Student-Centered Advising Initiative
University Undergraduate Academic Advising defines student-centered advising as:
"...an advising practice that emphasizes mutual respect, dignity, self-awareness, and authenticity. Student-centered advising centers the student in an asset-framed approach where the advisor differentiates educational guidance to meet students’ individual needs and acknowledges the critical value of their unique social capital. The resulting student experience is one of trust, open communication, and a strong working relationship."
Vision and Purpose
The aim of the Student-Centered Advising Initiative is to develop and implement an educational framework for Purdue academic advisors that will improve the experience and success of all Purdue students. The framework consists of eight (8) curated learning opportunities developed in collaboration with the advising community, campus partners, and undergraduate Boilermakers.
Advisors, who volunteer to participate, move through the curated learning opportunities as a cohort. The learning opportunities are offered in a sequential format and include designated reflection sessions to support advisor learning. This training is not mandatory.
Theory of Change
The Student-Centered Advising Initiative is grounded in a concise theory of change. We believe that educating advisors grows their cultural awareness as well as their student-centered knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Advisor intrapersonal (i.e., internal) development will contribute to interpersonal behaviors (i.e., external) that foster a more student-centered advising experience for each Purdue students. In addition, students with advisors who have moved through the curated learning opportunities will experience a greater sense of campus belonging and higher academic success. As cohorts of advisors move through the educational framework, their experiences will contribute to a positive shift that supports a more student-centered environment.
Purdue's Pillars of Student-Centered Advising
Informed by literature and research on advising, our team identified twelve evidence-based and practice-informed pillars of student-centered advising; Student voices and experiences are a vital tenant of the Student-Centered Advising Initiative. As the project moves forward, we will continue to integrate undergraduate voices and perspectives in the refining of the pillars that guide the student-centered advising educational frameowrk:
- Acknowledging advisees’ strengths
- Building trust
- Developing an inviting environment
- Demonstrating respect
- Understanding advisees' needs
- Exhibiting dedication to meeting advisee’s needs
- Following through on actions
- Fostering an environment where advisee can be themselves
- Getting to know advisees as individuals
- Helping advisees make sense of their college experience
- Displaying openness to conversations about identities that are important to advisees
- Providing useful resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can I contact for more information about the Student-Centered Advising Initiative?
Co-chairs and Primary Contacts
- Heather Servaty-Seib, associate vice provost, University Innovation Alliance (UIA) liaison, project co-lead ( servaty@purdue.edu)
Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
- Renee Thomas, associate vice provost
- Christopher Munt, senior director
Institutional Data Analytics + Assessment
- Anne Weiss, assistant director
University Undergraduate Academic Advising
- Jeff Elliott, executive director
- Christina King, associate director
- Tiffany Stergar, assistant director
The Student-Centered Advising Initiative is made possible by funding from the University Innovation Alliance
How does the team evaluate the success of the initiative?
The success of the Student-Centered Advising Initiative hinges on our team's ability to collect and honor data from our campus in order to design a framework tailored to our campus. The Student-Centered Advising Initiative secured IRB approval for all retroactive and current evaluation elements in April 2023.
Our team utilizes a mixed methods approach when assessing short-term, intermediate and long-term outcomes. Qualitative data collection—from both undergraduate students and academic advisors-- is at the foundation of developing our framework. The chart below summarizes steps taken to evaluate and assess the initiative.
Short Term Outcomes:
- Assess Advisor learning through pre- and post- measures after each of the eight curated learning opportunities
- Periodic anonymous feedback surveys for curated learning opportunity participants
Intermediate Outcomes:
- Semesterly student census survey
- Semesterly academic advisor census survey
Long Term Outcomes:
- Monitor student succes metrics (e.g., retention, credits earned, GPA)
- Comparing outcomes of adivsees with an academic advisor who has and have not completed the curated learning opportunities)
How can I get involved in the Student-Centered Advising Initiative?
- Purdue undergraduate students will receive an email each semester encouraging them to complete the Student-Centered Advising survey and will be entered to win one of twenty $100 gift cards.
- Purdue academic advisors are encouraged to complete the Advisor Student-Centered advising survey each semester and are invited to attend the in-person Student-Centered Advising Advisor Forums held the Monday during finals week for initiative updates.
- Campus partners interested in supporting the facilitation of one or more of the curated learning opportunities should contact project leads listed under leadership tab.
How can I register for the next Student-Centered Advising cohort?
- The advising cohort for the 2024-2025 academic year is currently full.
- As of Fall 2024, the Student-Centered Advising Initiative is embedded within the UUAA Advisor Certification Program. Advisors will have the option to opt into an Student-Centered Advising cohort to satisfy some of the Practice requirements for the Mastery Advising Certificate program. If there are open seats in the Student-Centered Advising program, a call for volunteers will go out to the entire Purdue advising community for any remaining openings.
This program is open to all participants without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, or gender.
““When it came time to choose my path after high school, I was lucky enough to have a support system that allowed me the space and resources needed to nurture my strengths. As an undergraduate student, I chose to attend an institution with a small student-faculty ratio. During this time, I had a faculty member serve, as both my personal and professional mentor, and I believe it was this level of personal attention that truly helped shape my goals and my perspective on life. So much of why I joined this profession was to recreate this level of community at a larger institution because I, first hand, have seen the impact that forging meaningful relationships has on our student’s sense of belonging and ultimately their general success.” ”