Holding Space: Introduction to Developmental Trauma and Implications for Academic Advising

Presenter: Kimberly Ross
Dogwood Room (74 seats)

"According to Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration (SAMHSA) approximately 70% of adults in the U.S. experience some type of traumatic event in their lifetime. During this presentation, facilitated by Kimberly Ross, Academic Advisor for Psychological & Brain Sciences at IU Bloomington, learn about trauma from a developmental perspective; understand the signs and symptoms of trauma; and leave with tools to support a trauma-sensitive approach to academic advising.

Prior to becoming an Academic Advisor at IU, Kimberly was a social worker whose work involved working with active-duty military and veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), youth and adults living with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), and clients living with substance abuse and dependence. Kimberly is also trained as a trauma-informed yoga instructor (500HR YTT) and has experience working with survivors of complex trauma. "

Connecting With Self-Compassion

Presenter(s): Molly Burke, Riley Beam, Alexandra Rosa, and Jordan White
Persimmon Room (40 seats)

In this session, we introduce the basic elements of self-compassion, discuss when self-compassion is relevant, and demonstrate ways to teach and/or model self-compassion in conversation with students. We share how in our work with University Division students on Academic Probation, we explore self-compassionate motivation and offer self-compassion as a foil to self-esteem. Emerging research suggests that self-compassion offers a way to well-being that coalesces beautifully with recent trends in teaching resilience and the growth mindset. While this work is particularly relevant to students experiencing academic difficulty, benefits abound for students in all stages of academic growth.

Getting Involved in Advising Research

Presenter(s): Laura Ivins and Mathew Bumbalough
Sassafras Room (30 seats)

With the support of the NACADA Center for Research, the advising community is exploring ways to translate our significant work into research for the advising profession. For some of us, this is a new and somewhat daunting proposition. This session will feature a panel of participants in the IU Advising Research Group discussing how they utilize the group as a source of inspiration and motivation to engage in research. The panel consists of advisors from different Bloomington advising units, representing a range of involvement in research, from those beginning to explore to experienced presenters. Attendees to this panel will leave the session with a new outlook on what scholarship can look like for advisors, as well as an overview of the types of support and opportunities provided by the IU Advising Research Group. This will benefit advisors and administrators who are interested in fostering an academic community that nurtures new and innovative ideas.

Quantity vs. Quality: What Matters to Effective Academic Advising Experiences?

Presenter(s): Jillian Kinzie and Jim Cole
Oak Room (64 seats)

Academic advising is a vital educational process for student success. Although interactions with an advisor are important, results from the National Survey of Student Engagement’s (NSSE) newly revised Academic Advising Topical Module show that the quality of advising experiences is more important than the frequency to first-year students’ perception of support for academic success, use of learning support services, and interaction with faculty. This session will highlight findings for first-year students and seniors, explore the relationship between advising experiences and retention, and discuss implications for advising practice.

How to Talk About Things You "Don't Know Much About" (Yet)

Presenter(s): Chris Klein and Julie James
Walnut Room (40 seats)

"Academic Advisors today serve as the go-to expert for a myriad of topics: finding internships, getting on-campus jobs, planning for studying abroad, how financial aid works, who are the best professors, where to find cheaper classes, and so much more! We don't have time to learn about everything, so how do we answer students' questions thoughtfully and well?

 The goal of this workshop is to take everyday conversations one step further. Bringing in a background of career advising and academic advising, we will share how to speak thoughtfully on (almost) any topic a student may bring up. Come prepared to learn about and share resources, best practices, and practical tools to talk about things you're not yet an expert in.”

Q&A with George Lee

Presenter(s): George Lee
Georgian Room

Neurodiversity: Exploring the Spectrum at IU

Presenter(s): Mathew Bumbalough, Lisa Hamilton, Debbie Anderson, and Charlie Stone
Dogwood Room (74 seats)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that can cause difficulties in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Currently, the CDC (Buescher et al, 2014), estimate at least 1 in 59 students are on the spectrum, and the number of diagnoses continue to rise. Here at IU, we have students on the spectrum with diverse needs who all receive support from our advisors, career coaches, and disability center access coordinators. Join us as we discuss our ASD student population on campus, how you can give them the support they need, and interventions that you can take to embrace inclusive habits in your interactions. Finally, students on the spectrum will join us for a collaborative Q&A session.

