Academic Initiatives Budget Narrative

Academic Advising Center

1. Outline: History, Structure, and Function

The Academic Advising Center (AAC) was created through Academic Initiatives, first drafted in fall 2003 and given final approval by the UW-L administration in spring 2004. Upon recommendation of a search and screen committee and the Provost, the first director of the Academic Advising Center began work on July 6, 2004 and advisors were hired during the fall of 2004. Since that time, the AAC has been firmly established as a critical component of the academic advising structure of the University.

The Academic Advising Center (AAC) is committed to providing developmental academic advising to UW-La Crosse students. Most students with an undeclared major in the College of Science and Health and the College of Liberal Studies have an advisor from the AAC as their assigned academic advisor. The AAC is also available as a supplemental academic advising resource to all other undergraduate students on campus. Additionally,the AAC is a resource for students seeking information for use in setting career goals, making decisions about their major or completing course assignments related to career planning. With the creation of a GQA funded position in 2011 the AAC also became a resource for veteran/military students and transfer students.

In the last year, three new initiatives have expanded the AAC’s advising role on campus:

●A second GQA position was approved to extend academic and career related advising to a satellite location adjacent to the Murphy Learning Center. The staff member in this position will represent both the AAC and Career Services and will be available to meet with students on a drop-in basis, with office hours beginning mid-morning and extending into the early evening. These hours coincide with the peak hours of the Murphy Learning Center.

●The AAC became the centralized office on campus for advising students seeking an associate degree from UW-La Crosse. Previously this function was handled by the college offices. This change provides students with a central point of contact for associate degree advising and verification of associate degree requirements.

●Beginning in Fall 2014, the AAC assumed responsibility for the Eagle Alert system, which was created last year as part of the UW-L’s Higher Learning Commission Major Quality Initiative, Firm Footing. The goal of Eagle Alert is to promote student academic success. Working toward that goal, the staff of the AAC will coordinate the response and outreach to students who receive Eagle Alert messages.

The 2013-14 AAC Annual Report contains additional information on goals, usage and assessment.

The AAC is in the Enrollment Management Division within Academic affairs and reports to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, Fred Pierce. The AAC is beginning its second year with an Interim Director, Tim Tritch. A search for a permanent director was started in the spring of 2014, however the search was halted when the size of the pool of applicants was deemed inadequate. After securing replacements for vacated spots on the search committee, the plan is to reopen the search as soon as possible in Fall 2014. The goal is to hire a new director who will start in Spring 2015.

In addition to the director position, the staff of the AAC includes four full time academic advisors, four half time graduate assistant academic advisors, two full time, GQA funded student services coordinators, one full time university services associate 2 (providing reception and administrative support) and four undergraduate peer advisors. One of the GQA funded positions provides academic and transitional advising to new transfer students and students self identified as military and/or veteran related. The new GQA position is a new hybrid that provides academic and career assistance to students. This position will be located in a new satellite office adjacent to Murphy Learning Center in Murphy Library as soon as renovations of the space are complete (likely in mid to late November). The current AAC staff members are:

Permanent Staff:
●Tim Tritch, Interim Director, Academic Advising Center and Career Services
●Sharie Brunk, Senior Advisor
●Lori Anderson, Senior Advisor
●Damien Parks, Advisor
●Michelle Stertz, Advisor
●Frank Tierney, Student Services Coordinator (GQA funded)
●Aiyana Bloome, Student Services Coordinator (GQA funded)
●Karen Durnin, University Services Associate 2 (GPR funded) / Second Year Graduate Assistants:
●Anna Turriff
●Megan Lindbeck
First Year Graduate Assistants:
●Hanna Wrignt (Office of Residence Life funded)
●Andrew Ives (Office of Residence Life funded)
Undergraduate Peer Advisors:
●Abby Kirchmann
●Karley Clayton
●Brandon Forcier
●Madeline Marquardt

The AAC hours of service are as follows:

Centennial Hall Office:

●Monday through Friday - 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

●Walk-in appointments are available during the first week of classes, the week prior to the last day to drop classes and every Thursday during the academic year

AAC satellite offices in Coate, Laux and White Halls:

●Hours vary in the different locations and each hall has extended evening hours each week.

AAC/Career Services satellite office in Murphy Library:

●Hours will be approximately 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, coinciding with peak usage hours of the Murphy Learning Center

2. Budgetary Information

After consulting with the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Manage and Mark Haakenson, Associate Budget Planner, the AAC budget request for 2015-16 is the same as the budgeted amount for the 2014-15 school year, with the exception of changes due to benefits and the pay plan. The AAC is requesting $364,872 for 2015-16. The S&E request is $15,808 which is the same amount budgeted for the 2014-15 year. The personnel requests are broken downs as follows:

●Unclassified – $212,337 (increase due to pay plan)

●Graduate Assistants – 21,068 (increase due to pay plan)

●Classified Staff – N/A (the classified salary and benefits are paid by GPR funds)

●Student Staff – 10,000 (peer advisor salaries)

●Fringe Benefits - $105,659

3. Overview of Previous Year Information

The actual expenses for the 2014 budget were under the budgeted amount. The underage resulted from reduced spending from reduced spending from student employment and fringe benefit spending. While travel expenses were under budget, Supplies and expenses were up because of increased spending for toner and other printer supplies.

