Transition to Action

Frostburg State University completed the first phase of the Excellence in Academic Advising project in November 2019. A comprehensive self-study conducted by a task force of 90+ students, faculty, and staff analyzed institutional data, advisor and student surveys, and current and national practices to make fourteen overarching recommendations to improve academic advising. These recommendations formed the basis of an action plan drafted in January and February of 2020 with the input of the EAA Task Force and other stakeholders, especially students.

The recommended actions to improve academic advising fit into two broad themes. Read about each theme and the progress (as of October 2024) on the associated actions on this page. You can download the full action plan document using the link below.

EAA Action Plan (PDF)

Theme 1: Implement a new academic advising model based on national best practices and supported by appropriate technology

The EAA Task Force recommends that FSU adopt a dual advising model for academic advising where students will have a full-time primary role advisor who supports them throughout their academic career and one or more faculty advisors in their academic programs. The full-time advisors will be housed in a centralized office under the auspices of Academic Affairs. The new model for academic advising is based on the needs of our current students throughout their lifecycle and best practices endorsed by NACADA. This new model will be supported by a common institutional framework for academic advising and investment in leadership, technology, and staffing.

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    Action 1: Establish a common foundation for academic advising, including an operational definition, a mission statement, goals for improvement, and learning outcomes that contribute to the University’s learning outcomes.

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must adopt a foundational framework for academic advising to provide common elements across all advising activities in all divisions, colleges, and units.
    2. FSU must assess the effectiveness of academic advising.
    Progress

    completedDraft mission and goal statements for academic advising at FSU - Completed April/May 2019
    completedApproval of mission and goals by shared governance - Completed December 2019
    completedDraft learning goals for academic advising - Completed May 2020
    completedDraft common conceptual definition for academic advising - Completed May 2020
    completedMap advising learning goals to institutional undergraduate learning goals - Completed December 2023
    completedFSU team attended NACADA Assessment Institute - Completed February 2021
    PlannedPublish advising definition and learning goals
    in progressDraft assessment plan for academic advising - In progress for academic

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      Approved Mission Statement for Academic Advising

      Frostburg State University engages every student in collaborative, learner-centered advising, focusing on academic, professional, and personal development.

      Approved Goals for Academic Advising

      Frostburg State University:

      • fosters a campus culture where advising is a shared responsibility essential to the education experience and student success;
      • empowers students, faculty, and staff to utilize university and professional resources to promote students’ ability to navigate the university and achieve their goals; and
      • offers a university experience where holistic engagement prepares students to meet the challenges of a diverse, complex, and changing global society.
      Draft Conceptual Definition for Academic Advising at FSU

      Academic advising at Frostburg is a collaborative process between students and advisors, based on expert knowledge of the field, focused on students' academic, professional, and personal development, and success in their higher education goals.

      Draft Learning Goals for Academic Advising

      In collaboration with their academic advisor(s), students will:

      1. Establish and maintain a trusting relationship with an academic advisor and other university personnel as relevant;
      2. Articulate personal, professional, and academic goals that can be fulfilled by the pursuit of higher education;
      3. Select an academic major which aligns with their goals, strengths, skills, and interests;
      4. Articulate the academic requirements, policies, and procedures needed to track their degree progress as outlined in the university catalog;
      5. Create and pursue an academic plan for timely degree completion;
      6. Demonstrate awareness of campus resources and use these resources to achieve goals and promote timely degree completion;
      7. Identify and participate in both co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that align with their personal, professional, and academic goals;
      8. Complete career readiness documents, such as a résumé or cover letter, for the job search process; and
      9. Develop an awareness of the professional organizations and opportunities available within their discipline for continued growth and development
      Next Steps

      The conceptual definition and learning goals will be submitted for feedback from FSU students, faculty, and staff. In the 2023-2024 Academic Year, we will work on an assessment plan for academic advising.

    Action 2: Implement a dual advising model for academic advising where students will have a full-time primary role advisor who supports them throughout their academic career and one or more faculty advisors in their academic programs.

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must visibly demonstrate institutional commitment for advising by providing appropriate and ongoing allocation of resources (fiscal, human, and physical) to support institution-wide advising practices and continuous improvement of advising based on assessment.
    2. FSU must implement a shared, learner-centered advising model supportive of the advising mission, goals, and learning outcomes.
    Progress

    completedIdentify major model parameters - Completed May 2020
    completedAlign advisor roles to student lifecycle - Completed March 2023
    completedHost town halls to share new model and gather feedback - Completed Fall 2020
    completedDevelop staffing plan for new advising model - Completed Spring 2021
    completedPhased-in implementation of new advising model - Competed Fall 2024
    completedUpdate academic advising policies to reflect changes to the advising model as they occur - Completed May 2023.

