Advisor Spotlight: Erica Byrnes

by Kari Ward

After four years, Erica Byrnes is stepping down from her role as chair of the Undergraduate Advising Council (UAC). Erica, who is the Associate Director for Advising in the School of Business, has worked tirelessly on behalf of UF’s advising and student communities. She has altogether revitalized the UAC, transforming the group into a dynamic, productive forum. As UAC Chair, Erica has insured advisors’ voices are heard by garnering a seat for us on the Council of Academic Deans. In creating the UAC sub-committees, she has provided UF advisors with numerous professional development opportunities, greatly increased our presence on our campus, and helped foster our sense of community. Though far from over, her contributions and leadership have left an indelible mark on the UF community.

You took on the role of chairing the UAC very soon after your promotion to Associate Director of Advising for the School of Business. Why did you make that decision?

The idea of bringing together advisors from across the campus to discuss common issues and solutions is incredibly powerful to me – I really believe in the idea of collaborative problem solving. Jeanna Mastrodicasa was the Chair of the UAC when I first started attending regularly. Around that time, Jeanna was searching for a vice-chair (she had just been elected Chair after Brian Ray was deployed to Iraq). I volunteered (she promised me she wasn’t going to Iraq anytime soon), she was promoted months later, and the rest is history! I jumped at the opportunity to chair an organization whose mission I really believe in. Collaborating across campus makes the advising community a stronger united front than we would be if we existed as silos in our independent colleges and disciplines.

What do you feel are your greatest accomplishments as chair of the UAC?

After I became the Chair of the UAC, I immediately began meeting with the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education to promote the UAC and ensure that our relationship with the central administration was strong. Through our conversations, I learned that many key administrators at UF believed the UAC had been disbanded. I lobbied to maintain the UAC as a Presidential Committee and was successful. This accomplishment means the most to me, because it means that advisors on campus will continue to have a forum and a space to come together to identify best practices and discuss policies relevant to student success on campus.

From your standpoint, what do you believe are the greatest challenges the UF advising community faces?

Academic advising is such a young profession. One of the greatest challenges I see for advisors, in general, is a lack of cohesion as a group of professionals which leads to less visibility by other academic affairs professionals. The UF advising community faces a distinct challenge in this arena because our advising model is so decentralized. Advisors on campus have varying levels of jurisdiction to apply and interpret policies, and even to make policy recommendations to their deans, directors, and supervisors. Those discrepancies have the potential to block professional progress for advisors on campus if we do not come together to discuss and lobby for our ideas about best practices. I would love to see the regular membership of the UAC grow to a more representative sample (there are approximately 300 people on the UFADVISORS listserv and about 40 regular attendees at the UAC).

What do you like most about your job?

I most enjoy the diversity that my job offers. My time is split among many professional activities that I love: advising students, working with student organizations, supervising an outstanding team of academic advisors, teaching Warrington Welcome: First Year Florida, engaging in administrative projects, making policy recommendations, and probably tons of other things that I am not thinking of right now! The diversity doesn’t stop at the content of my days though; every day I look forward to working with many different types of people who represent every possible world view. I feel like I learn something new every day, which keeps things interesting and makes my job intrinsically rewarding.

What’s the funniest question a student has asked you?

I have a lot of favorites that stretch across different themes. One humorous thing a student emailed me with recently was: “How do I know what level a course is? I need a 3000-4000 level. Is SDS 3340 at that level? Thank you!” Questions like this bring a smile to my face, but they also help me embrace the concept of advising as teaching – on many levels we really are teaching our students how to navigate the university system.

What is your favorite TV show (or movie, music, etc.)?

I’m a huge nerd fan of Iron Chef America. In fact, it’s the only TV show I watch regularly! I’ve been thinking that we should do an “Iron Academic Advisor” event in the future . . .

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I enjoy cooking, eating, and drinking wine. Usually in that order! I also enjoy traveling and most outdoor activities (especially if they involve the aforementioned foodie interests). When the weather is nice you might catch me riding my bright yellow handcycle around the east side of town.

Husband/wife/partner? Kids? Dogs? Cats? Others?

No/yes/ditto. No kids. Two dogs, one cat, and a few squirrels outside my office window!

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

I have a serious office supply fetish!

