Monday, October 19, 2009

Advisor Spotlight: Gregg Henderschiedt, Career Resource Center

by Jill Lingard

Since February 2007, Gregg Henderschiedt has worked in UF’s Career Resource Center as the Senior Assistant Director for Career Development. Prior to coming to Florida, he held several positions in academic advising, mental health, and drug counseling. Gregg recently had an article published in the journal Academic Advising Today and will have a book review published in the January 2010 edition of the NACADA Journal. We sat down recently to discuss his NACADA and UF experiences.

Tell me about the process involved in getting published in the NACADA Journal and Academic Advising Today.

Last year, I attended the national NACADA conference in Chicago and went to a session called "How to Get Published with NACADA." Fearing budget cuts might soon start to restrict my conference participation, I figured this would offer me another avenue for professional development. The session was very informative and the speakers emphasized that they’re looking for best practice submissions from student affairs practitioners working ‘in the trenches,’ as well as more theoretical papers. That got me to thinking that there really isn’t much written about how we can help students weather these challenging economic times, which is impacting everything from their choice of major to landing that first job after graduation. I pitched this idea to the NACADA contacts I met at last year’s conference and they were very eager for me to pursue the article.

What’s your article and upcoming book review about?

My article was published in the June 2009 edition of NACADA’s Academic Advising Today and is called "Helping Students Weather the Storm: Career Advising in Tough Economic Times." In it I describe the kinds of things students can do to optimize their success in landing their first professional position after graduating. The tips I share are mostly common sense strategies, but they’re even more important now in the current economic climate. I also discuss the pros and cons of grad school, which can sometimes serve more as a life raft to graduating seniors in a challenging job market than a sensible career move.

My upcoming book review in the NACADA Journal is on Backpack to Briefcase, published in 2006. This short guide attempts to bridge the gap for students between navigating university requirements to understanding workplace issues, professional networking, and career planning.

Switching gears to UF, describe the population of students you currently work with.

My focus is on first and second year students, which by its nature mean lots of exploratory students. On top of my regular career counseling responsibilities, I am very involved in Preview (with students and parents) and with First Year Florida classes.

What do you perceive are the differences between academic and career advising?

As career counselors, we focus on the core decision process that students engage in which affect their career choice. I frequently refer my students to academic advisors in between our appointments for more specific information on tracking and courses. Career counselors help students decide which trip they want to take. Academic advisors provide the map!

What keeps you motivated to do your job?

There’s a never ending supply of students who don’t know what they want to do with their lives! Our various academic tracking systems aren’t always kind to students struggling with their choice of major. It feels good to be able to provide space and guidance for these students to wrestle with some of the most important questions of their lives.

What do you like least about your job?

Budget cutbacks haven’t been fun for anybody. Also, UF is such a big campus—it can be challenging to keep up with all that’s going on here. But that same size also provides amazing opportunities for students at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

What’s the best thing a student ever told you?

This isn’t ‘best’ in the compliment sense, but it’s something I’ll always remember. Back when I was in Virginia, I remember working with an at-risk, first-generation student from a rural background. He wasn’t performing well, but he wasn’t lazy. He told me, “I really WANT to do well in college and I don’t even know where to begin.” That student taught me never to take anything for granted when working with students and to meet them where they are.

What advice would you give a brand new advisor at UF?

Never forget that it’s always about the student. We all have competing priorities to keep up with—meetings, budgets, etc.—that take us away from students. Remember when you’re sitting in front of that student, you might be the only adult at UF he or she will connect with. Be fully present for that.

What advice do you give a brand new student at UF?

Take time and keep an open mind. At 18, their identity is really tied to their major. Exploratory students feel the pressure of falling behind (even when they’re not) when they don’t come in the door on day one with a major declared. I encourage new students to give themselves time to make this important decision, as well as an open mind to discover those ‘found majors’ they’d never even heard of before.

What’s your secret for balancing your work and home lives?

I try not to check e-mail at home or while on vacation. I don’t always succeed at this.

What might many of us in UF’s advising community be surprised to learn about you?

