Happy Spring! I cannot believe this academic year is ending. Our students, faculty and staff have navigated another year of global change and community impact that would have stopped most, but we are Spartans! I’d like to share a few updates from University Advising (UA) and the Advising Initiative.
University Advising
Our team has spent the past year learning from and growing with all our campus partners to ensure that we best serve Spartans as they explore their major choice options.
In my last update, I introduced our associate directors and the academic interest areas that they lead. Students will be choosing one of those four interest areas prior to completing their University Advising D2L modules. UA anticipates welcoming approximately 2,000 Spartans to the world of academic exploration this summer during the Advising and Enrollment portion of New Student Orientation (NSO). Our associate director Wm. Justin Landis with the support of Debra Thornton-Fitzpatrick will be the University Advising NSO points of contact. Students interested in Exploratory Preference or Exploring Business Preference (previously Business Preference) can be referred to universityadvising@msu.edu.
Advising Initiative
The University Advising Leads (UAL) meet twice a month to discuss areas of concern and success across our dynamic colleges. This community represents each academic advising unit along with colleagues from our Pathway Program, student success initiatives, and professional development area. UAL meets directly with the Registrar’s Office once a month to hear updates and share information.
The Office of Undergraduate Education is excited to announce a renewed version of the Advising Fellows Program. The Advising Fellows Program offers experienced academic advisors the opportunity to lead professional growth and networking experiences for the MSU advising community. Two fellow positions are available for fixed-term and continuing specialists that have a primary role in academic advising: Advisor Professional Development Fellow and Advisor Networking and Engagement Fellow. A call for applications will be sent out the beginning of April and due mid-May.
Many thanks to Dr. Qiana Green and Katie Peterson for conducting the needs assessment and feedback sessions. As they wrap up the last few meetings, they intend to conduct a comprehensive review of all gathered data from each advising unit to identify common themes and prioritize needs. Throughout the summer, professional development and training opportunities will be created to best support the concerns shared by MSU academic advisors. A final report with next steps and opportunities will be shared broadly by fall 2024.
Finally, as we prepare to celebrate our 2024 spring graduates, we are equally excited to welcome our fall 2024 class. MSU and our financial aid software provider are now working to configure the system to accurately process FAFSA data based on the new FAFSA formulas and guidelines. Please direct students and families to FAFSA 2024 page. We remain on target to begin our advising and enrollment appointments in June 2024.
