By Audrey Cowling
Purdue President Mitch Daniels, an honorary PACADA member, observed an advising appointment in the College of Science on October 18. Jamie Linville, former Academic Advisor in Computer Science, brought up the idea of President Daniels shadowing an advising appointment during the fall 2016 PACADA Retreat in September.
The appointment that President Daniels observed was a spring 2017 registration meeting between Jamie and one of her advisees, Paul Krivacka, who was told before the appointment that President Daniels would be there. Paul is a freshman at Purdue studying Computer Science. He is also a Presidential Scholar and member of the Honors College. During the appointment, Jamie and Paul discussed a number of topics, including spring course selection, degree requirements, experiential learning opportunities, study abroad, and graduate school. At the end of the appointment, President Daniels asked Jamie about the advising role and what it entails and also took the time to learn more about Paul. Upon asking where Paul is from, he found out that they are both from Tennessee.
Paul had positive things to say about President Daniels’ visit: “I thought it was very cool of him to come to my appointment; it really shows that he wants to be involved in the college at every level.” He stated that he is a fan of how President Daniels “goes outside and gets to know the campus and people firsthand rather than only reading about it in reports at his desk.” Paul said that President Daniels was genuinely interested in student life, asking Paul about living in the new Honors Residence, his study abroad plans, classes he is taking, and the registration process as a whole. Paul stated that President Daniels “seemed to care about students as individuals…wanting to know what could be improved upon and if I personally had any problems or issues.”
President Daniels said in a statement that he found the experience “enjoyable and illuminating” and that he “came away reassured that, regardless of heavy caseloads, our students are getting individual and personalized attention.” He added that “despite what seemed an overly complex set of requirements and options, Jamie and her advisee still managed to build an academically engaging schedule that will also keep the student on track to graduate in four years.”
The PACADA Communications & Connections Committee would like to thank President Daniels for taking the time to learn more about the role of advisors. We would also like to thank Jamie for initiating this important dialogue, and Paul for sharing his experience.