I’ve been taking accordion lessons since last spring. And I promise to perform at the next UAC meeting. (Editor’s note: I made that last sentence up, but not the one before it! JL )

Kep’s Corner

by Glenn Kepic

The 33rd Annual NACADA Conference was held in San Antonio from September 30 - October 3. Over 2,500 advisors from around the world attended, including 21 advisors from the University of Florida and 75 international members. The Association announced its new tag line that replaces “National Academic Advising Association” with “The Global Community for Academic Advising.” Seven members of the UF advising community were recognized at the event: Erica Byrnes, Emerging Leaders Program Graduate; Mutlu Citim-Kepic, Chair of Advising Fine Arts Students; Jeff Citty, Outstanding Advisor Certificate of Merit; Glenn Kepic, Incoming Board of Directors Member and Emerging Leader Mentor; Albert Matheny, Outgoing Professional Development Committee Chair; Lynn O’Sickey, Finance Committee Member (past Chair); and Ella Tabares, Emerging Leaders Program 2009-2011. (In photo, from L to R: Erica Byrnes, Jeff Citty, Albert Matheny, and Glenn Kepic.)

I encourage you to consider attending a regional or national NACADA conference in the future, or at least becoming a NACADA member. UF has 34 current NACADA members this year, down from 43 last year. To put this number in perspective, UT Austin boasts 117 current members, while Arizona State has 75, Purdue 74, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has 62. NACADA conferences provide a tremendous opportunity to network with other advising professionals, learn what is working at other institutions, and share your ideas with others. The 2010 Region 4 Conference will be held on March 21-23 at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

The 4th Annual Advising Workshop took place on September 11, 2009 and attracted over 70 participants. The day began with Keynote speaker Doug Waddell from Florida State University, and Provost Joe Glover and Associate Provost Bernard Mair spoke during lunch. The rest of the day was filled with informative sessions presented by the Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid, the International Center, and several colleges. (In photo, from L to R: Grad Assistants Maritza Torme, Stephanie Wintling, and Brittany Ross.)

The Academic Advising Center hosted a Webinar on September 17th entitled “The Role of Academic Advising in Student Persistence” which is part of NACADA’s “Reaching and Retaining Students” series. Participants gained valuable insights and ideas to be applied to our own advising practices here on campus. (In photo, Robin Snyder and Jim Leary from Ag & Bio Engineering.)


The next professional development opportunity will be a brown bag lunch held one afternoon in November. The moderators for this discussion will be Deb Mayhew and Karen Bray from the College of Engineering. More information about this will be sent out soon. (In photo, new CALS Advisor Robin Ezzell.)

Advising by Coaching, a 2009 NACADA National Conference Workshop Summary

by Catherine Coe

At the NACADA national conference in San Antonio I attended a very interesting workshop that modeled academic advising as coaching and found, while the relationship is obvious, it is a fresh take on how to engage students in advising. Jeffrey McClellan's and Clint Moser’s presentation outlined the theory-to-practice model of Advising as Coaching. Their presentation explained how the model of academic coaching starts with the traditional business coaching process of assessing strengths and weakness, identifying goals, developing a plan, implementing the plan, assessing progress, and making plan revisions. The anticipated results of the process include self-awareness, confidence, improved performance, and self-authorship.

If advising is an interactive relationship that helps to identify, plan for, and achieve short- and long-term educational and career goals, then advisors are coaches. Advisors empower students to make appropriate decisions with regard to interests, goals, and abilities. During the workshop, McClellan and Moser emphasized the development of self-authorship as one of the main goals of utilizing a coaching methodology with students. By requiring students to respond to questions and ultimately formulate their own plan, the student is encouraged to think deeper and more proactively about the problem. The coaching model presented also demonstrated that when the right questions are asked the advising session becomes more efficient and effective because the student is more directed and stays focused on the task.

From the presentation, I learned that using a coaching approach in advising sessions can increase the self-authorship of students by encouraging them to create their own plan. It is sometimes difficult to let students do most of the talking. But by taking on the coach's inquisitor role and prompting with appropriate questions, we allow students to learn the critical thinking skills necessary to problem solve and plan on their own in the future. As an advisor, I work with students to create plans. Utilizing the coaching methodology enhances the process and encourages students to take ownership of the results.

Sophomore Engagement and Advising as Learning, a 2009 NACADA National Conference Workshop Summary

by Kathy Rex

When I checked into the conference in San Antonio and got my NACADA bag, I immediately reached for the program and looked for a quiet area to study it. With my highlighter and pen, I tentatively mapped out my conference itinerary. The presentations this year covered areas such as assessment, models/applications, theory and research, and addressed populations such as veterans, adult learners, first-generation students, and students by major. I left the conference inspired, motivated, reassured, and challenged.

