Winter 2009
Student academic advising expands into residences
Carol Porter, senior associate vice provost for undergraduate education, talks about efforts to improve undergraduate advising at Stanford by giving academic directors offices in student residences.
Carol Porter
Starting this year, academic directors have offices in residences with freshmen. What is the intent behind that move?
This initiative is part of a larger vision we have been developing over the past six years to improve academic advising. We’ve incorporated what we’ve learned from peer institutions, those with advising resources where students live, into Stanford’s existing residential system. The academic director (AD) is a staff member in Undergraduate Advising and Research, a full-time academic advisor with an advanced graduate degree who is an accessible resource in the residence. We placed our first AD in Wilbur Hall four years ago, the second in Florence Moore in 2005 and the third in Stern in 2006. Then we surveyed the students. This year, we placed academic directors in Roble, Branner and Lagunita. The assistant dean of freshmen is the AD for FroSoCo, but doesn’t have an office in residence.
Is it working?
Very well. The academic director has a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum, resources across campus and academic rules and regulations. ADs can advise students who have missed deadlines and petition for exceptions to academic policy. The position complements that of faculty advisors who are more at liberty to define their roles as intellectual mentors. The ADs supplement the advising resources in Undergraduate Advising and Research, where we also have professional advisors—many specializing in pre-professional advising—and advisors focusing on athletes and sophomores, as well as peer academic counselors in some residences.
We figured we would recognize success when the ADs had too much on their plates because students from all four classes were seeking their advice. We’re seeing a lot of word of mouth, where a student has a good experience and then passes that information on to others. Surveys indicate that students are getting a wide range of advice and guidance from the AD, as we intended, and that ADs connect students to resources across campus. Most recently, more than 700 students—the most ever—attended the Away from Stanford fair. The ADs made an effort to encourage students to go, and they made a difference.
Vivienne Fong is
the academic advisor in Roble Hall.
Photo: L.A. Cicero
What are the advantages of a residence-based academic director?
Continuity. ADs are in a position to know students their entire four years. ADs are accessible, especially around meal times. They provide opportunities for informal contacts that can develop into long-term relationships based on familiarity and trust. Students can come to talk to you in their pajamas! Because they’re residentially based, ADs are more likely to know the “whole” student, and they’re in a position to build collaborative working relationships with RDs and RFs that in the end serve students really well.
What are the academic issues students most need help with?
These vary enormously. Some have never had to study and suddenly find that they don’t know how. Some come to Stanford with a fixed idea about their college trajectory and career, and it may take some time for them to discover if it’s in fact their dream or someone else’s expectations. Many have “done school” in high school, and expect in college that they should continue to load up on credentials by taking demanding classes and joining activities before they understand that the academic requirements at Stanford are very different. We know it is very hard for some kids to come forward and seek help because they have never failed.
What is Stanford's approach to advising?
Stanford has a vast array of resources, a complex curriculum and endless opportunities outside of the classroom. To be advised well, and to make informed decisions, students need perspectives besides those of their assigned or departmental advisors. We think of “advising” as creating relationships. So we encourage students to seek out faculty and academic staff, oftentimes just to talk. Questions like “Should I withdraw from a class?” or “Should I study abroad?” may be openings to broader conversations about the student’s deepest aspirations. This may be ambitious, but that is what we want advising to be.
If a student is having academic difficulties, who will know?
There is a well developed safety net, but we can do better. There are proactive early-warning processes in place to help freshmen who might be struggling in introductory courses such as Introduction to the Humanities, math or chemistry. An academic advisor, academic director or a resident fellow might know, based on grades or conversations with a student. Student transcripts are also reviewed quarterly, and there are procedures for prompting students to seek advice. The safety net is very good for freshmen and improving for sophomores. We have more work to do with upperclass students. The AD can help enormously because he or she might see a student in the residence or at lunch and can grab him or her for a conversation that might not occur if we expect the student to always come to us.
What advice do you have for Stanford parents?
As a parent, it’s very difficult to see your son or daughter falter. But sometimes, failure (in their eyes or yours) is a very good experience because the students learn how resilient they are. It would be wonderful if more parents gave their kids permission to “fail.” Stanford is a good place for this—there are exceptional resources to help students recover and succeed. Some parents, too, might be reluctant for their kids to be something other than a lawyer, doctor or investment banker. The choices for Stanford students, regardless of major, are vast. If students love what they are doing, then they will do well, and they will learn how to learn, a skill that lasts a lifetime. I hope parents appreciate the wealth of experience that their sons and daughters are getting from their undergraduate education that might not always appear to map directly onto a future profession. We encourage them to explore. We hope parents will do that, too.
