On April 2nd and 3rd, there was an advising conference for students in room 100B of the Maclay building at Northeast Community College. The sessions were to find out more about the advisors on campus and how well the advising program was doing. Kathy Stockwell, the advising consultant who came to Northeast, said that she was there to “find out what’s good and what needs to be tweaked a little bit.”
Kathy Stockwell started off the session by asking questions about our advisors. “Are you encouraged to see your advisors?” “Have any of you seen a general advisor in the advising center?” “Why did you go see a general advisor?” She then asked if it would be better for students if seeing an advisor was mandatory. The general consensus was yes, because some of the students at the session had gone to schools where it is mandatory and they found that helpful.
Ms. Stockwell then asked if anything would make advising better. Students suggested that the advisors learn more about transferring schools, have the advisors tell students if they have to apply for a certain major, and have the advisors be more encouraging. One student told Ms. Stockwell that the advisor the student talked to told her that the courses she would have to take were very difficult and it might be better to choose a different major.
At the end of the session, Ms. Stockwell asked us how we picture the ideal advisor. The students answered her with “welcoming”, “doesn’t act rushed, like it’s a burden”, “knowledgeable”, and “has a little humor”. It was also suggested that the advisors give tours of their departments to people who are considering taking the major.
Ms. Stockwell was very impressed with Northeast’s advisors. She told us that the negatives here are nothing compared to the negatives at other campuses she has been to. Ms. Stockwell ended the session by telling us that she wants all advisors to be caring and actually wants students to succeed; and she wants to help that happen.