One workshop I attended was entitled “Sophomore Engagement and Advising as Learning.” It was facilitated by representatives from four smaller institutions across the country that are receiving support from the Teagle Foundation for a three-year project. The presenters/ collaborators developed a survey to study sophomore engagement and were at the conference to share the results. The intention of the project is to identify ways to improve the engagement and retention of second-year students through tailored individual and group advising programs.

The topic of this program appealed to me because, admittedly, second-year students are a population that I don’t necessarily acknowledge with intentional advising or programming on a regular basis. The presenters referred to them as the “forgotten middle child.” They shared the following findings about the second-year students they surveyed: their levels of hope decreased, their levels of agency (defined as their commitment to pursuing a goal) decreased, their problem-solving orientation increased, and they are searching for meaning in life. The students surveyed indicated the biggest challenges of their second year were the exploration of their identity and solidifying their social group [Stockenberg, J.T., Rossi-Reder, A., Ennis-McMillan, M., Schaller, M. (2009, October). Sophomore Engagement and Advising as Learning. Presentation conducted at the 33rd annual NACADA conference, San Antonio, TX].

The presenters discussed their findings in the context of nurturing sophomores’ cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal development. Personally, I believe this mission is what makes advising any student fun, challenging, and meaningful. One of the colleges presenting has its own Office of First-Year and Sophomore Studies and Advising and noted that, across the country, there are institutions with “sophomore experience” deans and sophomore residence halls. This same college has a sophomore newsletter. All presenters noted specific events they have started to coordinate, including a sophomore orientation, workshops on internships and exploring careers in non-profits, and even a sophomore day of service. These initiatives let sophomores know they matter and that they have resources to guide them through the self-exploration process, which the survey confirmed is a prominent concern.

The presentation was principally limited to sharing the results of the first stage of the project, so I walked away with the desire to learn more about how they intend to continue turning their findings into practice. Nevertheless, sophomores are now on my radar!

Financial Aid Fun, a 2009 UF Advising Workshop Presentation Summary

by Robin Rossie

For those of you who were unable to attend the “Financial Aid Fun” presentation at this year’s advising workshop – and for those who attended and would like a refresher – Ron Anderson was gracious enough to share his PowerPoint presentation. Thanks, Ron!

True, Student Financial Affairs is responsible for making sense of the “money piece” of attending UF, but with the Fall 2009 drop deadline and Spring 2010 advance registration coming up in November, advisors need to be aware of Bright Futures policies and renewal standards. Test your knowledge with a pop quiz!

Question 1: Students must meet credit hour and GPA renewal requirements at the end of Fall 2009. True or False?

Answer: False. Renewal standards, which include 24 credit hours for 2-term full-time students (or a prorated number of credit hours for 1-term and below-full-time students) and a 3.0 cumulative GPA for Academic Scholars or a 2.75 cumulative GPA for Medallion and Gold Seal Scholars, must be met by the end of Spring 2010.

Question 2: Students who fall short on credit hour or GPA requirements will lose their scholarship permanently. True or False?

Answer: False. Students will lose their scholarship for the upcoming year, but can regain eligibility in the future. In that “probationary” year without the scholarship, they must meet the credit hour and GPA standards as if they were on scholarship. Academic scholars whose GPA is below 3.0 but at least a 2.75 won’t lose their scholarship, but will be eligible for the Medallion scholarship (reinstatement to Academic one time only if the GPA is back up to 3.0). Also, students can petition for reinstatement of their scholarship due to medical emergencies.

Question 3: A full-time student registers for and completes 12 credits in Fall 2009, but earns a grade of D in one course. He registers for and completes 12 credits in Spring 2010, including the course he earned a D in the Fall. The “earn 24 credits” renewal standard has been met. True or False?

Answer: True. Repeat credit is considered earned credit for Bright Futures. Had the student earned an E instead of a D, the renewal standard would not have been met because no credits were earned. If you find a student under-enrolled in Spring after drop/add, you might recommend adding a course through Continuing Education, if appropriate.

Question 4: A full-time student registers for and completes 12 credits in Fall 2009. She registers for 12 credits in Spring 2010, but drops 3 credits after drop/add. She must pay back the amount of tuition covered by Bright Futures for that class, and to add insult to injury, she has not met renewal standards. True or False?

Answer: True, she must pay back the tuition amount, but False, she actually HAS met renewal requirements. She’s considered a full-time student in fall (12 credit minimum completion) and ¾-time student in Spring (9 credit minimum completion) because she was “funded” for that amount when all accounts were settled.

