PowerPoint Presentation

Creating a Blockbuster Advisement Center on a B-Movie BudgetStarring Nicole CapehartDirected by Megan ConnerStunt Double Annie Glisson1

Clip2Facing Budget Cuts?You are not alone!The University of Arizona-$57 million, on top of a $20 million cut at the start of the year17 percent budget cut for higher education in UtahUniversity of Colorado to cut 54 positionsUniversity of New Mexico-$26 million & facing $5.9 million in recurring cuts3

LightsPrepping the scene for a command performanceThe first part of this comic is very important. In our office we have really made a concerted effort to figure out what staff members strengths are and what they enjoy doing b/c we believe that when people enjoy their work, they are more productive. Our Admin Asst made your fantastic handout she is a pro at Publisher, so we ask her to make all of our handouts and promotional materials. Weve found that redistributing tasks can make your office function at a higher level. So what does make an employee stick? We believe in the importance of regular communication through weekly staff meetings. We use a software called SharePoint, which enables us to communicate using a monthly calendar (staff members note time off, birthdays, meetings, etc). We also have a running staff meeting agenda task list. All staff members can add items to this task list, which are addressed on a weekly basis. This has helped us create a collaborative atmosphere, where all employees feel engaged in the office. We have also found biannual retreats to be really useful. We use retreat time to address issues, goals, and changes that require more time. At our last retreat, we engaged in role play, which was extremely beneficial, as it helped us to see issues from a student perspective. You can order in lunch to create a fun atmosphere weve found its really the small things that count! We are also implementing incentives for the summer, as we have defined goals, such as responding to email within 24 hours, that we want to work toward, which help our entire office develop good habits. These are relatively easy changes to implement that are of little to no cost.

4Camera...Getting Ready to Roll

5Action!

The next slides are full of helpful ideas that are focused on meeting students where they are at with an emphasis on technology. The ideas will also help you to communicate the value of your office to administration and faculty. 6Action!Embrace TechnologyAdvisorTracStudent SurveyFacebookPodcastsVideosElectronic SignageBlog

AdvisorTrac can also help you track your student traffic to ensure that your availability is in line with students needs. Tracking your students also gives you concrete data to provide higher administration, which helps you to communicate your offices value.Do you ever think you are doing a great job, but not getting the credit you deserve? We have found student surveys to be extremely beneficial in communicating our value, as well as adapting to students needs. Our survey is completed before students leave the Advisement Office. We are using the Opinio survey software, and students complete the survey on one of our student computers in the office. The survey is short (30-60 seconds to complete), and gives us valuable feedback. We are able to asses our services through rated questions, as well as obtain comments from the open comment space. This allows us to make changes based on student feedback, and also gives us concrete data for administration.Videos can be an extremely effective way to communicate information to students. Nicole hosts weekly informaiton sessions, and we videotaped the information session to post on our website. If students cannot make it to an informaiton session, they can still get the informaiton online. We also post videos on our scrolling electornic signs in our lobby, so while students wait to see an advisor, they get valuable informaiton about programs, deadlines, career service events, etc.The main thing that we want to emphasize here is that these tools are either free or very inexpensive, can save your office time, and enhance the student experience.7Action!Relevant & Easy to Find InformationEmail ExampleApplication Landing PageAnderson HomepageDo you constantly refer students to your website? All of our relevant information is located on our website, however, its really important to make sure thats it up-to-date. We, as advisors, access our website on a regular basis to ensure that we know how to direct our students to the correct pages, and ensure that they are up to date. We cant simply tell students to look at the website; they need detailed instructions in order to be successful. If you can get students to use your webpage, it will save you time, and be a beneficial tool for students.8Post ProductionStreamlining ServicesCourse OverridesOnline ApplicationsGroup AdvisingStreamlining your services is all about redefining your processes, and engaging your staff, faculty, and administration for support. Online applications using best business practices, making things easier for the students, happy students = happy staff9Opening NightStaff CultureEmbrace ChangeProvide Relevant InformationStreamlined ServicesSo in closing, staff culture building excitement surrounding change, capitalizing on your staffs strengths, redistributing tasks, and communicating regularly will lead to a happy staff, which also leads to happy students. 10Graduate Student Registration InformationASM AdvisementAdvisement PodcastingOther130591.055