Advising Council @ U-M

Purpose/Mission

The purpose of this committee is to create a community for advisors who primarily work with students who are struggling academically and/or are on an academic warning status. We aim to create a University-wide process and culture that offers clarity and support for students

Tasks Performed by the Committee

• Learn more about each unit’s academic standing operations.
• Exchange tools, strategies and resources on how to best support these students.
• Compile best practices, options, and resources to address students’ time away from the University and re-entry (examples: when Mcard access expires, gaining email access, etc).
• Create recommendations on how to make headway on University retention rates and academic policies, ensuring they are equitable across all student. groups/populations.
• Discuss how to implement best practices across campus and units, including communication and accessibility to information around academic standings and actions.

Meeting Frequency

We meet every other Wednesday at 10am via Zoom.

How to Join

Email committee chair Leanne DeLosh, [email protected]

Leanne DeLosh

LSA

 

 

Purpose/Mission

The purpose of this committee is to create a community for U-M advising administrators to share information and collaborate on campus-wide advising issues within the University’s decentralized structure.

Tasks Performed by the Committee

• Share updates, identify best practices, and generate solutions to common challenges.
• Advocate for U-M students, advisors, and advising-related initiatives to University and School/College leaders.
• Develop a shared vision for the future of academic advising at U-M and identify the actions needed to achieve that vision.

Meeting Frequency

Semimonthly, on the second and fourth Mondays of each month via Zoom.

How to Join

Email [email protected] to join.

Kerri Wakefield

Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

 

 

Purpose/Mission

The purpose of this committee is to plan and manage all aspects related to the Annual May Advising Conference.

Tasks Performed by the Committee

• Manage room scheduling and coordination with Michigan Union Event Staff
• Coordinate proposal submission and review process
• Select and manage logistics regarding annual keynote speaker
• Advertise conference to the University of Michigan advising community

Meeting Frequency

Regular meetings during Fall and Winter term with increased meeting frequency leading up to the conference

How to Join

Email [email protected] to join.

Allison Edelbrock

Engineering

 

 

Lauren Taylor

Engineering

 

 

Purpose/Mission

Explore and advocate for an ACUM advisor training curriculum that provides central and accessible training and resources for advisors and is intended to complement unit-specific needs.

Tasks Performed by the Committee

• Identify advisor training resources and practices across different units at U-M Ann Arbor and at other colleges and universities.
• Benchmark core competencies for academic advising and for effective advisor training.
• Assess the need for mentorship opportunities for new and seasoned advisors alike.
• Identify best practices for advisor training that are inclusive, accessible, and promote continuous learning.

Meeting Frequency

Every other week for 1 hour, meeting time will be set each semester by committee consensus.

How to Join

Email [email protected] to be added to the MCommunity group.

Other Information

This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of and contribute to the exploration of an ACUM advisor training curriculum, and to engage at the level that you are able to/interested in.

Libby Jones

Information

 

 

Hannah Morch

LSA

 

 

Purpose/Mission

ABCA strives to provide opportunities for advisors across campus to strengthen their advising practices by engaging in trainings and conversations to increase our competency in advocacy, belonging, and culture relevant to advising and supporting students.   

Our committee consists of approximately 6-10 staff and faculty members who advise in some capacity and are committed to helping advisors build inclusive and equitable advising practices.

Tasks Performed by the Committee

The ABCA Committee plans and sponsors two to three initiatives each year focused on helping advisors build inclusive and equitable advising practices. Initiatives we have hosted in the past include: 

• Book clubs 
• Events in alignment with the campus-wide MLK Symposium
• Events on topics such as supporting rural students; the role of faith, religion and spirituality in our students’ lives; and more 
• Trainings with units such as Spectrum Center and SSD

Meeting Frequency

Our committee meets monthly throughout the academic year. Our committee breaks during the summer and does not meet in the months of May, June, or July. 

Beyond our meetings, our committee typically hosts 2-3 events or initiatives each semester that our members attend or help facilitate.

How to Join

We welcome new members to join our committee! Please email us at [email protected] and our committee chair will reach out to you with more information and to invite you to our next meeting.

Leanne Olona

LSA

 

 

Purpose/Mission

The purpose of the assessment committee is to support a culture of assessment and evidence-based decision making within the UM academic advising community. This purpose is accomplished by:

•  Acting as a resource and consultant for academic advisors, administrators, and units who are investigating assessment of student learning outcomes, advisor outcomes, and program outcomes. 
• Planning and sponsoring educational and professional development opportunities (i.e., presentations, discussions, workshops) that support assessing outcomes, developing unit assessment plans, and using evidence to make decisions on advising methods and program development.
• Creating and promoting the ACUM Academic Advising Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).

