment.

During the past two decades, Virginia Tech has made positive strides toward improved advising. Examples of this are found in the exemplary advising practices in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences which are highlighted by the numerous advising awards received by that college, development of the Advising Network, collaborations between Career Services and the Colleges to designate career advisors for each college, development of advising centers staffed by professional advisors in various colleges and departments throughout the University, and development of two awards for exemplary advising; the Distinguished Alumni Advising Award and the Award for Excellence in Career Advising. The Task Force was challenged to build on these efforts and make recommendations that further define the University's commitment to effective advising.

The Task Force responded to the charge by reviewing the literature on advising, collecting information on advising practices at Virginia Tech, conducting the Afternoon Chat series (a series of interactive discussions with faculty advisors, professional advisors, and other university personnel on various topics related to advising), conducting focus group and individual interviews with undergraduate students, and benchmarking against other universities. Summaries of this information are located in the Appendix.

The Task Force developed a working philosophy of advising which guided the group in executing its charge. This philosophy coupled with the information collected at Virginia Tech and through benchmarking provides the foundation for the findings and recommendations included in this report.

• Virginia Tech does not have a definition, philosophy, or statements of expectations and responsibilities for advising (See Appendix A for recommended framework).
• Diversity exist in advising methods and structures at the University (who advises, when advisor assignments are made, requirements for visits with advisor, etc.). Because of the comprehensive programs at Virginia Tech, it is important that this diversity be maintained.
• Procedures for such tasks as changing majors and advisors vary among the colleges. While it is important for colleges to main diversity in methods and structures, inconsistencies in routine procedures (e.g. changing majors and advisor) often result in students being uncertain about expectations, making poor decisions, and being frustrated with the advising system at Virginia Tech.
• Students in transition between majors often experience frustration because of the absence of advising assistance.
• The primary use of technology in advising at Virginia Tech was reported to be through e-mail and the Hokie Spa. The university has not taken full advantage of it's technological expertise to improve advising for undergraduate students.
• Both students and advisors believe opportunities for professional development and recognition and reward of exemplary advising are important to the success of advising.
• There are limited professional development opportunities for advisors within the University.
• Advisors are often unfamiliar with strategies and available resources that assist in advising students.
• There are limited rewards and opportunities for recognition of exemplary advising at the university, college, and departmental levels.
• There are certain routine activities related to advising that occur annually. During these times, other university activities are often planned making it difficult for advisors to attend to all of their responsibilities. Such scheduling runs contradictory to the message of the importance of advising.
• Critical definitions about students are not understood, e.g. what is an "at risk" student, what is a disabled student.

• Institutions benchmarked include the University of Virginia, George Mason University, James Madison University, The Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Michigan State University, Iowa State University, Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University .
• As compared to the benchmarked institutions, Virginia Tech is progressive in its approach to advising for undergraduate students.
• Five approaches were identified that might be advantageous to Virginia Tech's efforts to improve advising.
  
  • adopting a university wide philosophy of advising;
  • increasing the use of technology in advising;
  • implementing university-wide intrusive advising for students on probation or returning from suspension;
  • developing alternative strategies for rewarding advising, and
  • developing a university-wide training program for advisors.

The findings in this report were derived from the literature and four additional sources. Detailed summaries of information sources are located in the reference list and in the Appendix.

• Appendix B - Summary of Advising Questionnaire Findings
• Appendix C - Summary of Afternoon Chats
• Appendix D - Summary of student focus group and individual interviews
• Appendix E - Benchmarking Report

The following sections provide a matrix of recommendations, suggested strategies, and individuals responsible for follow-up and/or implementation. Strategies designated as Provost Office responsibilities are in progress. Other strategies will be reviewed and evaluated by the Implementation Team to be appointed by the Provost in October 1999.

