To: Dr. Keith Miller, Provost & Vice Chancellor
From: The Advisory Council for Comprehensive Academic Advising
Date: May 27, 2004.
Re: AY 2003-4 Report of the Council’s Recommendations & Activities
The ACCAA is a shared-governance body consisting of student, staff, and faculty members from all UW Oshkosh colleges. It was convened by the Provost in May 2003 for the purpose of making recommendations for the optimization of academic advising practices at UW Oshkosh.
The references which have guided the ACCAA’s deliberations have included:
q The current Faculty Handbook, which defines advising as a component of teaching insofar as faculty duties are concerned;
q Recommendations contained within past advising consultant reports (particularly that of Dr. Habley from January 2002);
q The Personal Development Compact Pilot Program document from February 2002;
q The April 10, 2002 memo from the Provost and the Chancellor announcing the “Advisement Action Plan: First Steps”;
q Recommendations from the Faculty Task Force report from July 24, 2002;
q A report prepared for UW Oshkosh by Dr. Goldberg, Associate VP for System’s Office of Policy Analysis & Research, from April 8, 2003; and
q Academic Advising, A Comprehensive Handbook published by the National Academic Advising Association in 2000.
A quorum of the ACCAA met in September 2003, October 2003, November 2003, December 2003, January 2004, February 2004, April 2004, and May 2004 (the March 2004 meeting did not attract a quorum and no business was conducted). The Council notes with regret that student members were present only at the September, October, and November 2003 meetings.
A partial report from this Council was made to the Provost in January 2004. Today, we would like to provide a comprehensive year-end report of the ACCAA’s work, which is not finished.
q In September 2003, the Council voted to endorse a campus definition of Advising (9 in favor, 0 opposed, 1 abstention; text is attached).
q In October 2003, the Council voted to send you a memo regarding the negative impact that lack of a paper Timetable can have on academic advising (12 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 abstentions).
q In December 2003, the Council voted to endorse the Total Intake Model of advising (the model recommended by Habley, in fact) for our campus (10 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 abstentions).
q In January 2004, two Council participants (myself and Lynn Freeman, ex officio) presented a Faculty College on “Advising as Teaching” open to the campus. Turn-out was poor.
q In February 2004, two Council participants (myself and Lynn Freeman, ex officio) presented the same Faculty College on “Advising as Teaching” to the COEHS, at its invitation. Turn-out was excellent.
q In April 2004, the Council voted to endorse a Role Statement for Students, UARC Academic Advisors, Faculty Advisors, the UARC, Departments, and Colleges (8 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 abstentions; text is attached). This Role Statement presupposes formal adoption of the Total Intake Model for our campus. The Council wishes to add its strong encouragement for the Provost’s continued efforts toward the building of support and consensus for such Roles among the multiple, affected constituent groups -- exactly in the spirit of the Chancellor’s May 3, 2004 memo, Item 1. We further urge the Provost to ensure somehow that sufficient resources (financial and otherwise) be provided for the implementation of the Role Statement.
q In May 2004, the Council formally provided its input for the completion of the Spring 2004 UW System Academic Advising Survey that queries many activities of our campus with regard to comprehensive academic advising.
Our advisory work for the Provost’s Office is not finished by any means. There may well be further campus discussion of the issues on which we have already rendered our opinion. We look forward to participating in activities publicizing advising issues and decisions, such as the Faculty Colleges already offered. Several agenda items have yet to be addressed, including faculty development programs specifically for advising; how to recognize and reward advising as teaching; and how to assess optimized advising practices once they have had time to take hold.
Respectfully submitted,
Dana K. Vaughan, Ph.D.
Chair, ACCAA
This memo was approved by a quorum of the ACCAA at its May 13, 2004 meeting.