Advisor Spotlight: Wanda “College of Public Health, Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy” Washington

by Kari Ward

Hi Wanda!  Sorry about the name of this article, but I couldn’t resist.  Every time I think of you, I always think about how much fun it is hear you introducing yourself with this mile long title!  You’ve been a fixture in the UF advising community for a long time.  Still, I imagine there is a lot we don’t know about you.  Please tell us more about yourself, like where you’re from and how long you’ve worked at UF?

I was actually born in Gainesville, but my family moved to Miami when I was in 4^th grade. After graduating from high school, I came back to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida.  I graduated with a degree in history in 1980 and earned a Master’s in Educational Leadership in 1998.  I can’t even begin to explain how much I love UF and Gator football!  I have worked at UF since 1987, beginning at the Marston Science Library and then moving on to be an Admission Officer before becoming an advisor.  I am an only child and, if you ever come to my house, I will show you the shrine erected to me by my mother.   

OK, I want to know more about this shrine.  And why did you major in history?

I am an only child and the shrine consists of pictures of me at various ages from nine months to adulthood, along with a Lladro figurine coincidentally named Wanda, grouped together in the living room.  I still get asked by people who have not been to my house in a while if the shrine is still up. I majored in history because, since childhood, I’ve enjoyed learning about historical figures and biographies are still my favorite reads.

What do you like most about your job? 

Interacting with the students and seeing them go from nervous freshmen at Preview to graduation gives me the greatest enjoyment in my career.  I love encouraging students to strive toward reaching their goals and not to settle for less. I encourage them to try some of the fun activities I didn’t do as an undergraduate, like studying abroad.  Something else that is great about my job is that I get to teach the pre-pharmacy First Year Florida class. Seeing so many of my former students exceling in pharmacy school is one of the coolest things about my job.

What do you like least about your job?

Having to explain to a student why they were denied admission to one of our majors.  Also dealing with parents who are trying to push their child into a major they clearly do not want and have no interest in.  I also get frustrated sometimes by students who I know can do better and choose not to.

Tell me a funny story about a student . . .

One of the funniest I remember is about a student who had been admitted to pharmacy school.  His mother actually pulled me aside because she wanted to know what type of clothes she should buy him.  When I realized she was serious, I suggested long pants and a couple of collared shirts.

Wow, I’ve can’t say I’ve ever been asked for wardrobe advice.  So, what is a typical day like for you, Wanda?

A typical day is seeing lots of students and answering lots of emails. Spring is particularly hectic because, in addition to appointments and emails, I have to review admission files and serve as an interviewer for pharmacy school admissions. I see a lot of students, but I am blessed to have colleagues in all of my colleges who help with advising and keep me sane!

What’s it like to work with nursing and pre-pharmacy majors? 

In addition to nursing and pharmacy students, I also advise public health and health professions students.  Most of my students are great to work with.  I enjoy them because most of them want to make a difference in the world and make it a better place.

We see you at UAC all the time.  Are you active in any other groups or committees?

I’m currently a member of the Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Committee and am the advisor for the College of Public Health and Health Professions Health Science Student Organization.

Tell us a little known fact about yourself.

When I lived in Gainesville, I went to P.K. Yonge and marched in the Gator Parade with my 3^rd grade class.

What is your favorite TV show?  What kind of music do you like?

Anyone who is my friend on Facebook knows I am a notorious trash TV watcher.  If a show has “Real Housewives” in the title, I’m watching.  Watching trash TV is fun because it makes my very large family seem normal. Did I mention my mother had 21 brothers and sisters?  This probably explains why I am an only child.  Right now I am listening to Adele, Whitney, Lady Antebellum, and Pitbull on my iPod.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

My two favorite outside activities are reading and traveling.  I have been to Europe twice and am hopelessly in love with Paris. New Zealand is my goal for this summer

Reflections on UF’s 6th Annual Advising Conference

by Kari Ward

I don’t know about you, but the 6^th Annual Advising Conference held at the end of January taught me a lot about the UF advising community.  At the gathering, advisors from UF and Santa Fe came together to share their ideas and accomplishments with others who share their profession.  On an individual level, we learned about the kinds of projects and issues UF advisors are working on and we also had a rare opportunity to listen to the thoughts and life experiences of one of our most beloved advisors.  Jill Lingard’s interview with Dr. Matheny was, by far, the highlight of my day—I so appreciated Dr. Matheny’s humor and candor and I feel privileged to have witnessed such an historical event.  Dana Myers’ “Walking the Line” panel, which focused on ethical decision-making, also gave me real insight into the individual thought processes advisors engage in, as well as the commonalities and differences in our advising philosophies. 