Creating Voices and Increasing Visibility for Black Queer Students

Presenter(s): Jen Berry
Oak Room (64 seats)

Unfortunately, many students sit in silence feeling voiceless and invisible on our campuses. Prioritizing these students' narratives amplifies voices and supports visibility, creates safe spaces, and is an act of social justice. Using a Black Queer student group as a casestudy, participants will examine the purpose and practices used; learn and identify ways to better support underrepresented students; and discuss how to create voice and visibility for marginalized students. These practices, acknowledge  one’s privilege and intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989), mattering (Scholssberg, 1989), and embrace a queer of color critique (Ferguson, 2004) while demonstrating how to create educational equity for students on the fringes. In this interactive session, participants will engage in dialogue and learn ways to better support marginalized students.

A Blank Canvas: Using Learning Management Systems to Create Collaborative, Online Advising Environments

Presenter(s): Rebbeca Butorac
Sassafras Room (30 seats)

This presentation will illustrate how academic advisors can use learning management systems, like Canvas, to create dynamic online spaces that not only "meet students where they're at" but also allow for varying degrees of collaboration between advisors, faculty members, career coaches, and other student support specialists. Creating and maintaining a Canvas site for one or more degree programs may seem like a daunting task; however, this presentation will demonstrate how individual advisors or advising offices can create simple, effective sites that are able to expand and adapt to student needs. After exploring an active site in real time, participants will brainstorm how they can use Canvas to supplement their own advising philosophies and practices before coming up with an action plan for making these sites a reality.

The Tea on Gen Z

Presenter(s): Christine Salzman and Madeline Murphy
Persimmon Room (40 seats)

Generation Z (Gen Z), or the instant generation, is the new wave of students that have surpassed millennials on college campuses. Gen Z is known, more so than any previous generation, for relying on the influence of peers over college administrators. This change in student attitude can be seen in various parts of campus life, including advising. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss how academic advisors can successfully engage with the Gen Z students in their caseloads. We will cover how to use technology to get the attention of Gen Z students and share what methods can make students zone out. Additionally, the presentation will share strategies for building relationships with Gen Z students and tips on how to meet them where they are at. Overall, the presentation will be focused on how to be more effective at communicating with Gen Z students in order for them to get the most out of their advising relationships and see their advisors as a tool to be utilized.

Building a Better Advising Team

Presenter(s): Cynthia Allen and Antonia Leotsakos
Walnut Room (64 seats)

In this presentation, IUB School of Education advisors will share the structured ways in which we set out to create a more cohesive and collaborative Advising Team in which everyone’s voice is heard, each team member’s strengths are valued, and students are at the center of our practice. We will discuss concrete actions we’ve taken towards these goals, including the creation of a Monthly Advising Responsibilities calendar, the implementation of a unique structure for conducting meetings, and the development of Mission and Vision statements that reflect our team’s collective values. We will ask participants to share their own strategies for improving Advising Team dynamics and collaborate with one another to discover more rewarding ways of working together.

Collaborate, Connect, and Coach Your Students to Success

Presenter(s): Linnette White and Torrence Sorrell
Dogwood Room (74 seats)

The book, Oh the Places You’ll Go has often been used to “discuss the journey of life and its challenges” (Seuss, 1990).  This team of an academic advisor and student success coach have found productivity incorporating principles outlined in the book in professional practice through exploring opportunities in the student relationship. Academic advising and success coaching “foster a student’s sense of mattering while also providing an institutional method of academic and social integration” Robinson (2015). More specifically, the core purpose of student coaching is closely connected to the pivotal student development goal of developing purpose (Chickering & Reisser, 1993). Participants will gain insight about how the presenters incorporated a journal resource at the end of the phase of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow 1943). Discover in this session what happens when a coaching conversation is incorporated into a student appointment.  Join this diverse duo of academic advisor and student success coach as they walk you through an interactive session incorporating coaching practices that have been proven effective with various student populations.

Meeting Students Where They Are: Cultivating Belonging in the School of Education

Presenter(s): Patrick McKamy and Emily McCord
Oak Room (64 seats)

"In this presentation, advisors from the IUB School of Education will share the way in which we explored and addressed how to better collaborate with underrepresented and marginalized students in our school.  We will describe how we conducted intentional conversations within our advising team regarding this issue, as well as the specific action plan that we developed to build connection and community with underrepresented students who, at times, did not regularly attend formal advising appointments.  Along with sharing our evolving work, we will provide participants with the opportunity to reflect on obstacles that they perceive in their own practice/units and possible action plans to address these."

Collaborations for Student-Athlete Thriving

Presenter(s): Samira Payne and Michelle Ware
Sassafras Room (30 seats)

Advising Student-Athletes presents unique challenges and opportunities. With the high-profile of Division 1 athletics, focus on eligibility and academic survival can become a priority. Through collaboration between Academic Services for Student Athletes, First Year Advising, and other departments at Notre Dame, we have developed an advising model and programming that promotes resilience and recognizes the intersectional identities of our student-athletes, helping them to thrive as students, athletes, and members of the Notre Dame community.

