SUNY New Paltz has been selected as one of the first U.S. colleges and universities to participate in a new, two-year program designed to promote excellence in academic advising and improve the experiences of both student advisees and faculty and staff advisors.
As one of 12 institutions in the first Excellence in Academic Advising cohort, New Paltz will conduct an intensive self-study, drawing on 10 years of institutional data and developing recommendations to enhance academic advising practices.
“Research indicates that proactive advising has the potential to help students persist and succeed,” said Lorin Basden Arnold, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “Through the Excellence in Academic Advising process, we will develop data-informed plans to continue enhancing the advising and coaching we offer students across their academic trajectory.”
The Excellence in Academic Advising (EAA) initiative is offered in partnership between NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising and the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. Both organizations are international leaders promoting student success, comprehensive academic advising, and social mobility in higher education.
The EAA initiative gives participating colleges and universities access to a suite of assessment tools and a network of expert advising fellows, to help them make meaningful improvements in accord with nine conditions of excellence in academic advising outlined by NACADA and the Gardner Institute.
The process at SUNY New Paltz will be led by conditions committees composed of faculty, administrators, staff and students, with Dante Cantú, executive director of Academic Advising and Student Success, and Lucy Walker, assistant vice president for Institutional Research, serving as institutional liaisons.
“The Excellence in Academic Advising process allows for broad, evidence-based discussions toward the development of an action plan to advance advising from a teaching and learning perspective,” Cantú said. “This is consistent with the College’s Strategic Plan and New Paltz’s longstanding commitment to promoting student learning, success and on-time graduation for all of our students.”
During the first year, the committees will facilitate campus-wide conversations based on evidence, standards and institutional goals. The suggested timeline outlines a process whereby the committees produce their recommendations near the end of the spring 2019 semester, with implementation to follow in fall 2019.
Contact Dante Cantú at cantud@newpaltz.edu for more information about the Excellence in Academic Advising process at SUNY New Paltz, or visit the Gardner Institute online to learn more.
About NACADA
NACADA is the global association of professional advisors, counselors, faculty members, and administrators dedicated to enhancing the educational development of students in higher education through research, professional development and leadership.
About the John N. Gardner Institute
The non-profit Gardner Institute partners with colleges, universities, philanthropic organizations, educators, and other entities to increase institutional responsibility for improving outcomes associated with teaching, learning, retention and completion.
