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.