Educational Advisory Board (EAB) Campus Consultation

Open Forum #2 for Main Camus Faculty

Business Development Center, Room 402D

February 13, 2018

9:00-10:00AM

Meeting Summary

  • Advising is listed as a duty on faculty’s contract.
  • There is a communication disconnect.
  • Research shows that students that are advised by faculty are more successful.
  • The add/drop and graduation application (Grad Check) process is ridiculous.
  • Faculty would like to know why it can’t be done electronically.
  • There are systemic problems with Enrollment Management.
  • Faculty like being able to meet with students to discuss career paths and not scheduling issues.
  • Advising check points are a good thing.
  • There is a lot of misinformation. Many times Admissions and Records has students bouncing around looking for the correct person/department.
  • BPA’s advising model does not work. Faculty advisors, for the most part, never meet with their students.
  • Advisors were misadvising students, when faculty advisors are the ones who sign off on the plans of study.
  • The BPA Advising Center makes policies.
  • The university can not substitute faculty advising on major courses for staff advisors.
  • Staff advising should be limited to General Education.
  • Nursing has a good model, where advisors are part of the department and attend department meetings.
  • Advisors are teaching courses because lack of resources is an issue.
  • Students confuse them for faculty because they are teaching rigorous courses not just the CSUB 1109s.
  • It raises ethical questions.
  • There are many professional violations. Advisors say to students, “Don’t take this class because that professor is hard.”
  • Is it a workload issue?

-Yes. Everyone is overworked. There are too many students for the faculty-to-student and staff-advisor-to-student ratios.

  • Every time initiatives are rolled out faculty are told that the staff advisors don’t have any time.
  • The university has created a structural issue.
  • Grad Checks are a huge issue.
  • The departments formulate the courses for the Grad Checks and Enrollment Management sends them back with wrong courses listed.
  • There is a lack of policies.
  • Orientations are at random times. Additionally, departments do not get the list of their students attending.
  • Enrollment Management should not have a roll in advising.
  • Enrollment Management should manage enrollment.
  • Students should not be able to be undeclared.
  • They should at least pick a school.
  • Administration decides on a lot of issues without faculty consultation.
  • Block scheduling is an issue.
  • The SSE Kinesiology model works. There is a school advisor paired with the department, creating a team effort. They are trained by the department.
  • The advising issue seems to be more with Enrollment Management.
  • Do you have faith that your administration will make a change?

-Yes, just not a good one.

  • No, everything will remain the same.
  • If you could see one change made, what would it be?

-Give control to schools and faculty.

-Dismiss all advisors and hire more faculty.

-For administration to listen to faculty. There is a small turnout in faculty at this forum because they don’t think anything is going to change.