University Task Force on Academic Advising

Recommendations

Recommendations	Strategies	Responsibility
1. Adopt the proposed framework for advising submitted by the University Task Force on Academic Advising. (Appendix A)	Develop a plan of action to gain university-wide endorsement of the framework.	Provost/Deans/Implementation
2. Lead the cultural shift required to enhance the importance and visibility of advising at Virginia Tech.	Place information on the importance, expectations, and responsibilities of advising in appropriate university publications and websites. Ensure that each undergraduate student enrolled at Virginia Tech is assigned an advisor. Encourage recognition of exemplary advising through the annual performance review for classified employees and through the annual performance review and merit increase system for faculty and professional advisors. Provide continued technical support for completion of and continuous improvement to the university-wide advising homepage. Review the university calendar annually to eliminate scheduling of major events which conflict with heavy advising periods e.g. registration, first week of classes. Establish an annual "Advising Week" to bring attention to the importance of advising at Virginia Tech. Endorse the Fall 1999 Advising Forums co-sponsored by the Student Government Association and the Faculty Senate.	Implementation     College/Dept.   Provost/ College/Dept.         Provost     Implementation       Associate Provost     Provost/President
3. Identify and implement strategies for continuous assessment of college and departmental advising structures.	Designate resources for improved advising.	College/Dept.
4. Develop a strategy for improving the quality of advising for students in transition between majors.	Review existing strategies and provide resources at the appropriate level(s) to ensure adequate advising for students in this category.	Implementation/College/Dept.
5. Review institutional procedures that impact advising to ensure that they are administered consistently.	Identify routine tasks related to advising and develop consistent procedures for administration.	Implementation
6. Exploit the University's Technology to enhance advising.	Add an "Advising" link to the University Home Page. Expand the existing "Advising" page to include information for parents, students, advisors, and other constituents. Expand advising assistance using technology to include interaction decision making for students.	Provost   Implementation/Provost     Implementation/Banner
7. Provide opportunities for professional development and recognition of exemplary advising.	Develop and fund professional opportunities for advisors. Allocate resources to support advising. Provide professional development and information sessions for advisors through revival of the Steering Committee for the Advising Network and continuation of the "Afternoon Chat" series. Include a session on the importance of advising undergraduate students as a part of new faculty orientation. Construct and adopt an "Advising Glossary" for university wide dissemination. Develop an annual university-wide program for advisors aimed at disseminating accurate academic and career information for all advisors.	College/Dept. College/Dept. Assoc. Provost       Vice Provost   Implementation   Implementation
8. Establish an Academy of Advising Excellence	Collect information to identify existing models and develop an Academy of Advising Excellence at Virginia Tech.	Implementation
9. Incorporate the Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (CEUT) in identifying strategies for evaluating, recognizing and rewarding exemplary advising.	Using the CEUT "study group" model, and with existing budget identify a group of professional advisors and faculty advisors to develop methods for evaluating, recognizing, and rewarding advising.	Implementation/ CEUT

Concluding Comments On Work Of The Task Force

The work of the Task Force was challenging and invigorating. The group was successful in identifying many of the complexities associated with advising undergraduate students at Virginia Tech. The Task Force submits this report with the understanding that improving advising is a continuous process and with an earnest commitment to support the University in its effort to enhance undergraduate advising at Virginia Tech.

Habley, Wesley R., Morales, Ricardo H. (1998) Current practices in academic advising: final report on ACT's fifth national
questionnaire of academic advising. Monographs of the National Academic Advising Association, Whole Number 6.

Kramer, Gary L. (1995). Reaffirming the role of faculty in academic advising. Monographs of the National Academic Advising Association, Whole Number 1.

Kramer, Gary L., Childs, M.Wyane (1996). Transforming academic advising through the use of information technology. Monographs of the National Academic Advising Association, Whole Number 4.

Ramos, Manuel B., Vallandingham, Dick (1997). Advising students with disabilities. Monographs of the National Academic Advising Association, Whole Number 5.

University Task Force on Academic Advising Members

Ms. Susan Bambach
Executive Associate Director Of Transfer Admissions
Office of Admissions

Dr. Alan Bayer
Director
Center for Survey Research

Ms. Ellen Braaten (Chairperson - Internal Practices and Processes)
Assistant to the Dean
College of Architecture

Dr. Paul Brozovsky
Senior Researcher
Institutional Planning & Research

Dr. Donna Cassell
Associate Director
Career Services

Ms. Amelia Clark
Assistant Coordinator
Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence

Ms. Pam Crewey
Enrollment Services Coordinator
Electrical Engineering

Dr. John Crunkilton
Director, Agricultural Technologies
Associate Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Science

Mr. Ron Daniel
Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs
Office of The Provost

Dr. Benjamin Dixon
Vice President for Multicultural Affairs
Office of The President

Ms. Lisa Duncan-Raines
Assistant Registrar
Enrollment Services

Dr. David Ford
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Office of The Provost

Elaine Humphrey
Administrative Assistant
Student Success Grant Program

Dr. Roy Kirkpatrick
Associate Dean
College of Natural Resources

Dr. Raymond Major
Assistant Professor, Management Science and Information Technology
Pamplin College of Business

Ms. Elaine Matuszek
Interim Director
University Academic Advising Center

Dr. Gerry McLaughlin
Director
Institutional Planning & Research

Ms. Joan Moore
Director of Undergraduate Advising Center
Pamplin College of Business

Dr. John Moore
Instructor, Teaching and Learning
College of Human Resources and Education

Dr. John Muffo
Director
Academic Assessment Program

Dr. Donald Mullins
Professor, Entomology
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Dr. Marjorie Norton
Professor, Near Environments
College of Human Resources and Education

Dr. Barbara Pendergrass
Dean of Students

Ms. Anita Price
Secretary
Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence

Ms. Derita Ratcliffe
Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services
Virginia Tech Athletic Department

Dr. Delores Scott
Associate Provost for Retention & Academic Support
|Ofiice of The Provost

Dr. George Simmons
Alumni Distinguished Professor
Biology Department

Dr. Ellie Sturgis (Chairperson - External Practices and Processes)
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
College of Arts & Sciences

Dr. Jerry Via
Assistant Dean
College of Arts & Sciences

Dr. Brian Warren
Director
Thomas E. Cook Counseling Center

Dr. Karen Watson
Academic Advisor
College of Human Resources and Education

Ms. Sarah Wheeler
Enrollment Coordinator
College of Engineering

Ms. Teresa Williams
VTASP Advisor
University Academic Advising Center

Last updated 2/14/01