Financial Aid and Study Abroad

Presenter(s): Kyle Hayes and Elizabeth Shuman
Persimmon Room (40 seats)

Staff from the Office of Overseas Study will give an overview of the institutional policies and procedures in place that allow students to be able to use most, if not all, of their financial aid while they go abroad. Presenters will also lead a discussion about policies that involve advisors, such as course verification for satisfactory academic progress checks, and how both advising communities can work together to most efficiently serve students. Presenters will describe the various cost structures of study abroad programs and provide an overview of various study abroad scholarships, both at IU and nationally, to illustrate how students can fund their international experience. The session will end with a case study to highlight how study abroad advisors and academic advisors can work more collaboratively.

Connecting Students to High-Impact Practices

Presenter(s): Angie Gast and Melissa Blunck
Walnut Room (40 seats)

This presentation will briefly touch on the positive outcomes associated with participating in high-impact practices and then look more closely at the ways in which the Office of Engaged Learning works to remove any real or perceived barriers faced by those students who could benefit most from these experiences. We will outline various campus collaborations that illustrate the achievements thus far of the office, but then spend our remaining time discussing ideas for future collaborations with the academic and career advising communities.  We hope to not only share insight with those in attendance but gain feedback as well on how we can work together to create, promote, and widen access to these valuable engaged learning experiences.

Building Connection to Reduce Imposter Syndrome: Using Coaching to help Students to Tap into their Success Stories

Presenter(s): Kristin Richey, Lauren Henninger, and Courtney Lewellen
Dogwood Room (74 seats)

Advising high-ability students facing Imposter Syndrome requires a special skill set. As undergrads or in high school, high-ability students may feel like the big fish in a small pond. When they enter college or graduate/professional programs, they are suddenly an "average" sized fish.  This transition can create an identity crisis as students "lose" part of who they were and might fear that someone will discover their secret.  The Lead Advisors and Learning Strategist at the IU School of Medicine have developed, implemented and improved their strategy focused around building connection through belonging and reducing Imposter Syndrome to best work with these students. In this presentation, we will focus on the transition our students encounter entering into a new arena and the obstacles they may face for the first time.

Cross Collaboration: How Arts and Humanities courses and Natural and Mathematical majors can Connect for Success

Presenter(s): Emily Davis and Alexander Landerman
Oak Room (40 seats)

Students in Natural and Mathematical majors often express frustrations about what Arts and Humanities courses to take. They look to advisors for suggestions but it can be difficult because of the number of courses offered, topics, etc. This presentation focuses specifically on the benefits and the applicability of suggesting a design course (SOAD-S250) for Natural and Mathematical majors.

 Attendees can expect to come away with talking points about why this course or similar courses on their respective campuses are beneficial and applicable to N and M majors. This may help alleviate some of the stress students experience when selecting Arts and Humanities courses and assist them in understanding the applicability of courses that don't inherently seem related. The presentation will aid in reducing barriers faced by academic advisors allowing them to better serve students in creating a balanced schedule. It is our goal to continue to promote the importance of faculty and advising working relationships.

Creating Ambassadors of Advocacy

Presenter(s): Jose Mendez and Katie McClure
Walnut Room (40 seats)

This presentation will provide strategic ideas and insights to academic advisors to effectively promote advocacy, inclusion, and community support for their international students, faculty, and staff. Building Ambassadors of Advocacy among university staff creates a support system for their student advisees with diverse international backgrounds.

Transitioning From Faculty to (Staff) Advisor: Developing a Training Framework

Presenter(s): Ruthie Williamson
Sassafras Room (30 seats)

Many staff advisors at Indiana University (including myself) are former university faculty members, whether we were associate instructors during graduate school, adjunct faculty during or after our graduate work, or faculty in some other capacity. Staff advisors who are former faculty members have a unique perspective on advising. This presentation will attempt to understand how a person’s shift from academic faculty to academic advisor may inform their advising method, and to develop a training methodology for new advisors who come directly from the faculty side.

Rolling Out a Diversity Needs Assessment Survey to Academic Advisors

Presenter(s):  Carolyn Blank, Gabby Graziano, and Jessica Geiger
Persimmon Room (40 seats)

Our presentation will focus on the timeline, development, and collaboration behind the final product of the 2019 IUB IUB College of Arts and Sciences Advisor Diversity Needs Assessment Survey.  Start to finish took a little over a year, in which we worked closely with a variety of different advisors, leadership, and administration to make the survey match our goals and maximize utility.  We will provide the final assessment, review the year long process, and discuss possible next steps/action plan.