On a broader scale, the advising conference allowed me to compare administrative and advising practices among colleges.  I felt thrilled to finally get an answer to a long held question.  For years, I’ve wondered why UF is so decentralized.  Wouldn’t it be better, in terms of consistency for our students, if everyone had to follow the same rules?  But through various discussions at the conference, I realized that instead of creating dissonance the decentralized model recognizes that colleges, like students, have individual needs, interests, and backgrounds and that the “one rule fits all” model would actually disadvantage our students. From now on, I will look at colleges as “cultures!”

The medical petitions seminar exposed everyone to some of the amazing things that go on at the university level.  Learning about the Dean of Students “Culture of Care” philosophy, which was born out of their desire to show greater sensitivity to students in crisis, showed a measure of compassion that we don’t always see on large university campuses.  And Dr. DeSantis’ using his presentation as an opportunity to obtain advisors’ feedback on the medical petitions process also showed me how important and productive it can be for advisors to share their opinions and work collaboratively with offices that may or may not directly relate to advising.

On an even greater scale, academic advisors had the opportunity to learn about the state of our university and higher education from Drs. Glover and Mair.  I was surprised and proud to hear that other institutions look to our school as a model for advising, student retention, and graduation rates.  The administrators’ presence and message at the conference showed me that advisors’ efforts are, in fact, valued on this campus.  I savored every moment of the spontaneous Q&A session we had with Dr. Glover, grateful for the freedom we have to take part in such an open discussion and for the rare chance to hear my colleagues direct thoughtful and pertinent questions to a higher level administrator.

The coordinators of the conference—Maureen Cox (chair), Karen Bray, Erica Byrnes, Sarah Eberhardt , Glenn Kepic, Jaime Little, Deb Mayhew, and Dana Myers—did a fantastic job of organizing the event.  The time, thought, and energy they put into planning was fully evident to me--holding the conference in spring demonstrated their sensitivity to advisors’ schedules, the morning plenary session with Dr. Matheny showed their desire to engage and entertain us, and the sessions they featured wholly addressed our needs as advisors.  I will close by saying how proud and thankful I feel to be a part of the great advising community at the University of Florida.  I hope you feel that way, too!

StrengthsQuest

by Leslie Pendleton and Beth Nahlik

Think about the days you feel on top of your game. Everything is going right and you easily find energy to move onto the next advising appointment or project.  Opportunities to be at our best should happen every day.  How can we make sure that we, and every member of our team, are using our strengths at work?  How can we help our students use their strengths in school?  How can we teach them to leverage their talents in the classroom, in student organizations, in their relationships, their career, and throughout their lives?

Leslie Pendleton, Director

Florida Opportunity Scholars Program

Over the last three years, UF has used the Gallup Organization’s StrengthsQuest (SQ) assessment to do just this.  The assessment, which is widely used in corporate America and higher education, helps students and professionals identify their personal strengths.  The SQ assessment is an online tool that takes only 30 minutes to complete.  Centered on 34 identified talent themes, the SQ reveals each individuals’ top five strengths. 

Student Affairs, the Center for Leadership and Service, New Student and Family Programs, the School of Business, the Department of Recreational Sports, and most recently the College of Dentistry and Office of Human Resources have implemented SQ in various ways.

Beth Nahlik, Assistant Director

Center for Leadership and Service

New Student and Family Programs is using SQ in their work with Preview staffers.  Students’ results are now incorporated into Preview training and feedback sessions, and they are also used as a conversational tool to help staffers get to know each other better.  The School of Business is using SQ in Warrington Welcome (First Year Florida) classes to help students discover their talents and integrate them into their academic and career plans.  SQ training is continued in their Florida Leadership Academy and in business student organization experiences.  The Department of Recreational Sports has incorporated SQ into the UF performance appraisal process and staff meetings.  Cat Cramp, Associate Director for Recreational Sports, says “Focusing on what people bring to the team helps individuals feel valued and we get to learn more about our colleagues in the process.”  SQ can also lend itself to academic advising.  For example, advisors with SQ training can help students identify their areas of high talent which, in turn, can help them select a major or career that will allow those strengths to shine.

Want to learn more about SQ?  The Gallup Organization offers free webinars for those who are interested.  If you would like to take the assessment, you can purchase an instrument for $10 by emailing info@strengths.ufl.edu at the Center for Leadership and Service. If you’d like to learn more about the instrument and how you can use it with your students, or if you’d like to schedule an appointment for you to learn more about your strengths, please contact Leslie Pendleton or Beth Nahlik.  Perhaps one of the greatest benefits to working in higher education is the continual opportunity to learn more about ourselves and to capitalize on what we do best so that we can help our students be their best!  SQ is yet another tool that we can use in this process.