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      The EAA Task Force recommends transitioning to a dual advising model with purposefully shared responsibility between students, faculty, and staff. Each undergraduate student would have a University Advisor (primary-role advisor) who supports them throughout their academic career along one or more faculty mentors who provide increasing support in specific aspects of the advising relationship in the students’ academic program(s). The split in duties will be informed by advising learning outcomes and will change throughout the student lifecycle.

      Splitting advising responsibilities by role. Primary staff advisors have more responsibility early in a student's time at FSU, and faculty mentors have more responsibility later on.

      While this model would represent the general rule for undergraduate students, most graduate programs and some undergrad programs, due to the uniqueness of their student populations or programs (nursing for example), would merit an exception to these structures.

      Next Steps

      Phased-in implementation will begin in the fall of 2021. In fall of 2022, all first- and second-year students will have a University Advisor. In the fall of 2023, all first-, second-, and third-year students will have a University Advisor.

      Read more about the dual advising model.

    Action 3: Implement a comprehensive student success software platform to enhance academic advising communication, student referrals to services, degree planning and auditing, and data integration and access (potentially replacing other software).

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must improve access to advising services and information by creating an academic advising service portal.
    2. FSU must evaluate new technologies that could enhance the effectiveness of advising at a University level.
    Progress

    completedRelease a Request for Proposal (RFP) to which vendors can respond - Completed January 2021
    completedReview vendor proposals and select solution - Completed in October 2021
    completedEAB Navigate Phase I launch for student success case management - Completed July 2022
    completedEAB Navigate training for faculty and staff users use of the product faculty and staff early adopters - Completed January 2023
    in ProgressImplementation of additional Navigate care centers and features - Work in progress 
    completedCreate advising portal in Canvas - Advising resource site for faculty & staff created December 2023. 

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      This software platform will ideally provide some or all of the following functions, some of which may replace or enhance the functionality of other platforms (e.g. Beacon).

      • Enhance communication between students, advisors, instructors, and support staff beyond what can be provided in Beacon now.
      • Provide enhanced referral and appointment tracking for various student services and provide that information back to advisors.
      • Provide enhanced degree planning and auditing tools for students and advisors.
      • Integrate existing student data from various sources (e.g. PAWS, Canvas) and provide a comprehensive success dashboard for students and advisors.
      • Provide an advising knowledge base for students and advisors.
      Next Steps

      FSU selected EAB Navigate following a RFP process in 2021. The first phase of Navigate launches on August 1, 2022. Implementation of additional features and care units would be completed during the 2022-2023 and 2023-204 Academic Year. Academic Planning features are being piloted in fall of 2023.

    Action 4: Map the student lifecycle to enhance academic advising practice and delivery, identifying key milestones, transitions, challenges, and barriers over the entire student academic career and paying special attention to the difference between various student populations.

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must incorporate a lifecycle model into the design of academic advising that promotes connecting, engaging, developing, supporting, and guiding students through their careers at FSU.
    2. FSU must promote delivery of academic advising beyond the traditional once-a-semester appointments for scheduling and registration.
    Progress

    completedMap the typical undergraduate student lifecycle - Completed May 2020
    completedIdentify common student milestones and barriers - Completed May 2020
    in ProgressIdentify lifecycle stages, milestones, and barriers by student subpopulation - Work in Progress
    in ProgressAlign learning goals and advisor process outcomes to student lifecycle - Work in Progress

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      A group of faculty and staff have identified the major student lifecycle stages, events, transitions, and challenges over the entire student academic career from admission to graduation. Additionally, this group has identified milestones and barriers that are experienced by certain populations of the student body but all. For example, transfer students do not get the same intensive advising experience in ORIE 101 as first-year students do.

      Next Steps

      This information will be used to inform the development of advising delivery and training to address specific student lifecycle milestones and challenges.

    Action 5: Identify leadership for academic advising within the Division of Academic Affairs including a centralized advising office to coordinate the dual advising model and an Academic Advising Council. This leadership would coordinate training, assessment, and communication.

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must visibly demonstrate institutional commitment for advising by providing appropriate and ongoing allocation of resources (fiscal, human, and physical) to support institution-wide advising practices and continuous improvement of advising based on assessment.
    2. FSU must identify a position or office to provide leadership for advising at the senior administrator level.
    Progress

    completedRestart Academic Advising Council - Completed Fall 2020
    completedIdentify advising leadership position or office within the Division of Academic Affairs - Completed March 2021
    completedReorganize academic advising units and services to report to Academic Affairs - Completed Fall 2020

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      A dual advising model will need dedicated institutional leadership for academic advising. This leadership takes two forms. First, given the intricate relationship between academic advising and the curriculum in the academic programs, academic advising should be housed in the Division of Academic Affairs and coordinated by a centralized office of academic advising. The office will provide organizational structure for the primary role advisors required by the new advising model. This office and its director will provide leadership and coordinate training, communication, and assessment related to academic advising campus wide.

