Academic Advising Support Committee

Purpose

The purpose of the AASC is to:

• Collaborate and provide guidance on new academic advisor training topics and ongoing academic advisor professional development
• Discuss best practices to promote an effective academic advising system throughout the University to enhance academic advising for all students
• Ensure students are educated on academic advising expectations, their role in academic advising, and their responsibilities in the advisor-advisee relationship
• Create opportunity for open dialog and feedback from students, faculty, and staff regarding academic advising
• Present the concerns of academic advisors to administration as appropriate
• Annually review and revise academic advising resources (e.g. the Advising Handbook, Academic Advising Guide, etc.)
• Conduct institutional assessments of academic advising to determine effectiveness and identify potential areas of improvement
• Develop a communication plan for academic advisors to share critical information throughout the academic year

Membership

Each member will serve 1 year with the option to continue serving at the end of their designated term. Membership for the AASC will be open to volunteers. The AASC is comprised of:

• Chair (Ex-Officio: Assistant Director of Student Success)
• 4-5 IFO members
  • 2 IFO members from BEPS & 2 IFO members from ALS
    • 2 should be new advisors with 1-3 years of experience, 2 should be returning advisors with 4+ years of experience
  • 1 coach or the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR)
    • If no coach volunteers to participate, the FAR may serve ad hoc, or as both a BEPS/ALS and FAR member
• 4 MSUAASF members
  • 1 from the Office of Online Learning and Transfer Partnerships
  • 1 from the Registration & Records Office
  • 1 from Access Opportunity Success or Office of Diversity & Inclusion
  • 1 general representative from MSUAASF
• 1 AFSCME member (an administrative assistant for an academic department)
• 1 Administrator (either the Provost, the Dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, or the Dean of the College of Business, Education, and Professional Studies)
• 2 student representatives (1 first-year student and 1 upperclassmen)

Activity

AASC meetings occur monthly and are approximately 1 hour in duration. The committee meets to discuss the topics mentioned above as well as other relevant items that academic advisors and student advisees may bring to the table.

For more information or to inquire about getting involved with the AASC, please contact Kaitlyn Giles, Assistant Director of Student Success, at 507-537-7273 or Kaitlyn.Giles@smsu.edu.