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Advising Initiative Working Groups


Overall Project Leads:
 Ebony Green, assistant dean for University Advising, and Amy Martin, assistant dean for Student Success Operations

 

Student Success Project Management: Renata Opoczynski, assistant dean for Student Success Assessment and Strategic Initiatives

 

Key Consultative Partners: Deans Council, Council of Undergraduate Deans (CUED), University Advising Leadership (UAL), Campus Student Success Group (CSSG), College of Social Science, University Committee on Undergraduate Education (UCUE)

 

Some key aspects of the University Advising Initiative, such as its funding, sponsorship by the provost, and overarching goals, have been in place since its inception. The remaining policies, procedures and operational details are to be determined by Working Groups.

 

Improvement to academic advising at MSU must respect cultural and organizational differences among colleges — heterogeneity of colleges is central to a university’s identity.

 

In order to make the process of crafting the structure and policies of the University Advising Initiative as inclusive, democratic, and efficacious as possible, each Working Group contains representatives from the colleges, including advisors and advising leadership.

 

Explore the Initiative Working Groups to the right and learn who’s involved in this important work. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to contact the project leads or refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page for more details.

Lead: Beth Judge, director of Undergraduate Academic Engagement

The Assessment Working Group’s charge includes completing the advising landscape analysis, benchmarking internal and external structures to understand the state of advising, and developing measures of assessment for advising and its contributions to student success.

 

Assessment Working Group Membership:

  • Dorcia Chaison, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources 
  • Kristy Dumont, College of Education
  • Allison Shaw, College of Communication Arts and Sciences 
  • Heidi Purdy, College of Natural Science 
  • Krystal Owens, College of Nursing 
  • Shannon Brecheisen, College of Business 
  • Helen Mayer, College of Veterinary Medicine 
  • Chris Raisanen, Honors College 
  • Quinn Moreno, College of Arts and Letters 
  • Talitha Wimberly, College of Music
  • Marissa King, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities 
  • Max Olivero, James Madison College 
  • Regan Kania, College of Social Science 
  • Niki Rudolph , Lyman Briggs College 
  • Erica Fiasky, College of Engineering 
  • Debra Thornton, Neighborhood Student Success Collaborative
  • Hannah Brodhead, Advising Fellow for Assessment
  • Justin Bruner, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Jonelle Golding, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education 
  • Qiana Green, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education 

Lead: Jonelle Golding, director of University Advising and Academic Transitions (with a representative from each college)

 

The Student Advising Pathways Working Group’s charge is to develop a structure that builds on and complements college/department advising and functions through academic interests that are aligned with admissions and career interest areas. The working group will build a centrally managed advising team of undergraduate advisors who focus on students’ first two years at MSU. This will be supplemented by a set of centralized administrative processes developed through research with advising experts at MSU and the best practices of similar programs at other major universities.

 

Student Advising Pathways Working Group membership:

  • Dorcia Chaison, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Erica Hooker, College of Arts and Letters
  • Janae Lawler, College of Natural Science 
  • Kari Lopez, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
  • Krystal Owens, College of Nursing
  • Latisha Hurd, College of Education
  • Lindsay Naylor, College of Engineering
  • Marissa King, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities
  • Melanie Wallace, College of Business
  • Amanda Ritter, Honors College
  • Niki Rudolph, Lyman Briggs College 
  • Emelia Hammond, James Madison College
  • Ryan Shadbolt, College of Social Science
  • Sarah Tomasik, College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Talitha Wimberly, College of Music 
  • Adam Davis, Office of Admissions
  • Jeff Beavers, Career Services 
  • Justin St. Charles, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Beth Judge, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education 
  • Qiana Green, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education

Lead: Qiana Green, director of University Advising and Leadership Initiatives

 

The charge of the Leadership Development (Professional Development) Working Group is to grow and enhance the professional development plan for all university advisors and provide robust professional development resources that support advisors and their work with students.

 

Leadership Development Working Group membership:

  • Jonelle Golding, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Beth Judge, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Jennifer New, College of Communication Arts and Sciences
  • Danielle Flores Lopez, College of Natural Science
  • Krystal Owens, College of Nursing
  • Brendan Guenther, Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
  • Nicole Gekeler, Advising Fellow for Professional Development, College of Social Science
  • Dwight Handspike, College of Business
  • Helen Mayer, College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Megan Stevenson, Honors College
  • Mike Haslett, College of Education
  • Chamara Kwakye, College of Arts and Letters
  • Talitha Wimberly, College of Music
  • Dorcia Chaison, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Marissa King, Residential College in the Arts and Humanities
  • Jeff Judge, James Madison College
  • Niki Rudolph, Lyman Briggs College
  • Joyce Samuel, College of Engineering
  • charlie liu, Neighborhood Student Success Collaborative
  • Marilyn Amey, Faculty and Academic Staff Development

Leads: Amy Martin, assistant dean for Student Success Operations, and Melissa Sortman, director of Faculty and Staff Affairs

 

The charge of the Personnel and Organizational Change Working Group is to reorganize current staff in Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education to better support the efforts of the University Advising Initiative and bring exploratory advisors into a centralized team reporting to the assistant dean for university advising. The working group will also create a human resource framework for advising that provides professional pathways for advisors.

 

Personnel and Organizational Change Working Group membership:

  • Amy Martin, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Melissa Sortman, Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs
  • Kathy Charles, Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs
  • Beth Judge, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Jonelle Golding, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Qiana Green, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Michele Burton, AUE Operations Manager
  • Beverly Buza, Advising HR and Operations Coordinator

The charge of the Communications Working Group is to engage various audiences in the MSU community, keep stakeholders apprised of project progress, and assist in change management elements of the initiative. The Communications Working Group has developed a communications plan that is centered on collaboration, transparency, and iterative learning through engagement with people at all levels of the university.

 

Communications Working Group membership:

  • Amy Martin, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Brandon Gross, Office of the Provost
  • Kristina Beatty, Office of the Provost
  • Qiana Green, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Beth Judge, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Jonelle Golding, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
  • Michele Burton, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education