“Come with an idea, leave with a plan”
The University of Pittsburgh Student Success Administration Seminars are professional development experiences designed for higher education administrators who play a critical role in shaping the student journey from an institutional level.
The educational programs will bring together leadership and professionals across academic advising, student success operations, and academic affairs to build collaborative and holistic strategies and systems needed to help students thrive.
We invite participants from a range of higher education institutions to explore how designing shared academic advising and student success organizational models will increase student outcomes, provide efficient administrative processes, and support student-centered operations.
Attendees will engage in activities to develop leadership competencies that drive meaningful change across their university.
The programs are offered by The University of Pittsburgh Office of the Provost Student Success Team, lead by Associate Vice Provost April Belback.
Explore the topics below. Check back for more information on dates, registration, the agendas, and more.
We encourage you to bring a campus team (2-6 people) to a seminar experience, but that is not required.
The goal is to come with an idea you are thinking about and to leave with a plan of action, equipped with resources and a network to lean on as you take the next step.
- Seminar One – Shared and Collaborative Advising 101
Shared organizational models of academic advising, which underscore collaboration and holistic interactions, have proven to increase student success outcomes (Belback, 2021). Moving to this model often feels out of reach. This seminar will inspire higher education leaders to begin shifting towards change with small, actionable steps to take back to your institution right away.
Preliminary agenda includes:
- Shared and Collaborative Advising Introduction
- University of Pittsburgh Case Study
- Using Data to Make Your Case: Where are you now?
- Hierarchy of Student Needs Activity: Spheres of Influence
- Defining Advising
- Training and Resources
- Developing Community
- Roundtables/Idea Sharing (Change Management)
- Technology Mapping Breakout Sessions)
- Collaborative Partnerships Panel
- How to Tell Your Story
- What’s Next Intention Activity
- Optional Consultations
- Seminar Two – Transformational Leadership Skills for Student Success Redesign
A transformational leader creates connections, is strategic, and motivates others towards long-term change (Northouse, 2016). Using key tenants of this approach, this seminar is designed to empower higher education administrators to understand your leadership capacity and begin taking action steps towards a chosen key project or idea.
Preliminary agenda includes:
- Transformational Leadership Overview
- Your Leadership Capacity
- Making a Plan (With Data!)
- Step One
- Step Two
- Step Three
- Roundtables/Idea Sharing (Change Management)
- Stakeholder Mapping
- Leadership Panel
- How to Tell Your Leadership Story (Data Is in the Details)
- What’s Next Intention Activity
- Optional Consultations
Questions?
Please reach out to pittact@pitt.edu.
References and Pre-reading
Belback, A. (2023). Five Things Institutions Can do to Shift Towards a Shared Advising Model. Academic Advising Today. 46(3).
The Equity-Excellence Imperative in Action. Chapter 16: How Shifting Toward Shared Advising Models Positively Impacts Student Success.
The seminar series is endorsed by Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU) and the Advising Administration Community of Practice (AACoP).
