The College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University transitioned from a faculty-driven advisement model to a center-based professional advisement model. This was due to increasing demands on faculty time from teaching and research duties. The new model aimed to improve advisement quality and student outcomes like retention. Advisors were hired and office space was renovated. Students were divided among advisors and processes like appointment scheduling and identifying at-risk students were established. Surveys showed improved student satisfaction compared to the previous faculty-driven system.

1. The Transformation from Faculty-Driven
Advisement to Center-Based Professional
Advisement
Georgia Southern University’s
College of Business Administration

2. • Enrollment: 19,691 (17,044
Undergraduate; 2,647 Graduate)
• College of Business Enrollment: 3,390
(2,959 Undergraduate; 431 Graduate)

3. Reason for Transition
• University’s change from Teaching
Institution to Carnegie Doctoral/Research
University
• Faculty’s increasing teaching and research
demands
• Board of Regents initiatives mandate that
all students must be advised
• Improve Retention, Progression and
Graduation rates to secure state funds

4. OBJECTIVES
• Develop “Anticipated 5-year Outcomes”
• Improve and measure quality of
advisement
• Identify and assist students in academic
difficulty
• Continue building relationships between
all COBA students, faculty and staff

5. Transitional Timeline
August 2010:
Planning of blueprint
to change from
faculty advisement to
professional based December 2010:
advisement for all Plans approved by
undergraduate COBA Provost and
students President
October 2010: January 2011:
Proposed outcomes Partial budget
were developed, approved
drafted and sent
through chain of
command

6. Transitional Timeline (Cont.)
March 2011:
Funds allocated to
hire three
additional advisors
and renovate COBA June 2011:
Student Services Construction
Center makeover began
June 2011: Mid- August 2011:
Three advisors were Transformation
approved and hired complete!
Advisement of all
3,000 COBA
students began
2011-2012
Academic Year

7. Pre-Makeover

8. The Renovation Process
Renovations began
June 2011 and were
completed in August
2011
Step 1: new carpet Step 2: new offices
and paint installed Step 3: New Center!

9. MOVE THAT BUS!!

10. Our New HOME

11. Our New HOME

12. “Reconstruction” of the
Advisement Process
• Communication to students of changes in
advisement procedures
• Division of Advisees
• Identifying and assisting “at-risk” students
• Measuring the success of the new
advisement process

13. Communication to Students
• Email from Dean of COBA regarding the
change from faculty advisement to
professional advisement
• Social Networking
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Website update
• Print Media
- Stall Street Journals
- Flyers

14. Division of Advisees
• Equal division between advisors by alpha
• Advisees remain with one advisor from
Orientation until Graduation
• Each advisor has around 450 advisees
• Major responsibilities include preliminary
graduation audit, face-to-face advisement
each semester, monitoring “at-risk”
student progress and transfer credit
review

15. Appointment Process
• Email is sent to advisees with link to
Appointment Plus, an online appointment
system
• QR Codes put on flyers, Facebook,
Twitter and Student Services website
• Due to large number of advisees, students
are only allowed one appointment. If
missed, they must attend walk-in
advisement at the end of the semester

16. Identifying and Assisting “At-
Risk” Students
• Noel-Levitz
- College Student Inventory: Given to incoming
freshmen at orientation
- Mid Year Assessment: Given to same population
during Spring Advisement
• Based on survey results, students referred to
appropriate on-campus resource
• Early Alert Midterm Grades
- Academic Action Plan

17. Identifying and Assisting “At-
Risk” Students (Cont.)
Academic Action Plan

18. Measuring the Success of the
New Advisement Process
• Advisement Satisfaction Survey
– Advisees are asked to complete after
advisement appointment
• COBA Advisement Sign-In
– Fall 2011 first 6 weeks of advisement: 1,440
– Spring 2012 first 6 weeks of advisement:
1,854

19. Comparison of Survey Results
Center-Based Advisement Faculty-Based Advisement

20. Comparison of Survey Results
Center-Based Advisement Faculty-Based Advisement

21. Comparison of Survey Results
Center-Based Advisement Faculty-Based Advisement

22. Faculty Survey Says…

23. Advisor Survey Says…

24. Expected 5-Year Outcomes
• Accelerate progression from Pre-Business
to BBA status (Current: 44.4%, Target:
49.4%)
• Improve retention and progression of
COBA’s EIP students (Current: 84.0%,
Target: 86.5%)
• Reduce the percentage of COBA students
who are not in good academic standing

25. Questions?

26. Contact Information
• Bobbie Williams – bobbie-w@georgiasouthern.edu
• Leslie Sheppard – lsheppard@georgiasouthern.edu
• Stephanie Williams – sawilliams@georgiasouthern.edu
• Jean Nessmith – jeannessmith@georgiasouthern.edu
• Lisa Sapp – lsapp@georgiasouthern.edu
• Chris Lundy – wlundy@georgiasouthern.edu
• Patti Kelly – pkelly@georgiasouthern.edu
• Rashonda Bostic – rbostic@georgiasouthern.edu