      Second, an Academic Advising Council provides an opportunity for advising practitioners, both faculty and professional staff, to meet regularly. This council would provide a venue for sharing best practices, advising the centralized advising office, and monitoring efforts to improve academic advising. This council is already listed as an existing standing administrative advisory group in the faculty handbook but is currently inactive.

      Next Steps

      This Action is complete. 

    Action 6: Develop advising delivery experiences beyond the typical once-a-semester one-on-one meetings.

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must incorporate a lifecycle model into the design of academic advising that promotes connecting, engaging, developing, supporting, and guiding students through their careers at FSU.
    2. FSU must promote delivery of academic advising beyond the traditional once-a-semester appointments for scheduling and registration.
    Progress

    Work on this action will begin after completion of the other actions in this theme. Work on this action is planned for Academic Year 2022-2023. Key steps in this action include:

    plannedImplement a “pathways to success” advising delivery that expands the advising experience from ORIE 101 into the second, third, and fourth years with content appropriate for the student lifecycle milestones and challenges in each year 
    plannedDevelop advising delivery experiences focused on the needs of various student subpopulations 

Theme 2: Improve academic advising at FSU through training and professional development

The EAA Task Force recommends professionalizing the advising role and providing training for all academic advisors. Training for faculty advisors would increase quality and consistency of advising interactions with students. As we move toward a model with more professional advisors, FSU needs to treat academic advising as a professional pursuit.

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    Action 7: Implement standardized training for academic advisors based on NACADA competencies: Conceptual, Informational, Relational, Technological, and Personal.

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must ensure consistency of the student advising experience by providing common expectations and guidelines for all advising interactions.
    2. FSU must provide a mandatory academic advising training program and plan for regular opportunities for development that integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion into its foundation.
    Progress

    completedDraft advisor training outcomes - Completed May 2020
    completedAlign draft training outcomes to NACADA competencies - Completed May 2020
    in progressDevelop advising training curriculum and delivery - Work in progress
    PlannedImplement advisor training for all academic advisors 

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      A group of faculty and staff have identified key advising training outcomes that will serve as learning outcomes for an advising training program. The advising training outcomes are organized into components based on the NACADA Core Competencies.

      Advising Training Components
      • Conceptual – Theoretical foundations for advising
      • Informational – Knowledge that advisors need to work with students at FSU
      • Relational – Building and maintain productive advising relationships
      • Technological – Using technology to support advising
      • Personal – Promoting advisor self-care and self-efficacy

      Read more:

      Proposed Advisor Training Outcomes
      1. Use PAWS to respond to student needs
      2. Assist students to understand and navigate policies and procedures
      3. Effectively communicate information to facilitate student understanding and action
      4. Demonstrate effective advising and counseling skills
      5. Effectively develop and maintain productive working relationships with students
      6. Demonstrate a knowledge of the resources available the FSU website, Beacon and other technological tools
      7. Encourage and assist students to define and integrate their educational and career goals
      8. Facilitate effective referrals to resources in relation to student needs
      9. Have a knowledge of advising that informs your practice
      10. Manage student records and data
      11. Perform transfer credit evaluations
      12. Assist students to develop effective degree plans
      13. Coach students in developing behaviors that contribute to success in college and life
      14. Understand the context of higher education, FSU, and the Maryland System and be able to effectively guide students and perform your job within it
      15. Demonstrate ability to adapt advising approaches to meet the needs of diverse student populations
      Next Steps

      These training and process outcomes are being mapped to the proposed learning goals. Work will continue to align them to the student lifecycle and the advisor roles in the dual advising model. Based on these outcomes, we will be developing and implementing a training program for academic advisors at FSU, to begin in 2024.

    Action 8: Establish standard job descriptions and hiring criteria for professional advisors and clear expectations for faculty advisors in support of the new model.

