2012 Winter Advising Forum

FIVE for 2015:
Reaching Campus Goals, Reaching Student Goals

(see the campus “Five for 2015” goals)


Winter Advising Forum
February 13, 2012
Scotts Valley Hilton

Schedule of Events

8:00 – 8:30: Registration and Ice Breaker

8:30 – 8:45: Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:45 - 9:30: An Overview of Student Retention at UC Santa Cruz:

  • Richard Hughey, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education and

  • Julian Fernald, Director of Institutional Research and Policy Studies

9:45 - 10:45: Session 1 Workshops (see descriptions below)

11:00 - 11:45: Latina/os at UCSC: Today and Tomorrow:

  • Jonathan Fox, Department Chair, Latin American and Latino Studies, and

  • Gabriella Arredondo, Associate Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies and Director, Chicano Latino Research Center

  • Alessandra Alvares, Undergraduate Adviser, Latin American and Latino Studies

11:45 - 12:30: Lunch

12:30 - 1:15: Institutional Updates

1:30 - 2:30: Session 2 Workshops (see descriptions below)

2:45 - 3:45: Session 3 Workshops (see descriptions below)

4:00 - 4:30: Wrap-Up and Closing Remarks

Session 1 Workshops:

A. Advising Culturally Diverse Students
Are you confident in your ability to effectively advise students who are culturally different from yourself? Participants in this workshop will be introduced to Cultural Intelligence (CQ), including strategies to increase skills they can use in advising a diverse student population. Donnae Smith, Student Services Diversity and Inclusion Program Coordinator, will present this workshop with an eye toward specific issues that might arise for staff working with students in an advising capacity.

B. Drop-in Development: Moving from Prescription to Problem-Solving
Advising conversations often begin with "simple" questions: What class should I take? What major is right for me? What if I fail this class? In the interest of time and diminished resources, advisers may provide prescriptive answers or directions without prompting students to think critically, evaluate their life goals, or seek their own solutions. This workshop explores ideas and simple techniques for bringing a deeper perspective to even the shortest meetings. Through the lens of cognitive development theory, facilitators Kalin McGraw and Ursula Oberg will suggest ways that advisers can assess students' developmental levels, challenge students to think for themselves, and motivate students toward intrinsic rewards.

C. Transfer Transitions
When transfer students enter UCSC, they experience transitions in multiple areas: new expectations from faculty, new social networks, new institutional procedures, and most often a new home. We know that in addition to these transitions they can face difficulties in identifying their starting point in a major’s curriculum, knowing which GE’s they need to satisfy, and enrolling in classes when prerequisites were taken elsewhere. What can the advising community do to address some of these issues and create a more seamless transition for transfer students? This breakout session will be an interactive, problem-solving discussion designed to identify possible action items to improve the transfer experience. Bring your thoughts and ideas!


Session 2 Workshops:

A. Student Voices: First Generation to College Panel
Most of us have knowledge of at least some of the issues students might face when they are the first in their family to attend college. Much of that knowledge, though, has come from professional literature, research articles, and public talks. This session will feature a panel of UCSC seniors who are the first in their family to attend a university. Hear directly from students about what has contributed to their success, and their suggestions for how advisers can best support students in earning a degree and reaching their academic goals. Marie Yoo, Stevenson College Academic Preceptor, will facilitate the panel.

B. New Directions: CEP, CAFA, and DUE
Have you at times wondered how the individual policies and procedures you work with every day fit into the bigger picture? Join Eileen Zurbriggen, chair of the Committee on Educational Policy, June Gordon, chair of the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid, and Richard Hughey, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, for an informal panel and Q & A session addressing the foci and priorities of CEP, CAFA, and the Division of Undergraduate Education this year, and how those foci might relate to larger campus goals.

C. Legal Issues In Advising
Most of us are well versed in FERPA and familiar with the ADA, but did you know that there are other legal issues you need to be aware of in your role as an adviser? What can advisers do to ensure that they are working not just in support of their students and the institution, but also in compliance with the law? Join Carole Rossi, Chief Campus Counsel for UC Santa Cruz, as she provides an overview of some important legal issues related to advising such as students' right to due process and the law of agency. (This workshop is also offered in Session 3.)

Session 3 Workshops:

A. Removing Barriers: Working with UCSC Students with Learning Disabilities
What should I do if I suspect a student has a learning disability? Should I treat a student with a learning disability differently than other students? Is it a "Learning Disability" or a "Learning Difference?" David Tylicki, the Disability Resource Center's LD Program Coordinator, presents an overview of the over two-hundred UCSC students with learning disabilities and how to provide effective service and support to this "at-risk" population.

B. Increasing your Mental Health IQ
Did you know that twenty-six percent of the eighteen and over population in the United States in a given year has a diagnosable mental health disorder? That nearly half of all college students say that they have felt so depressed that they found it difficult to function during the last school year? This session will expand on what we know nationally regarding mental health problems and what we know about our current students. Mike Yamauchi-Gleason, College Administrative officer, certified instructor of Mental Health First Aid and former chair of the UCSC Mental Health Task Force will provide an overview of mental health problems within our student population and what steps we can take to support them as they strive towards academic success.

C. Legal Issues In Advising
Most of us are well versed in FERPA and familiar with the ADA, but did you know that there are other legal issues you need to be aware of in your role as an adviser? What can advisers do to ensure that they are working not just in support of their students and the institution, but also in compliance with the law? Join Carole Rossi, Chief Campus Counsel for UC Santa Cruz, as she provides an overview of some important legal issues related to advising such as students' right to due process and the law of agency. (This workshop is also offered in Session 2.)