5th Annual Academic Advisors’ Workshop

by Ella Tabares



Workshop organizers Sara Mock, Jaime Little, and Maureen Cox





For the fifth year in a row, the Undergraduate Advising Council (UAC), with the support of the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs, held the Annual Academic Advisors’ Workshop. This past September, advisors and staff from across campus came together, exchanged ideas, and attended workshops on a range of issues pertinent to the UF advising community. This year, the array of workshops touched on a variety of “hot button” issues, such as working with first-generation students, the growing HS/AA student population, and the approaches that different colleges use when changing students’ majors.


Approximately 100 UF advisors, faculty, and staff attended

Wanda Washington and Marcy Davis

the day-long event at Emerson Alumni Hall. The workshop kicked off with a breakfast provided by DSO’s New Student and Family Programs Office and a resource fair where representatives from all over campus were available to answer questions about their services and programs for students. Fair attendees included the Counseling and Wellness Center, UF’s Reading and Writing Center, Student Legal Services, International Programs, the Center for Leadership and Service, and others.

Dr. Albert Matheny and Ella Tabares

Dr. Luis Ponjuan, this year’s keynote speaker, provided recent data on three years of first-time enrolled UF students. He pointed out that while UF boasts a graduation rate of 82% over a six year time period, advisors need to identify and work with undergraduates who may be overlooked (e.g. first generation college students, students of color, students from low income families, and even male students). Dr. Ponjuan urged UF advising offices to collaborate, leverage resources, focus on key benchmarks, and communicate our efforts to stakeholders. His final recommendation for advisors was to embrace “a student’s life is waiting” perspective to insure that our students have a great advising experience. To view Dr. Ponjuan’s full presentation, click here.

Aside from seeing other advisors from across campus and learning a lot during the individual sessions, I really enjoyed discovering that our advising community is concerned about advising first generation students. Jeff Citty, Engineering

Dr. Angela Lindner, Deb Mayhew, and Jeff Citty


I really enjoyed the “Counseling Skills for Advisors” workshop. What stuck with me most was our discussion of Karpman’s Drama Triangle, which labels each party in the advising process as prosecutor, victim, or rescuer. This theory has given me a new perspective on how I view students and has helped me to avoid generalizing my advising sessions. Adam Jordan, CALS Biology 




David Maas, Cynthia Blunt, and Rocky Rockwell

Hearing from the Dr. Glover was, as always, interesting and informative. I like the upfront and honest way that Dr. Glover communicates. It was also especially enjoyable to hear from and finally have the opportunity to meet Toby Shorey. Kenneth Foote, PHHP

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2010 UF Advising Workshop. The sessions planned for the workshop were relevant to the advising field and extremely informative. I especially benefited from the “First Generation College Student” panel. It was wonderful to learn about what this population experiences directly from the students. The students provided wonderful insight into the academic advising needs of first generation students. I look forward to next year’s workshop! Holly Turner Moses, Health Education & Behavior



I attended "The Student Perspective on Advising" session The students were very honest and provided a lot of insight into the methods that they would like to see advisors use to communicate and interact with them. Sallie Schattner, Rinker School of Building Construction

Here is what some attendees had to say about the workshop:

Engaging Parents as UF Partners: The DSO’s Family Chat Program

by Jill Lingard

Academic advisors sometimes think of parents as helicopters swooping down on their college kids’ lives. The Dean of Students Office (DSO) has found a way to harness that energy through their family chat program.

In its second year this fall, the DSO has reached out to over 500 parents through bi-monthly online chats. General themes highlight areas like transitioning to UF academically and socially, preparing for mid-term and final exams, and planning ahead for summer and sophomore year. Each session lasts two hours, and the DSO’s analysis shows that most parents remain actively engaged in each chat for an hour or more.

Jaime Gresley, Asst. Dean Director
of New Student
and Family Programs

When asked why the DSO goes to such lengths to connect with parents, Jaime Gresley, Assistant Dean and Director of New Student and Family Programs, explained “We want to be proactive with family members and make parents our partners. Through conversations with them, we can often identify and work on student issues before they mushroom into larger problems.”

Parents bring a wide array of topics to the conversations, but many of their questions center on areas familiar to academic advisors--transitioning from high school to UF, course expectations, and major exploration. On the social side, they worry about their students finding their niche outside of the classroom, connecting with friends and peers, and in some cases dealing with homesickness.

To help field the range of questions parents pose, each chat session usually involves a professional and student staff member from the DSO, often a member of the Division of Housing, sometimes a representative from the Counseling Center, as well as an academic advisor or two.

