University Advising
Office of Undergraduate Education
Welcome to the Supervisor Toolkit!
Great supervision starts with the right tools and resources. Whether you’re new to supervising or a seasoned leader, this toolkit provides practical guidance to help you lead, support, and develop your academic advising team.
New to supervision? Start with the Supervisor Training Course to build a strong foundation and gain confidence in your role. Experienced supervisors can also revisit the training for a refresher or explore resources specific to supervisory needs.
Further down the page, explore resources on hiring and onboarding, managing staff and teams, developing advisors, and strengthening your leadership skills, all designed to support you and your team at every stage.
Supervisor Training Course
The New Supervisor Foundations course provides an introduction to the core responsibilities of supervising academic advisors at Michigan State University. Through five self-paced modules, you'll explore topics including hiring and onboarding, managing people and operations, coaching and developing employees, and leading high-performing teams. Whether you're new to supervision or looking to refresh your knowledge, this course provides the skills and resources to help you succeed.
Self-enroll into the D2L course by clicking on the button below.
Explore Resources by Category
The pages below dive into recommended tools, templates, and guidance to support supervisors in academic advising, from hiring and onboarding staff to managing teams and operations to strengthening your leadership skills.
Hiring and Onboarding
Explore hiring processes, interview resources, onboarding checklists, sample timelines, and tools that help new advisors successfully transition into their roles and become productive members of your team.
Managing People and Operations
Find guidance on performance management, one-on-one and team meeting facilitation, difficult conversations, conflict resolution, and operational processes that help teams function effectively.
Leadership and Team Development
Discover strategies for supporting employee professional development, project management, employee recognition, using data to support decision making, and creating a culture of continuous improvement.
Supervisor Resource Library
The topics above cover the core responsibilities of supervising academic advisors, but new questions and situations arise regularly that don't always fit into a single category. The resource hub below brings together additional resources, tools, and guidance to support you in navigating the many aspects of supervision and leadership.
Browse the page by scrolling through the sections below or jump directly to a topic using the Table of Contents.
Have a resource or suggestion to share? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at UAARE-Info@msu.edu so we can continue expanding this collection of resources.
