by Joe King
Getting a little advice on choosing a major got a whole lot more convenient for students this fall.
Just before the start of the semester, the Academic Advising Center moved into new quarters in the former Wesley Foundation building at 633 W. Locust Street, immediately north of the parking deck and south of Founders Memorial Library. The building is also home to the newly created Office of Student Academic Success.
The Academic Advising Center will welcome the campus to its new facilities during an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.
Academic Advising works with students who are undecided about their major (and are not affiliated with a particular college); those looking to change majors; and those who want to reassess their academic situation.
The center’s location is a huge improvement over their former offices on the fourth floor of Adams Hall.
“Just the fact that students see a building with a sign on it that says ‘Academic Advising Center’ is a big improvement,” Director Julie Schaid says. “In the few weeks we have been here we have definitely seen an increase in walk-in traffic.”
Not that the center was ever lacking for customers.
Records indicate that last year the center approximately had 130,000 Web site hits, 8,000 answered phone calls, 4,312 student contacts and 700 e-mail inquiries.
In a typical year, the six-person staff at the center sees about 950 students who start the academic year without a declared major and another 300 who decide over the course of the year to change majors. Each of those students meets with a counselor an average of about three times.
During periods of peak demand, that led to lengthy lines snaking down the hallway of Adams Hall, which was ill-equipped to handle big crowds.
Making matters worse, the former location offered nothing in the way of computer work stations. Students could not immediately attempt to register for classes suggested by advisers.
At best, they had to walk down to the ground floor, out the front door and across the street to the Holmes Student Center – and often back again if they found their desired classes filled and themselves in need of further advice.
The new facility is much more customer-friendly. It boasts a six-seat computer lab just outside the doors of advisers, which allows students to immediately pursue the classes they want and to quickly get further help when it is needed.
“It’s made a huge difference,” academic adviser Mazen Nagi says. “Now, if they have a problem, they just pop right back in and we can work something out.”
The shortcomings of the old facility did not go unnoticed.
In satisfaction surveys, students consistently gave high marks to the quality of advising. When asked what could improve the experience, however, they were quick to criticize the facilities – especially the fourth-floor location in Adams.
By the same token, students who have visited both facilities clearly notice the improvement.
“They come around the corner,” Schaid says, “and there is an audible ‘Whoa!’ from some of them.”