First-year advising program passes three-year trial period

After a three-year pilot program, the first-year advising program was changed this past May to better accommodate the needs of new students arriving to Luther.

The Registrar’s Office worked closely with Vice-President for Student Life Ann Highum and Assistant to the Dean for Writing and Academic Support Nancy Barry. Even though the program seems to have passed evaluation surveys in a positive way.

“The faculty approved an intentional and ongoing advising program.” Barry said. “We would designate each year faculty to serve as first-year advisors, we would prepare those advisors through a workshop and that we would have common meetings between advisors and students.”

This program was started out of a concern that first-year students weren’t adjusting in college as smoothly as they could and that faculty working with first-year advising didn’t have enough training to help these new students.

A three-year pilot program that started in fall of 2006 was set up, and after thorough evaluation, faculty approved it as a permanent program.

“Advising is more than getting you in classes, it’s talking about life-balance issues,” Highum said.

In order to fulfill this aspect of the advising program, three to four advisers’ meetings are scheduled throughout the fall semester. Students get a chance to develop a relationship with a faculty member and advisers have a chance to see how their advisees are doing.

“During the pilot, when we surveyed student response, we in fact found that students were fairly pleased with the level of connection that they had with their adviser,” Barry said.

Some students feel that they are forced into such social situations.

“Every time I met with her one-on-one, it was very helpful, but the group meetings weren’t so helpful,” Lynne McMullen (‘13) said.

A lot of students expect to receive strictly individual help in academics from their advisers, so they don’t feel as comfortable with group meetings.

“We’ve attempted to do more social activities with the advisee’s group,” Professor of accounting and management Mona Nelson said. “I haven’t found that very successful.”

Perhaps the strongest part of this program is the way in which academics are handled.

“The majors wrote a very helpful guide sheet, so that I, as a business faculty, can read that sheet and feel comfortable that I am helping a student get started in the music major,” Nelson said.

It has recently become easier for students to change their adviser to one in their department earlier in their Luther career.

“We have formally tried to give first year students the opportunity that if they know their major, they should declare it and have an adviser in that department before registering for second-year classes,” Barry said.

Despite the discontent of some students, the program has had positive feedback in surveys done throughout the pilot. The administration will continue to keep it as a part of the first-year experience for students.