Online Business Course Offerings for Summer 2012

by Jill Lingard

With the recent elimination of incoming testing credit as a basis for waiving the summer residency requirement, more undergraduates may be looking to take courses this summer.  UF’s Online Business Program may fill the bill with offerings related to business majors and minors.  All courses will be offered over the 12-week Summer C term, except ACG2071 (Summer A) and ENT 3003 (Summer B).

ACG2021     Financial Accounting
ACG2071     Managerial Accounting
BUL4310     Legal Environment of Business
ENT3003     Principles of Entrepreneurship
FIN3403      Business Finance
MAN3025     Principles of Management
MAR3023     Principles of Marketing
MAR3231     Introduction to Retailing Systems

Students will be able to view taped campus lectures online and take their exams at one of 26 test sites across Florida.  Out-of-state testing is not available.  Details about how to register for these online courses, their fees, course descriptions, syllabi, and statewide testing options can be found on the Online Business Courses web site.

Advising Health and Legal Professions Students

Pre-Health Advising

by Christine Richmond

Did you know the MCAT, the entrance exam that most medical schools require, is changing its content effective Spring 2015?  Current freshmen who decide to take the MCAT in their senior year, and the majority of next year’s incoming class, will take this new exam.  For that reason, advisors should encourage pre-med students to take SYG2000, PSY2012, STA2023, and BCH4024 or CHM3218 (biochemistry). Since these are not necessarily prerequisites for medical schools, there may be other ways students can gain competency in these areas (i.e. self-study, research, etc.). If you have any questions about the new recommendations, please contact Christine Richmond or Bobbi Knickerbocker.

So, we thought it might be fun to use this forum to take a look at some common misperceptions about pre-health students.

Pre-Health Myth #1:  Most freshmen who come to UF as pre-health students will probably change their minds after a year or two.

How many of you have said “Sure.  This student says he or she is pre-med, but how long will that last?”  It’s true, a lot of students come to Preview thinking they’re going to be doctors or dentists and, after one semester of chemistry, quickly change their minds. But did you know that last year we had over 2,300 current or former UF students apply to graduate health profession programs? That’s almost a third of our typical freshman class. Of the 2,300 applicants, over 800 applied to medical school and almost 1,500 applied to programs like dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or veterinary medicine.  So it’s important to realize that we have many, many students who continue on to become our doctors, dentists, or physical therapists.

As advisors, the best thing we can do for pre-health students is to acknowledge their interests and encourage them to explore all health care career options and to volunteer or shadow so that they can really figure out if this is what they want to do. Personally, I think it’s amazing that so many of our students come to UF genuinely wanting a “helping” career. So try not to fall into the trap of thinking these students just want to make a lot of money or are being pressured by their parents.  Surely some fall into that category, but many are genuinely interested in this career field.

Pre-Law Advising

by Sara Mock

Did you know that there are currently 200 American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law schools in the country?  And that for over five years now, UF has been the top applicant feeder school to ABA-approved law schools in the country, joining other peer institutions such as UCLA, UT-Austin, UC-Berkeley, and the University of Michigan, which are also near the top of that annual list?

 

So, how many UF students actually apply to law school each year?  Annually, an average of 1,150-1,200 UF undergraduates/alumni apply to ABA-approved law schools.  In a typical year, this consists of approximately 550 seniors, 425 recent alumni who apply one to three years after undergraduate graduation, and 225 more seasoned alumni who applied three or more years after undergraduate graduation.  On average, our students/alumni apply to seven law schools and receive an average of three offers of admission.  Each year, approximately 980 UF students/alumni are admitted to at least one law school, and roughly 830 of those applicants enroll in law school each year. 

In future articles, we’ll take a look at trends within law school admission as well as the legal job market in an effort to help our students make well-informed decisions regarding their aspirations to pursue graduate degrees and careers in the legal field.  As always, please let anyone on our pre-law advising team (Nick Mrozinske, Lou Powers, Liz Kazungu, and Sara Mock) know if you have any questions.  We’d be happy to help! 

Kep’s Korner

by Glenn Kepic

Academic advising, along with teaching, research, and service, is central to achieving the fundamental goals of higher education... Of particular importance to academic advising is teaching students to understand the meaning of higher education...and the purpose of the curriculum, [as well as] fostering [their] intellectual and personal development toward academic success and lifelong learning. Though it may vary from one context to another, in every setting academic advising is a multidimensional and intentional process, grounded in teaching and learning, with its own purpose, content, and specified outcomes.  National Academic Advising Association (2004).

With advanced registration right around the corner, it’s a good time to evaluate your personal thoughts and beliefs about academic advising.  What type of advisor are you?  Are you developmental, intrusive, prescriptive, or something combination of these?  Is the way you actually advise students consistent with your beliefs?  Do you need to brush up on department, college, or university policies?  Are there things you can do now to help improve your advising during advanced registration?  Examining these questions now can influence how successful you’ll be in the weeks ahead.     

