ACA February 2013 General Meeting

Thanks to the Study Abroad Office for sponsoring social time!

"Appreciating Campus Administrators" honoree, Deputy to the President, Dr. Charles Roeckle.  

 

Dr. Roeckle spoke briefly about his devotion to academic advising on campus, his years of service as a faculty advisor, and some of the advising initiatives with which he has been involved. 

Jen Morgan from Undergraduate Studies briefed ACA on changes to the Science and Technology portion of the university core for the 12-14 catalog.

Heather Barclay Hamir (top) and Rhonda Waller discussed updates from the Study Abroad Office.  They elaborated on their commitment to providing access to study abroad opportunities for traditionally underrepresented populations by reducing both financial and academic barriers (including grade point average).  Ms. Hamir, Ms. Waller, and their colleagues are working to integrate study abroad into every degree plan on campus in order to encourage study abroad while also complying with the four-year graduation rate initiative.  Study Abroad provides substantial funding; for academic year 2012-2013, they expect to award in the vicinity of $900,000 in travel scholarships.

Representing the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), Elizabeth Wilson spoke about the "Together>Alone" campaign to train students and other members of the UT community in suicide prevention.  Using skill building, role playing, and other techniques, CMHC raises awareness of resources and attempts to reduce the stigma associated with the issue.  Upon request, CMHC will conduct workshops in suicide prevention; the ACA ROAD Committee has just such a workshop scheduled for March 4 at 1:00 in CLA .122. 

Gina Gordon (left) and Dr. Gale Stuart spoke about the Student Engagement in the Research University (SERU) Survey.  The SERU Survey is intended for use on select research university campuses; it provides a "snapshot" of student experiences on such campuses, UT included.  The survey takes approximately 30 minutes, and the results allow campus administrators to "drill down" for information on items as specific as student feelings and opinions about their majors, about student "wellness," and much more, including assessment of advising.  SERU is essentially a campus "census."  This spring, the SERU administrators ask advisors' help in encouraging students to take and complete the survey. 

The meeting adjourned shortly thereafter. 

January 2013 ACA General Meeting

Thanks to the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost for sponsoring social time!

Appreciating Campus Administrators: Senior Vice Provost for Enrollment and Graduation Management, Dr. David Laude

Dr. Laude spoke to ACA about his affinity for advising, his experiences as a faculty advisor, and his view that every student is important.  He wants students to be part of communities that are inclusive and that enhance adjustment to life on a large campus.  Student success is his primary goal.  With that in mind, Laude will be piloting programs intended to aid in graduation rates, in retention, and, again, in maximizing student success. 

November 2012 ACA General Meeting

A big thanks to the Business Foundations Program for sponsoring the ACA November meeting!

Social time.

Farewell, Lauren! 

Tool time, courtesy of Business Foundations.

Dr. Mark Bernstein was the November recipient of the ACA "Appreciating Campus Administrators" award.  Dr. Bernstein could not be at the meeting, so ACA President Nathan Vickers accepted the award on his behalf.  

Lovelys Powell and Julia Chinnock promoted he FUNdraising committee and the Mentor Program.

Dr. Regina Hughes (top), Dr. Kristie Loescher (middle), and Dr. Janet Riekenberg (bottom) joined our meeting to discuss the Halliburton Business Foundations Summer Institute.  The summer Institute is an intensive program that allows students to fulfill most of the requirements of the Business Foundations Certificate in a few short weeks.

Dr. Gage Paine has rejoined the UT community as Vice President for Student Affairs.  Dr. Paine noted that one thing that has not changed at the University is the "passion for excellence."  She took direct questions and discussed her use of social media to reach students directly and her goal of meeting every student on campus.  She is located in FAC.

Representing the Office of Undergraduate Research was Rebecca Wilcox.  Ms. Wilcox outlined the services her office provides, including connecting students to research opportunities of all kinds, doing information sessions several times per week to talk about student research, hosting the Longhorn Research Bazaar during Research Week, and offering course credit for research (UGS 310 and 320).  Research week this academic year will be April 15-19.

Shelby Stanfield, Vice Provost and Registrar, and Brenda Schumann, Associate Registrar, addressed ACA about proposed changes to the University's Zap/Cancellation policy.  The goal is to give students who do not pay their tuition by the deadline an opportunity to restore their schedules more quickly than is currently possible.  This led to a lively discussion.

The meeting adjourned thereafter. 

October 2012 ACA General Meeting

Thank you to the Texas Parents for sponsoring breakfast!

Social time.

Appreciating Campus Administrators: ACA honored Vice Provost Gretchen Ritter for her service to students and to advising on campus.

ACA President Nathan Vickers presented Dr. Ritter with her certificate of appreciation.

Susie Smith (left) and Holly Gardovsky represented Texas Parents.  Texas Parents, in one form or another, has quietly been helping parents help their students cope with campus life since 1948.  Housed in the Division of Student Affairs, Texas Parents provides parents with information to pass on to their students, publishes a monthly newsletter, and participates in such activities as Family Weekend and Family Orientation.  

Samuel Moore and Vicki Keller spoke about the Certificate in Scientific Computation.  It is an 18-hour certificate that prepares students to use "high-end computing resources in applications research and development."  The program has drawn interest from prospective employers.

Ben Armstrong and Dr. Jay Morrison joined us in order to discuss Student Veteran Services.  Dr. Morrison is a psychologist who works on campus specifically with military veterans.  Given the growing number of veterans at UT, Mr. Armstrong wanted to emphasize the care that should be taken with this high-achieving group of students, and he elaborated on the services available to them on campus, and the complications they must navigate in order to make sure they comply with federal requirements so that they receive their financial support.  Always feel free to refer them to SVS (475-9771 for Mr. Armstrong, and 232-2677 for UTVA Outreach).  Dr. Morrison suggested that advisors may be able to help identify student veterans with problems or issues and made useful suggestions on how to work with veterans.

Our final speaker of the day was Bianca Cusimano (bianca.cusimano@austin.utexas.edu) from Longhorn Internship Connection.  The "Connection" is a tool to help students find internships appropriate to their interests.  The majority are summer internships, but the database does include some long-semester possibilities as well.  The site provides information not only on internships available, but it also includes feedback from students who have held these positions.  Eventually, the program will be student-run and move from Dean of Students to Student Government.

After brief announcements from Lisa Valdez on FIG updates and Sarah McKay of the Awards and Recognition Committee on this year's NACADA award nominations, the meeting adjourned.