Session 1 Workshops (9:45 - 11:00 AM):

A. The Power of Student Engagement
Do you ever wonder how faculty engage students and create spaces for community and belonging? This workshop will showcase examples of faculty who have been doing just that. Through this session you will learn how their efforts to connect students with research and/or provide spaces both inside and outside of the classroom for their active participation benefits faculty, students, our campus and the UC mission.

B. Making Advising Fun
With so many forms and processes, many students come to advisers begrudgingly; making the experience unpleasant for both parties. How do we break this cycle and make advising offices somewhere students are excited to come? By making little adjustments advisers can have a much more positive experience with students. This presentation will include several advisers from both colleges and departments sharing tips for engaging students based in advising research, personal experiences and group discussions with the mission of making advising fun!

Counseling Skills: Connecting with Students
There are times when students’ concerns go beyond the scope of our academic advise, but we can still offer help. In those moments we can provide a safe space for them, if only for a few minutes, and feeling heard can make all the difference. This workshop will cover basic counseling/active listening skills, and offer methods for staying present with students. An interactive activity will be included.

Session 2 Workshops (1:15 - 2:30 PM):

A. Working with exploratory students
Join us for a conversation about exploratory students on our campus.  We will share relevant resources and research as well as the emerging plan that the Office of Campus Advising Coordination is putting together to develop a focused and intentional effort to work with this particular group of students.  We look forward to sharing practical tips that advisers can use to facilitate students going from exploratory to declaring a major that aligns with their abilities, values and interests.

B. Difficult Conversations: Students in crisis talking to their families
Our students come from a range of backgrounds and life experiences. Advisors have to build trust and understand a student's situation in a very short period of time in order to effectively guide them. For students experiencing setbacks, telling their families about their situation might bring support or additional anxiety. This workshop will look at some of the underlying dynamics that might be at play, and offer tips and advice for guiding these conversations.

C. Establishing Campus Partnerships and Making Warm Referrals
How many of you are still learning about on campus resources, who does what, how they do it, and where they are? How many of you have referred students to a campus resource but are not quite sure how to paint a picture of what the student may experience once they get to that office?  This session will highlight when and how to refer students to campus partners and offer an opportunity to connect with colleagues in different units.

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

A. Slug Success - starting conversations with students, sharing conversations with staff
Looking for ideas on how you and your department can use Slug Success to better communicate with students, and as a tool to communicate effectively with colleagues in other units on campus? This presentation will aim to offer expanded ideas and concrete tips that you can implement within Slug Success to support your work and student success across campus.

B. Courageous Conversations
Being able to have courageous conversations where saying no is a gift and takes skill to develop is a necessary part of advising and working with others.  It is also central to ensuring that students find a path while at UCSC and beyond.  Advisers are often working with students that face the prospect of having to change majors, this session will introduce staff to ways they can engage in courageous conversations when it matters most.  Courageous conversations can go a long way in supporting students purposeful actions and decision making.  The session will provide an opportunity to apply the concept to our everyday work.

C. Reflections by Recent Graduates
The recent alumni panel made up of graduates from various colleges and majors will reflect on their experience as students at UCSC and since their graduation.  They will offer important insights into the things that influenced their engagement both inside and outside of the classroom.   Come listen and connect with our alums and learn about ways in which advisers can provide welcoming and inviting conversations that can make all the difference to current students whether they are continuing students or  transfers.  Please bring any questions you might have!