January 21, 2010 - UAAC Meeting Minutes

Present: Nancy Trevino, Janet Muncey (Admissions); Nevon Bruschke (Art and Art History); Lucas Moosman (Athletics); Mary Hasak, Stephanie Ritrievi, Melissa Prentice, Jason Barkemeyer, Jeanie Jacquez, Pat Reilly (Business); Jenny Jones (Chemical Engineering); Christi Forsyth (Civil and Environmental Engineering); Kelly Olson (Computing); Janet Goff, Merilee Anderson, Roberta Lopez (Continuing Education); Mark Taylor, Tracey Farnsworth (Economics); Maria Baldwin (Equal Opportunity Programs); Luciano Marzulli (Ethnic Student Affairs); Shari Lindsey (Exercise and Sport Science); Jenny Stout (Family and Consumer Studies); Josh Larson (Health); Liz Leckie (Humanities); Jacqueline Fogel (International Center); Liz Knight, Jesse Pugh (International Education); Arminka Željković (International Studies); Kelly MacArthur (Mathematics); Mark Mun (Mechanical Engineering); Mary Ann Dresher (Music); Michelle Jones (Orientation); Shannon Borcherds (Philosophy); Nora Wood, Jessica Taverna (Political Science); Gina Seastrand (Psychology); Michael Bard, Emily Johnson, James Martak, Leo Stanko (Registrar’s Office); Cristina Caputo (Student Initiatives); Mariana Ramiro, Nick Robbins (Student Recruitment); Bobbi Davis (Teacher Education); Leslie Giles-Smith (Tutoring / Supplemental Instruction); Ed Barbanell, Liz Taylor (Undergraduate Studies); Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski, David Eisen, Marilyn Hoffman, Amanda Hatton, Sarah Rollo, Vickie Morgan, Jency Brown, Leslie Park, Mayumi Kasai, Richelle Warr (Academic Advising Center); Libby Oberg, Elizabeth Abbott (Academic Advising Center / Fine Arts); Total: 59

 

Anne O’Brien, from Professional Education (part of Continuing Education), distributed an information booklet regarding courses and programs offered. It was specifically noted that staff tuition reduction does apply to these.

 

Registrar’s Office – Michael Bard, Emily Johnson

• As of this morning, Spring enrollment is at 28,417, up 3.8% from last year.
• In anticipation of the coming PeopleSoft upgrade, Registrar’s Office will be reviewing the access to enrollment information that departments currently have.

 

Admissions – Nancy Trevino

• The Office is still processing a few (matriculated) applications for Spring 2010; the plan is to stop processing (new) applications by next Monday. Nonmatriculated applications will be processed up until March 15 or 16.
• Freshmen applications for Fall 2010 are up by more than 1,000 over the previous year.

 

Financial Aid – no report

 

Curriculum Administration and DARS –Ed Barbanell and Richelle Warr

• All curriculum changes for the 2010-11 academic year need to be submitted to Ed or Cindy Greaves by February 5.
• The “prerequisite enforcement project” is moving ahead.
• In the near future, an icon will be visible to advisors (in PeopleSoft) indicating students with scholarships (Student Initiatives and ACS are working with Curriculum on this).
• The Board of Regents has approved the first transcripted emphasis.
• The current goal is to have DARS implemented as a true graduation audit, campuswide, by Spring 2011.
• Departments and programs are asked to look closely at their DARS reports, and promptly notify Richelle of anything that doesn’t seem to be working properly, courses that are no longer offered, etc.

 

• Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski noted that there are some live roadmaps now in GPS; Richelle and Emily Johnson examined over 60 roadmaps and made sure that everything needed was there (except for major program data).
• Advisors will soon have the ability to transfer exceptions made from one program report to another.

 

Orientation – Michelle Jones

• Students can still participate in a Spring 2010 orientation by contacting the Orientation office.
• Orientation dates for those students starting in Summer or Fall 2010 are now posted online.
• If there is sufficient interest, a tour of student support offices on upper campus will be scheduled.
• The National Student Exchange deadline for 2010-11 is February 16. So far, more applications have been received this year than last.