Lynn O’Sickey from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been a regular participant in family chats. “I enjoy hearing from parents, helping them understand what’s going on at UF,” commented O’Sickey. “I especially enjoy when one parent is particularly worried or frustrated and the other parents offer common sense advice instead of feeding anxiety. . . I recall one chat in which a parent brought up her student’s complaint about teachers with accents. It was satisfying to point out that there are lots of people in the US with accents and that the student will probably get used to it pretty quickly if he/she sits up front and pays attention. Some of the other parents agreed with that and another advisor pointed out that, in our global society, learning to cope with accents will be a helpful skill.”

Gresley is eager to recruit more academic advisors to these sessions, since so many questions relate to our areas of expertise. “The DSO counts on a referral network of academic experts for the work we do,” says Gresley, “and we are so grateful to the academic advising community for the support they provide us.”

Interested in participating in an upcoming family chat session? Here’s the schedule of remaining chat sessions for the academic year. If you’re interested, contact Jaime Gresley.

Wednesday, December 1, 5-7PM

Wednesday, December 1, 5-7PM

Thursday, December 16, 11AM-1PM

Thursday, January 13, 11AM-1PM

Wednesday, January 26, 5-7PM

Thursday, February 24, 11AM-1PM

Wednesday, March 2, 5-7PM

Thursday, March 17, 11AM-1PM

Wednesday, April 6, 5-7PM

Kep’s Korner

by Glenn Kepic

The University of Florida had a very strong showing in Orlando at the NACADA Annual Conference in early October. Over 50 UF advisors attended the 34th annual conference and we certainly left our mark on the national advising scene. UF advisors were involved in every aspect of the conference from the planning stage, to offering multiple presentations, to leading the association at various levels.

CLAS Advisors Enjoying a Disney Moment

The University of Florida is quickly becoming recognized as an institution with a strong commitment to outstanding academic advising and many institutions look to us for leadership in the field. This is an exciting time to be an advisor at UF! Please continue to take advantage of the many wonderful professional development opportunities NACADA has to offer. In case you missed either of the keynote addresses, you can view them both here:



NACADA Presenter Christy Oxendine



Rey Junco - Video

Vasti Torres - Video

I am also pleased to invite you to participate in a NACADA webinar that will take place on December 15, 2010 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in the AAC Presentation Room. This webinar will occur during finals week, so hopefully many of you will be able to attend. See Academic Advising for Student Retention and Persistence: Cultivating the Potential in At-Risk Students for details.

Course Updates and Announcements

Here are some courses that you might want to recommend to students for Spring 2011 (Click on orange course numbers to view additional details.)



ANS 2002 The Meat We Eat
This course is a non-major specific lecture course that is designed to create a more informed consumer of animal muscle products and address current issues in animal agriculture. This three hour course counts as a biological science (B).

ART 4930C Visualizing Science
This course is for juniors and seniors in science and other research-related majors, who want to learn the principles of graphic and information design.

Ask an Advisor

Our “Ask an Advisor” column allows UF advisors to share their viewpoint and experiences. We recently asked some advisors to answer the following question: What is the most useful advice you’ve received about being an advisor?

Try to be a good listener and "clue in" on the full range of each student's needs or concerns. Here in Wildlife, I work in partnership with our faculty by encouraging students to seek out mentorship. By listening well, I can direct students toward the kinds of mentoring relationships with faculty that really enhance their education and carry forward into their future. Claire Williams, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

To take the time to listen and understand what the student's needs are and then do my best to help them succeed. Sallie Schattner, Rinker School of Building Construction

Be a good advisor not for accolades or monetary reward, because you will receive none. Be a good advisor because you love to help students succeed in college. If you do get rewarded, it will be years later when an alumnus tells you that you had a positive influence on his or her life. Bon Dewitt, Geomatics

Academic advisors don’t tell students what to do. Academic advisors provide accurate and informative information so students can make the best decisions about their academic , career, and personal goals. Academic advisors help students visualize the possibilities for their future. Renee Clark, School of Business

Remember that people do not always come to ask for your help or a solution to their problems or struggles. Many just want to be able to talk to someone and feel validated that what they are feeling is okay, that it is not out of the ordinary for them to feel stressed or overwhelmed. This helps me keep things in perspective. Robert Kwong, Liberal Arts & Sciences