BONUS QUESTION: Using the same situation above--The student has Bright Futures and Florida Prepaid Tuition. Can she tap in to Florida Prepaid Tuition to pay back Bright Futures for the dropped class?

Answer: Now, that would be a sweet situation, but NO. Florida Prepaid is not a slush fund for educational expenses. Baby girl will have to pony up the funds!

Rockin’ the Boat, a 2009 UF Advising Workshop Presentation Summary

by Mae Kiggins

Dan Hodges (featured in the photo on the right), Assistant University Registrar, "rocked the boat" at the annual UF Advising Workshop as he summarized many of the changes affecting students and advising this semester. Here is a synopsis of the changes being implemented:

· Prior to registration, students are now required to read and agree to five conditions of enrollment. One of these five conditions is that students will be held liable for tuition and fees for all courses that are on their schedule at the end of drop/add. Another condition is that students who do not pay their fees by the published deadline will be withdrawn (with no academic penalty) from all courses and retain fee liability. Students will have to petition the Student Petitions Committee to re-enroll in their courses if they are dropped.

· University Petition (formerly known as Senate Petition) forms have been redesigned. All personal statements must be typewritten and one page or less in length or they will not be reviewed.

· In compliance with Florida Statue, students are no longer allowed to petition for retroactive refunds more than 6 months after the last day of the semester for which they are seeking a refund.

· Students on Bright Futures Scholarships will have to repay tuition for dropped courses or withdrawals. Petitions can be made to the Student Petitions Committee.

· An Excess Hours Surcharge for hours exceeding 120% of those required for a degree program will be charged beginning with undergraduates entering Fall 2009. AP, IB, CLEP and other credits will be exempt.

· The Dean of Students Office is no longer the first point of contact for withdrawals, the Registrar is. The Application to Withdraw from All Courses in now available on the Registrar’s web site.

For more details, see Dan Hodge’s "Rockin’ the Boat" PowerPoint presentation.

Ask An Advisor

by Ella Tabares

Our “Ask an Advisor” column allows UF advisors to share their viewpoint and experiences. I recently asked some advisors to answer the following question: What was your favorite highlight of the 2009 National NACADA Conference in San Antonio?

“As someone new to advising, I really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with other advisors and hear how they work with their students. Also, with so many sessions to choose from, it was really easy to find ones that fit my different interests. I look forward to returning to another national conference.” Kelly Batouyios (CLAS )

“Seeing my colleague and friend, Ella Tabares, selected as an Emerging Leader.” Sara Mock (CLAS )


“My favorite moments were the times I got to spend with advisors from all over UF. It’s a great way to get to know other advisors away from campus and have fun together.” Lindsey Dedow (Business)

“For me, it was participating in the NACADA choir. It was such a wonderful way to meet other advisors from across the country and it provided me an opportunity to find my own niche within the NACADA organization.” Rachel Nelson (CLAS )

Advisor Toolbox


Kansas State Advising Certificate
Looking for a way to further your education in academic advising without leaving home? Then consider the Graduate Certificate in Academic Advising in Higher Education or the Master of Science in Academic Advising degree through Kansas State University. Both of these graduate programs provide an opportunity for you to gain an understanding of the issues and skills needed to deliver effective academic advising. The certificate requires 15 credits of course work. The master's offers additional course work with two options: Advising Administration or Intercollegiate Athletics and the College Student. All courses are delivered via the Internet. Maureen Cox, an online business advisor, has started the certificate program and welcomes your questions. Thanks for submitting this, Maureen!


A new university-wide advisor contact list is now available on the UF Advising web site. This convenient resource also describes how advising is conducted in each college. This web page come in handy when we refer students to other colleges. Look for additional improvements to the UF Advising website soon! If you have any suggestiong for the website, please contact Kari Ward.


The Academic Advising Center is offering two “Intro to ISISAdmin” workshops, which will provide a general overview of degree audits and how to make adjustments to them. Please RSVP to Kimberly Faison to confirm which session you will attend.

· Thursday, October 22 from 1:00-2:30 p.m.
· Monday, October 26 from 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Toby’s Corner

by Toby Shorey

Here’s a NERDC tip for you: Working on two screens in GATA and keep having to go back and forth? Try typing “R” (without quotes) in the select field and GATA will take you to the previous screen you were on.