Tasks Performed by the Committee

• Sponsoring 2-3 educational or professional development opportunities per year.
• Maintaining a collaborative resource of tools, practices, and examples of assessment plans accessible to all ACUM members. 
• Soliciting feedback from ACUM membership to ensure current assessment interests are being addressed.

Meeting Frequency

• This committee will meet approximately twice per month from August to May.
• The time commitment is 1-2 hours per month.

How to Join

Email committee chair Matthew Turner ([email protected]) to join.

Other Information

• No previous experience with assessment and evaluation is necessary to join. 
• Meetings will take place via Zoom to accommodate work schedules and locations.

Matt Turner

Business

 

 

Purpose/Mission

• Create a graduate-level advisor committee to share information and best practices, including professional development opportunities.
• The primary goal of this committee is to better standardize and support the graduate student experience at U-M.

Tasks Performed by the Committee

• Rotate bi-monthly meetings to different locations open to graduate-level advisors.
• Provide broader-scale professional development or information-sharing sessions.
• Manage the MCommunity email listserv for more efficient communication across campus.
• Develop a central and accessible space for shared information.

Meeting Frequency

We will meet bi-monthly at different locations.

How to Join

Email [email protected] or attend one of the committee meetings.

Other Information

• Open to anyone who works with graduate students in any capacity or any percentage of their job.
• Considering graduate advising; committee offers a unique opportunity for persons to gain perspective about the unique role as a graduate advisor.

Lynn Carpenter

LSA

 

 

Purpose/Mission

PHAF is a committee for individuals who engage with U-M students interested in health professions graduate and professional programs. This group aims to work collaboratively as a means to support Pre-Health Advising practices on a decentralized campus.

Meeting Frequency

Once a month, September through April.

How to Join

Email committee chair Keith Wittkopp ([email protected]) to join.

Other Information

• Open to anyone who works with graduate students in any capacity or any percentage of their job.
• Considering graduate advising; committee offers a unique opportunity for persons to gain perspective about the unique role as a graduate advisor.

Nicholas Vanderpool

University Career Center

 

 

Keith Wittkopp

LSA

 

 

Purpose/Mission

• Improve access to, effectiveness of, and understanding of existing advising technology tools.
• Advocate for new advising technology resources.
• Explore and evaluate technology tools that assist advisors in their day-to-day work.

Tasks Performed by the Committee

• Assess current advising technology tools and trainings.
• Identify best practices.
• Make recommendations to administrators.
• Hosting Technology Education and Technology Advocacy Events

Meeting Frequency

Monthly on the second Thursday of the month at 11:00 AM. 

How to Join

Request to join the ACUM Tech Comm MCommunity Group.

Other Information

You don’t need to be a technology expert to join this committee! If you are interested in the topic and want to learn more, we welcome your participation.

Resources

• Advising Technology Tools Database
• ACUM CLE: Technology Tips and Tricks
  • Presentation Slides
  • Technology Tips and Tricks Collection

Ashley Lawerence

Business

 

 

Chris Pozza

LSA

 

 

Purpose/Mission

• The Wellness Committee fosters connection and community among advisors through shared dialogue around well-being and wellness. We aim to create space for meaningful conversations, exchange of ideas, and collaborative learning that support restorative, holistic, and empowering wellness practices for the U-M advising community.
• Grounded in our strengths as advisors, we aim to create a welcoming space for conversations around student & advisor well-being. We recognize there is a diverse array of wellness practices and approaches throughout our academic units. Wellness is a topic many of us care about deeply, and we hope to utilize this platform to share experiences and advocate for improving well-being within the university.

Tasks Performed by the Committee

• Create newsletter content tailored to advisor wellness: 
  • Promote relevant wellness literature and research
  • Share best practices and case studies around wellness and mental health
  • Promote wellness events and training opportunities
• Contribute to professional development efforts:
  • Create and develop one ACUM professional development training session per term around a wellness topic
  • Encourage and support participation at conferences with wellness themes

Meeting Frequency

Once a month for 1 hour. 

How to Join

Email [email protected] to join the MCommunity list and learn about our next meeting.

Other Information

This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of and contribute to the exploration of advisor and student wellness, and to engage at the level that you are able to/interested in.

Emily Freeland

LSA

 

 

LSA