NACADA 2010 Presentation: Save Green by Going Green

by Sarah Eberhart

Sarah Eberhart, an academic advisor in the College of Health and Human Performance, gave a joint presentation at this year’s annual NACADA conference. She delivered the presentation Save Green by Going Green with former colleagues from East Carolina University (ECU). This topic was particularly relevant to Sarah’s co-presenters--Dave Bucci, Amy Shannon, and Mary Gabrielsen--given the limited funding and technology resources available at their school. Having experienced the technology drought at ECU firsthand, and then having access to all of the great advising technology at UF (i.e., ISIS-Admin, computerized walk-in systems, etc.), Sarah thought this topic would be interesting to explore and allow her to reconnect with former colleagues. Here’s a modified excerpt from her presentation:

“Technology” and “going green” have become prominent buzzwords for today’s academic advisor. Professional advising conferences and listservs are inundated with technology-based techniques and suggestions aimed at facilitating advisement, easing financial burden, and minimizing environmental impact. With the current economy directly affecting higher education funding, and the student population being technologically focused, technology has become important not only for advancement in the field but also for advisor survival.

The keys to successful implementation of technology in advising hinge on working with available and reliable resources and the willingness of advisors to seek the means to a positive end. A lesser-funded institution may be required to fend for itself as they seek to instill simple technological advances (such as e-mail and e-folder based advising). The prominence of free technologies (use of online applications, such as Google™ Docs rather than software, such as Microsoft™ Word) has further increased resource availability and provides another avenue for cash-strapped advisors.

Better funded schools will have more options at their disposal. For example, advisors in the College of Health & Human Performance (HHP) at UF use both simple and more advanced technologies. To reduce the amount of e-mail we send, advisors created a weekly e-newsletter for HHP students, faculty, and staff using Dream Weaver. The e-newsletter includes announcements relating to academics, school events, student organizations, and other opportunities. Our college’s IT personnel created an online scheduling system that allows students to view HHP advisors’ electronic calendars and schedule their own advising appointments. One of the great benefits of this technology is the convenience it offers students—this program gives them access to advisors’ calendars at any time of the day or night, not just during business hours. This technology is a great example of how you can “save green by going green.”

But before worrying which resources to utilize or develop, advisors should be aware of their assets and limitations, the environment and climate they work in, and how to take the first steps toward implementing green technologies.

1-Know your budget and your institution.

While this appears to be a simple step, advisors should be aware of the resources provided by their host institutions for utilization. Before recreating the wheel, advisors should research the availability of programs and personnel. This may also require a realistic understanding of funding limitations.

2- Work with your challenges.

Understand sources of any challenges or challengers. Are you completely restrained by your budget? Are advisors within your department against this change? Does the administration support this change? Each area requires careful navigation of each level and effective leadership to find common ground that will allow for the adoption of new procedures.

3-Take the first step.

The first step is often the most difficult. Keep in mind that the first step does not require a huge leap and may simply entail a small and slow change. Small changes can help minimize staff’s fears and provide sufficient time to effectively train personnel. In developing best practices, it is also important to broach the topic of challenges. With the implementation of third party sources (Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), it is common to fear the loss of privacy. Before implementing such technologies, advisors should be aware of their partnerships and the security of these applications and programs. We should also be cognizant of the accessibility each person has to electronic records and hold the security level of e-files to the same standards as paper files.

Despite the valid concerns about using technology in advising, administrators and advisors are increasing their efforts to implement these tools. Given their prevalence on college campuses, advisors need to embrace new technologies, develop a thorough understanding of their benefits and limitations, and think about how they affect our interactions with students. We encourage you to take this first step and explore what technology can do for your campus.

Advisor Tool Box

Change of Major Procedures for UF Colleges
This document was compiled in conjunction with the 2010 UF Advising Workshop entitled “The Real Deal on ‘Can I Change My Major.’”

Gator Launch
If you know a student who is pursuing a major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) and who identifies with an underrepresented population—including gender, economic status, ethnicity, and sexual orientation—consider referring them to the CRC’s Gator Launch program. This professional development program teaches students how to find internships and full-time jobs and provides them with a mentor who currently works in a related field. The CRC has some fun student spotlights you can use when you are discussing this program with your students. Ask CRC for logo.

Free Rice.com

Advisor Karen Ehlers says “I LOVE . . . www.freerice.com. It’s a great site to practice vocabulary and allows students (and advisors) to get ready for verbal portions of any graduate/professional exam. Each time you answer correctly, you donate 10 grains of rice. Play 10 minutes a day, and you can donate a bowl of rice to a third world country every day!!!”