 

Transfer Student Issues – Nick Robbins

Recruitment has set its schedules of visits to two-year Utah institutions in February and March (dates were given); those departmental advisors who are interested in going along should contact Nick at nrobbins@sa.utah.edu. If departments have materials that they would like presented at these visits, contact Terese Pratt (tpratt@uc.utah.edu) or Amanda Hatton (ahatton@uc.utah.edu).

 

Housing and Residential Education – no report

 

Freshman Advising Subcommittee – Leslie Park

• Thanks to those who participated in the December calling campaign (to unregistered freshmen) – data is now being analyzed.
• For Spring Semester, there is a smaller cohort of students (than in fall) for the mandatory first-term advising, usually between 300 and 400 (timeline distributed). A timeline and reminder instructions will also be sent out on the UAAC listserv, sometime in February.

 

Second-Year Advising Program – Vickie Morgan for Martina Stewart

• The next e-mail will be sent to students on January 26, which may engender a “rush” of student visits to advisors.
• UGS 1050 (Major Exploration) is a half-semester course that’s taught in Fall and Spring. Students enrolled in it may be contacting departmental advisors.

 

Advisor Education and Development Subcommittee – Vickie Morgan

The Financial Aid roundtable was successful; the PowerPoint presentation will be distributed through the listserv. The next roundtable, on scholastic standards, will be held at 12:00 noon on February 2.

 

New and Continuing Business

 

Study Abroad Fair: Jesse Pugh announced this event, to be held January 27, from 10am to 2pm in the Union (information distributed). Twenty-seven University of Utah programs will be represented, along with twelve outside affiliated programs.

Jesse will be taking a new position in the Office of Sponsored projects; replacement will be Liz Knight.

Horizons, the online application module for study abroad programs, is now live.

 

Presentation on Veterans’ Benefits and Yellow Ribbon Program: James Martak, supervisor of Veteran Services in the Registrar’s Office, presented information about his office, its responsibilities, and the services offered for military veterans. Highlights:

 

• “Veteran Services” is the new and correct name for the office (not “Veterans’ Affairs”; there is no affiliation with the federal US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), although appropriate referrals are made to that agency as needed).
• The office certifies classes for the GI bill (to which certain changes were made post-9/11), and is also required to evaluate prior credit; therefore, departmental advisors may sometimes be asked to write a letter for a student in regard to elective credit. There have been some problems with advisors recommending, for example, the UGS 1010 course (Your Path for a Successful Start at the U of U), because as a general rule, courses must be directly relevant to the student’s chosen course of study in order for the VA to pay tfor them.
• The VA pays for courses at the undergraduate resident rate.
• The Yellow Ribbon program can be used by anyone eligible but is intended mainly for graduate students and nonresident students; payment for courses (beyond the maximum authorized under the post-9/11 GI bill) is split between the VA and the University.
• There is much helpful information for advisors and students at https://studentaffairs.utah.edu/regist/veterans; e-mail vetservices@sa.utah.edu.

 

Survey to Collect Data on Advising Services: Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski expressed thanks on behalf of Maureen Matheson for the data on what various departments are using for the CW requirement. Another survey will shortly be sent to departments and programs, with the aim of gathering comprehensive information about advising in departments, e.g., how many budgeted staff advising positions; number of faculty and staff advisors; names of majors, minors, and certificates offered, etc.

 

Graduation Guarantee and GPS Update: Sharon Aiken-Wisniewski noted that in early February, an e-mail message will be sent to all new bachelor’s students entering in Fall, informing them of the Graduation Guarantee program (and the colleges/programs in which it is available). Other colleges that who wish to move into the Program are invited to work with Sharon on their respective guidelines. Currently, the website is being updated (to include, among other things, the memo of understanding and depth guidelines).

 

UAAC Co-chair Nominations: Mary Hasak announced that nominations for a UAAC 2010-12 co-chair (effective in August 2010) are now being accepted; Pat Reilly will collect them. (Academic Advising Center will choose one of ITS staff as one of the two co-chairs.)

 

Other: Christi Forsyth, currently in Civil and Environmental Engineering, will be leaving the University in March. Shari Lindsey is the new advisor in Exercise and Sport Science.

 

 

NEXT MEETING WILL BE HELD ON FEBRUARY 18 at 2:00pm.