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: