Colleagues –
Starting Jan. 4, 2022, TU will implement a unified four-year professional advising team for undergraduates. TU will be adopting the best practices used by many of our peer universities.
This model provides several advantages:
- The essential role of faculty mentors will be developed, clarified, and supported in collaboration with the Faculty Senate.
- Four-year professional advisors and faculty mentors will have increased access to professional development.
- Advisors will be aligned by college, creating closer working relationships with faculty and greater discipline specific expertise.
- The average case load per advisor will be lower than the national median, allowing for more student engagement and support and contributing to increased retention and improved graduation rates.
I have asked Dr. Christina Carter, who leads student services in our Department of Athletics, to serve as executive director of the combined success coaches and academic advisors group. She will report to the Office of the Provost. Dr. Carter has put together a strong program already and she already serves a great number of our students; she will help ensure the success of this broader best initiative.
Dr. Carter will spend much of the next three months aligning the academic advising and student success teams with the support of Dr. Amanda Nicholson, former senior vice president for enrollment and student experience at Syracuse University, and Dr. Kimberly Smith, associate vice provost for student success initiatives at Virginia Tech. Dr. Michael McClendon, interim dean of students, and Dr. Ron Walker, associate dean of Oxley College of Health Science, will continue to lead their respective units during this transition.
The plan is to create a one-stop shop where every student will have an advisor who can help them navigate college life at TU. This project is an important piece of our retention strategy. It also should have the ancillary effect of improving our on-time graduation rates and increasing recruitment of families who appreciate this refined approach to student services.
Brad