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must ensure consistency of the student advising experience by providing common expectations and guidelines for all advising interactions.
    2. FSU must implement a shared, learner-centered advising model supportive of the advising mission, goals, and learning outcomes.
    3. FSU must promote advising as a professional field through the selection of advisors, demonstration of core competencies, dissemination of evidence-based practices in advising, and scholarship and service.
    Progress

    completedDraft advisor process outcomes - Completed May 2020
    in progressAlign advisor process outcomes to student lifecycle stages and advisor roles for dual advising model - Work in progress
    completedDevelop job descriptions and hiring criteria for professional advisors - Completed Spring 2022
    in progressDevelop a career ladder for professional advisors at FSU - Work in progress
    completedStandardize advising caseloads for professional advisors - Completed spring 2022.
    PlannedUpdate faculty workload to provide appropriate credit for high faculty advising loads 

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      As FSU considers hiring additional academic advisors to support a new advising model, the institution needs to establish standard job descriptions and clear hiring criteria for these professional advisors. Additionally, the role of faculty advisors at FSU has been poorly defined beyond assisting students with course scheduling and registration. The learning goals and advising training outcomes provide a foundational to build standardized expectations for academic advisors in the professional and faculty advising roles.

      A group of faculty and staff have drafted advisor process outcomes based on the draft advising learning goals. These process outcomes represent the tasks that advisors will perform.

      Proposed Advisor Process Outcomes
      1. Develop and maintain knowledge of legal guidelines, university policies, degree requirements, organizational structures, and campus and community resources
      2. Participate in training as necessary to understand the ways technology, student development theory, and equitable and inclusive environments affect advising
      3. Establish a positive working relationship with advisees built on trust, mutual respect, and mentorship
      4. Guide advisees to identifying academic, professional, and personal goals aligned to their interests and higher education's purpose
      5. Help advisees create a plan focused on timely degree completion
      6. Establish relationships with and refer students to campus programs, offices, and personnel that support advisees' attainment of their personal, professional, and academic goals
      7. Continually challenge and support students in their pursuit of meaningful co-curricular and extra-curricular college experiences that promote intellectual and personal growth
      8. Recognize crucial gaps in advisees' knowledge and skills, and assist them with identifying opportunities to build their strengths
      9. Maintain knowledge of professions in their discipline and assist students with navigating the job search process
      Next Steps

      As the new academic advising model is implemented, work will continue to update and standardize advisor roles.

    Action 9: Recognize excellent academic advisors at FSU through nomination for advising awards.

    Supports the following Recommendation:

    1. FSU must provide recognition and rewards to incentivize high-quality advising based on proven best practices.
    Progress

    PlannedNominate academic advisors from FSU for NACADA Region II 
    PlannedNominate academic advisors from FSU for NACADA global awards and other national awards 
    PlannedDevelop institutional awards for excellence in academic advising 

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      FSU already has many excellent academic advisors who are deserving of recognition. While we work on developing an internal award for advising, we must also nominate our colleagues for external awards. Nominations for the NACADA Region II awards occurs in the fall. We plan to announce a call for internal nominations early in the fall semester so we may nominate several deserving advisors across the various award categories. There may be additional venues for recognition, including the NACADA Global awards with a nomination period in the late winter.

    Action 10: Develop and Implement a Communication Plan for Academic Advising

    Supports the following Recommendation:

    1. FSU must develop and implement an institution-wide advising communication plan that provides for the regular and timely dissemination of advising information customized by stakeholder group.
    Progress

    The communication plan for academic advising will be developed and implemented by the advising leadership position or office in Academic Affairs, assisted by the Academic Advising Council. The specific details of the communication plan will be based on the completion of other EAA actions. Work on this action is planned for Academic Year 2022-2023. Key steps include:

    in progressDraft communication plan - Work in progress
    in progressDevelop communication content specific to stakeholder groups - In progress as part of Navigate implementation
    in progressDevelop communication delivery methods appropriate for various stakeholder groups - In progress as part of Navigate implementation

    Action 11: Provide resources to professionalize the advising role by supporting advising scholarship and professional development.

    Supports the following Recommendations:

    1. FSU must visibly demonstrate institutional commitment for advising by providing appropriate and ongoing allocation of resources (fiscal, human, and physical) to support institution-wide advising practices and continuous improvement of advising based on assessment.
    2. FSU must promote advising as a professional field through the selection of advisors, demonstration of core competencies, dissemination of evidence-based practices in advising, and scholarship and service.
    Progress

    The number of professional academic advisors employed at FSU will increase in support of the dual advising model. These professional staff need to have continuing professional development opportunities beyond the initial training. Additionally, they must have the resources to contribute to the growth of their professional field. Faculty advisors wishing additional professional development or seeking to contribute to the scholarship of advising will benefit from these opportunities and resources as well. Work on this action is planned to start in Academic Year 2021-2022. Key steps include:

    PlannedIncrease holdings in the library related to academic theory and practice 
    in progressIdentify resources to support academic advisors' attendance and participation in workshops and conferences - In progress 
    PlannedProvide opportunities for academic advising scholarship 

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