As advisors, we should think about ways to better serve our students during advanced registration.  Here are some factors to consider when developing a strategy for handling a high volume of students:

• What is the most efficient and effective way for your office to see students during advanced registration (walk-ins, appointments, some combination of both)?

• Which advising services can be delivered in a group setting?

• Are there e-mails or web pages that could be developed for targeted populations to inform them about information they need prior to their advising or registration appointment?

• Do you use social media to share information with your students?

• Is phone and e-mail advising available in your office during peak times?

•  How can you better prepare students for their advising appointment?

• Are there productive activities or exercises that you could make available for students while they wait for their advising session?

• By thinking about these questions now, perhaps we can better serve the large number of students at UF and get more personal satisfaction from the experience!

Advanced Registration Dates for Summer/Fall 2012 are listed below to assist you in planning for advanced registration.  Students now have assigned registration appointments which can be viewed on s21 of NERDC or ISIS Admin.

Advanced Registration Dates for Summer/Fall 2012

Class	Start Date	Start Time
Seniors	March 29	1040am
Juniors	April 2	410pm
Sophomores	April 5	635pm
Freshmen	April 10	645pm
Post Bacc	April 12	910pm

Advisor Tool Box

by Kari Ward

UF Office of Academic Technology Study Skills Videos

AT Teaching Center has test taking, note taking, and time management videos, as well as subject-related videos on chemistry, math, and physics.

 

Higher Education Research Institute (HERI)

Curious about how your first year students compare with the national average on topics ranging from adjustment, to time management, to expectations of college? Or about how many students have meaningful discussions about race and ethnicity?   Take a moment to peruse the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s (CIRP) one page, illustrated reports on “The First Year is a Big Deal” and “Diverse Learning Environments.”  HERI, which is home to CIRP, has other reports and publications that are of interest to advisors.

Holland Code Assessment

Informal assessments make great tools for advisors.  Here is a fast, fun, and free Holland Code Assessment tool that you can administer to your students.  This online quiz helps students match their skills and interests to a particular work environment/job classification. 

Ask an Advisor

by Dana Meyers

Our “Ask an Advisor” column allows UF advisors to share their viewpoint and experiences regarding advising or just life in general.  We recently asked some advisors to answer the following question:

In recalling spring breaks past, what’s a favorite memory?

During my undergraduate years, I always worked full time at Old Navy to earn extra money.  However, when I was a graduate student, I purposefully took spring break off from both school and work to decompress from the first half of the semester and mentally prepare myself for the second half.  This “time off” included visiting family, planned shopping trips to the outlets with friends, and going to St. Augustine.  Holly Turner Moses, Health Education & Behavior

I was born and raised in Michigan—my grandparents and various relatives lived in the Tampa Bay Area.  Over the years we travelled to Florida as a family for Spring Break.  In high school and college I continued the tradition, driving the distance with best friends.  No Daytona Beach hotels for us, though.  We always stayed with family in Indian Rocks Beach, Largo, Clearwater Beach, and Dunedin.  Even though my relatives passed away years ago, it’s still my favorite vacation destination.  Since moving to Florida almost 18 years ago, I’ve been able to visit the area throughout the year—now I don’t have to wait for Spring Break!  Judy Hunter, Journalism and Communications

As a college student, my breaks were usually spent camping with friends as I couldn’t really afford to go on big trips. However, my best Spring Break memories are as a parent, taking trips with my own family. My favorite Spring Break vacation was a week-long cruise with my family, sister, and parents to celebrate my father’s 75^th birthday. Cruise vacations are still one of our favorite ways to spend time together, but it’s a lot harder to coordinate schedules now with adult children who live far away!  Robin Snyder, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

It’s hard to narrow down my favorite memory of SB.  I could go with the cold beaches in mid-March, fighting spiders while kayaking through mangrove tunnels in the Keys, or stumbling across endless bear feces hiking through the Ocala National Forest (I swear they come to the trail just to relieve themselves!)  Without a doubt, my choice is the delightfully empty streets and empty seats that allow us to take a much needed break from the normal rush of campus life.  Barbi Barber, Environmental Engineering Sciences

If you are talking about when I was an undergraduate student... my favorite memory is something that did not happen.  Every spring break, I was invited to play in Madison Square Garden for March Madness NCAA basketball.  [I played cornet and was a member of the Syracuse University Sour Citrus Society . . .  “Go Orange!”]  And every March Madness week, I was unable to go play with the band because of mid-term exams, and the exams that came after March break. It was difficult that I could not attend, but I needed to study and graduate on time!  My advisor use to give me pep talks about this!  Karen Bray, Natural Resources and Environment