2014 Winter Advising Forum

February 13, 2014, at the Scotts Valley Hilton.  Advance registration is required.
Click here to register before January 31. 

Schedule (subject to minor adjustments):

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

8:30 – 8:45 AM:   Welcome:  Stacey Sketo-Rosener, Coordinator of Academic Advising

8:45 – 9:00 AM:   A Quick Overview of Current Issues:  Richard Hughey, Vice Provost and Dean, Undergraduate Education

9:00 – 9:45 AM:   Making Connections -- Advising and Student Success: Jaye Padgett, Professor of Linguistics and Faculty Advisor to the EVC (Retention and Time to Degree)
View the Presentation Materials: Presentation

10:00 - 11:15 AM: Session 1 Workshops (see descriptions below)

11:30 - 11:55 PM: AIS and Policy Updates
View the Presentation Materials: Presentation

11:55: Lunch

12:40 - 1:00 PM:  International Student Presence at UC Santa Cruz:  Brian Childs, International Student Advisor, IEO
View the Presentation Materials: Presentation

1:15 - 2:30 PM: Session 2 Workshops (see descriptions below)

2:45 - 4:00 PM: Session 3 Workshops (see descriptions below)

4:15 - 5:00 PM: Closing Remarks, Advising Community Recognitions, and Drawing

Click here to nominate a member of the advising community for an Advising Community Recognition!

Session 1 Workshops (10:00 - 11:15 AM):
A.  Advising Efficiencies
There is certainly a connection between how efficiently we work and the level of service we are able to offer students.  Our decentralized advising system, however, can result in our not always knowing what innovative practices other advising offices are using to support effectiveness and efficiency -- we don't have a "water cooler" around which to casually discuss best practices.  Join Tina Nikfarjam (Sociology) as she facilitates a panel of staff who have used innovative techniques and technologies to support them in offering high-level advising service.
Presentation, [Lupe's TextExpander], [Porter's Online Appointment Vendor],
Academic Course Planner, ACP Tutorial
B.  Major Exploration for the Truly Undecided Student
With the seemingly overwhelming pressures students face when thinking about their majors and careers, choosing a major can feel impossible to many students! Join Sara Radoff (Kresge College) and Denise Booth (College Nine) as they discuss what they learned through the development of a major exploration workshop.  They will share prominent research on major exploration and relevant student development theory, and will consider these within a UCSC context.  Participants will have the opportunity to engage in groups to share best practices and develop future possibilities for the campus advising community in working with students who are making important major and academic decisions..
View the Presentation Materials: Presentation, Handout
C. Learning Styles and Effective Study Strategies – Using what we know to help our struggling students
Students struggle academically for a variety of reasons. This session, led by Learning Specialist and Service Coordinator Rick Gubash of the Disability Resource Center, is designed to help advising professionals support and encourage struggling students. The session will begin with discussion of learning styles and how they can be used to help students understand their own strengths as well as how they learn best. The second part of this session will provide study and time management strategies that can help struggling students regain control and improve study efficiency.  Handouts will be provided including well-supported study strategies and a quick screening tool for identifying students who may have learning disabilities and significantly impacting anxiety. This tool will also provide appropriate language for making Disability Resource Center referrals.
View the Presentation Materials: Presentation, Handout
Session 2 Workshops (1:15 - 2:30 PM):
A. Supporting Student Learning Through Online Education
We've all heard the buzz about online education, but many of us are not clear on the variety of ways in which online classes can work.  This presentation will include a brief overview of the status of UC Online opportunities, followed by a presentation by UCSC Mathematics faculty members Tony Tromba and Frank Bauerle, who have been selected to develop a four quarter calculus sequence through UC's Innovative Learning and Technology Initiative.  Besides sharing specific information about the classes they have developed, they will discuss what they have learned about the benefits and drawbacks of online learning.
B. Making Connections Across Generations
Generational differences affect both our communication with others in the workplace and our communication with the students we serve.  This workshop will explore the four generations who currently work and study at UCSC, their similarities and differences, and strategies for ensuring effective and respectful cross-generational communication.  This workshop is an abbreviated version of "Communicating Across Generations," which is offered through the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program, and will be presented by Frank Widman, Senior Technical Training Consultant, UCSC Training and Development.
View the Presentation Materials: Presentation, Handout
C. Connecting Students to the Health Career They'll Love
Many of us have encountered students who are enthusiastic about going to medical school or being a physician, but they may not have fully considered whether such a path would be a good fit for their skills, values, and interests.  Join Hugo Mora-Torres, STEM Career Adviser in UCSC's Career Center, as he discusses ways advisers can help students think realistically about preparing for health-related careers, even if their academic records are not stellar.  Participants will be introduced to the broad range of career opportunities in the health fields, and ways to encourage possible career paths consistent with students' strengths and dreams.
[Career Center, Pre-Health], [AAMC], [Exploring Health Careers]

Session 3 Workshops (2:45 - 4:00 PM):
A.  A Day in the Life of an International Student
There are more international students at UCSC than ever before, and this population will continue to grow in the foreseeable future. Working with international students can bring new challenges. This interactive session with Brian Childs and Linda Harris, International Student Advisors in the International Education Office, will explore the experiences that international students face while studying in the U.S. To support their success, best practices for advising this unique student population will be shared as well as pertinent student related immigration regulations that internationals must learn in addition to adjusting to US culture and life at UC Santa Cruz.
View the Presentation Materials: Presentation
B.  What Connects Me
Student engagement is highly connected to persistence and graduation.  How do students at UCSC positively engage with the campus, and how can advisers support this engagement? What strategies can be used to outreach to those students who are less likely to engage and induce those students to participate in effective programs and practices?  In this session, EOP Academic Counselor Lilly Pinedo Gangai will facilitate a diverse panel of UCSC students as they describe positive and negative experiences making connections on campus, and how those experiences may have affected their persistence.  Bring your questions!
C.  I am not a Fake: Beating the Imposter Syndrome
Have you ever heard a student say, “I am not smart enough to be at UCSC, ” or “I got to UCSC because I was lucky?”   Sometimes intelligent, very competent students may feel like frauds or believe that luck is the main reason for their success.    Beilnda Rubalcava, LCSW, Psychotherapist with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), will explore strategies on how to help students cope with the imposter syndrome.
View the Presentation Materials: Presentation

Many Thanks!

The following businesses have generously contributed prizes for our drawing, and we are very appreciative of their support:

•  Betty Burgers

•  Cinema 9

•  Mission Hill Creamery

•  Nickelodeon Theatres

•  Noah's New York Bagels

•  Pacific Cookie Company

•  Palace Art and Office Supply

•  Paper Vision

•  Woodstock Pizza