4. Additional Information

Fiscal Responsibility

The Director of the Academic Advising Center is responsible for the budget management in the AAC. As is with most UW-L budgets, the majority of our budget is personnel costs. We have been fiscally conservative and responsible with the supplies and expenses and have stayed within our budget.

Advisory Participation

The AAC worked closely with an Implementation Team consisting of faculty, staff and students during the first two years of its existence. Members of the team agreed that with the successful start-up of the center, the team was no longer needed. Beginning in 2013, each full-time AAC advisor is a liaison to either a college or to the TRAC committee, which is made up of academic assistants to the deans of each college and member of the staff of Records and Registration. These relationships not only benefit students by improving communication to AAC staff about academic policies and procedures but also facilitate feedback from the colleges to AAC staff.

Contribution to Campus Diversity Efforts

AAC staff members regularly participate in several campus events related to diversity. Last year’s efforts included:

●Work with visiting high school students at six multicultural recruitment events sponsored by Admissions

●Intern Bridge staff training on diversity related issues in advising

●Out for Work Bronze level certification for working with LGBT students

●Staff members presented to diverse groups including the Self Sufficiency Program, the Summer Academic Institute sponsored by OMSS, the Upward Bound Senior Seminar, Veterans’ Orientation, Wisconsin Covenant, Transfer Orientation, and FYRE

●Two staff members were part of the Organization for Campus Women Symposium Committee and served on the Organization for Campus Women Steering Committee

User Fees/In Kind/Volunteer Services/Other

While no additional user fees are charged, the AAC does have have three other sources of funding in addition to the Academic Initiative funds: 1. a small GPR budget that funds one position (University Services Associate 2); 2. a GQA budget that funds two positions (Transfer/Veteran Advisor and Academic and Career Consultant in Murphy Library); and 3. Office of Residence Life funding that funds the two Graduate Assistants in the First Year Experience residence Halls.

Value to Student Body

The AAC is committed to providing all students with access to developmental academic advising grounded in teaching and based on valuing a liberal arts education. Through this advising, students can develop the skills and self-knowledge to be adaptable, accountable and reflective life-long learners. This results in the ability to set personal goals and to make intelligent educational, career, and life choices to achieve those goals. From a practical standpoint, the advisors in the AAC play an integral role in the advising structure at UW-L by providing developmental advising for their approximately 1000 advisees each year. Without this, faculty would feel significant additional demands on their time and talents. Additionally, when students make better academic decisions they are less like to take unnecessary classes. This means more seats in classes available for other students.

Quality of Services Provided

The services and programs offered in the AAC are evaluated through an assessment instrument built around desired learning outcomes for students. The Exit Survey is given to undeclared students who were assigned an advisor in the AAC. The survey is completed when students declare a major and are reassigned to a faculty advisor. Results of the survey, which are overwhelmingly positive, were provided in the Annual Report submitted to the AIOC.

In the spring of 2014 faculty and staff on campus were also surveyed about each of the units in the Enrollment Management Division, including the Academic Advising Center. All results for the AAC were at a level deemed acceptable or higher. The survey, however, did point to the need for improved communication to faculty and staff about the services provided by the AAC.

Uniqueness of Opportunities/Services

The AAC brings expanded advising service to students who are undeclared majors when they enter UW-L, as well as students who, for a variety of reasons, find themselves changing their major or exploring their options. The advisors in the AAC specialize in working with “deciding” students. Faculty advisors, although they may be excellent with declared majors, do not have the time, expertise, or tools necessary to take students through the developmental process of choosing/changing a major. Additionally, the AAC provides students with career related assessment resources (WISCareers and the Strong Interest Inventory) and serves as a resource for students completing career related projects for a variety of courses (ex: UWL 100 and Introduction to Health Careers).

History of Programmatic, Fiscal and Advising Stability

The AAC has a well-documented history of being responsive to student advising needs on campus as evidenced by the transition of the Center from a resource providing supplemental advising for students to an advising service with over 1000 undeclared students with an AAC advisor as their assigned academic advisor. Additionally the AAC continues to expand academic advising services to students through satellite sites in the residence halls and Murphy Library. These satellite services are partly funded by the Office of Residence Life and GQA funds which have allowed the AAC to expand services without adding significantly to the AI budget request.

Assessment Outcomes

Extensive assessment outcomes and goals information are included in the Academic Advising Center Annual Report submitted to the Academic Initiatives Committee.

5. Program Benefits Information

Simply stated, the AAC benefits students by providing high quality developmental advising, particularly undeclared students in the College of Liberal Studies and the College of Science and Health. Additionally, the AAC provides supplemental advising services to any undergraduate student seeking advising services outside of their declared major department. The goal is to help students make well informed academic, career and professional decisions. Well informed decisions can, among other things, lead to students moving through their curriculum in more timely manner, freeing up seats in courses for other students.

6. Long Term Plans Information

Long term plans for the AAC continue to be under review by the Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management, in consultation with the AAC staff. While the AAC has taken on new roles in the last year (Associate degrees, Eagle Alert), more intensive long term planning will commence after the successful completion of the search for a new Director of the AAC and Career Services.

7. Budget Reduction Information

If another reduction of the budget were necessary, the cuts would likely come in the student help budget. This would necessitate cutting the hours for the undergraduate peer advisors. The peer advisors provide career and major exploration assistance to students, so reducing these hours would require reducing these services to students.