UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A conversation with a panel representing the many areas of student advising at the University was wide ranging and explored the different experiences of students, as well as the many resources available to promote student success at Penn State.
During the discussion led by the Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Academic Affairs, Research and Student Life on Thursday (Nov. 11), participants and trustees exchanged information and heard about the significant role advising has in all aspects of a student’s life – well beyond academic advising, which is probably the most well-known.
“Academic advising is only one piece of a very large and diverse mosaic of services that all of our Penn State students have at their disposal,” said William F. Oldsey, trustee and committee chair.
Discussion during the committee meeting ranged from how advisers in different capacities help students connect with the right resources at the right time, to the different experiences of students depending on their circumstances, such as change-of-campus or minority students. The conversation consisted mostly of advising that affects undergraduates, but panelists also noted that many of the services are also available to graduate students.
Participating in the panel were a number of University staff members involved with advising (see below for full list). Also participating on the panel were four students: Hibah Akbar, vice president of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments; Josh Bannon, co-president of Lion PRIDE, which serves and supports LGBTQ+ students on campus; Erin Boas, president of the University Park Undergraduate Association; and Emily Griffin president of the Lion’s Pantry. The session was facilitated by Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs, and Yvonne Gaudelius, vice president for Undergraduate Education. In advance of the meeting, Sims and Gaudelius prepared a white paper on advising that the committee read to prompt questions to the panel.
“It’s critically important to student success,” Sims said, indicating that advising affects virtually every student. “And yet, it is underappreciated because a lot of it goes relatively unseen except by the students directly affected by advising in any of its forms, all of whom recognize its value and impact.”
The breadth of advising at Penn State
Some advisers have regular interactions with students throughout their academic careers, such as academic advisers. Admissions counselors interact with students before they even begin their academic careers.
The discussion also introduced other areas of advising through advocacy offices such as the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, Multicultural Resource Center and the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. All three offices help provide students with a sense of belonging and community, which are critical to student success.
Advising at Penn State touches many other aspects of students’ lives. Students can seek out the services of the Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center for financial literacy help and advice on personal finances. Career Services offers career-related counseling to students. Staff and faculty at units such as Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Engagement Network and the Student Veteran Center can forge meaningful relationships with students and can often help them find satisfaction and direction.
There are also many staff who volunteer to advise student groups at Penn State. The Student Activities Office, within Student Affairs, trains volunteer advisers that serve more than 1,100 student groups. This support web provides guidance and historical continuity.
Challenges to successful advising
Advising leaders at Penn State point out that advising does not eliminate individual responsibility from students and their families. Faculty and staff who advise students do so through guiding, suggesting and encouraging -- but students still have an obligation to take responsibility for their choices and learn from success and failure. Staff in University Health Services and Health Promotion and Wellness can give advice about healthy lifestyles but students ultimately make their own choices regarding their health.
Additionally, many students do not take advantage of services and advising in the first place. Fewer than 10% of students who could take advantage of the services at the Student Engagement Network do so. Although the percentage of students seeking academic advising has increased in recent years, only half of students use this service.
Denise Poole, director of Student Success Initiatives, said often students find resources too late in their academic careers.
Some students may also not know where to turn when they have a specific problem. Dawn Coder, senior director for Academic Advising and Student Disability Services at Penn State World Campus, said the recently launched World Campus Central combines staff specialization from many different places, such as admissions and academic advising. From this central place for World Campus students to access as needed, staff can refer students to advisers with a particular specialization.
One way Penn State is able to be proactive about reaching out to students who may be struggling is through an online referral form, said Anna Barone, director of Student Care and Advocacy. This form can be accessed by family, staff, coaches and faculty if they think a student is in may need help.
Advising leads to better student outcomes
Relationships between advisers and students can mean the difference between students feeling a sense of connection and direction or feeling unheard and unseen. Advisers provide students with resources and information that can form and sustain a student's interests and point them toward their future goals, academically and beyond.
Brian Patchcoski, assistant vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion in Penn State Student Affairs, said his office has been working with Commonwealth Campus Student Government on the Coalition on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (CODEI) initiative. He said colleagues from across the University have come together to help students feel as though they belong and offer a “scaffolded” approach for students to discover resources they need.
In addition, Penn State’s student success system, Starfish, has been an increasingly important tool for students, academic advisers and faculty to track student success and challenges. In the first 10 months of 2021, there were more than 170,000 appointments logged in Starfish, already an increase of 13% over the total number of appointments logged in 2020.
Starfish data shows that when students use academic advising, retention rates improve by 9%, grade point averages by 5% and pass rates by 8%.
One of the many functions of Starfish at Penn State is the ability for instructors to raise flags to advisers for students who may be struggling in a particular course. Flags from multiple instructors can signify deeper problems, such as a personal life crisis or a lack of access to technology. These interactions allow academic advisers to activate a larger Penn State support network.
David Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies at Penn State, said Starfish can also play a critical role for students who move from one Penn State campus to another. If Starfish is used at the first campus, an adviser at another campus can quickly catch up on a student’s progress and students don’t have to spend time explaining their academic history.
In response to questions from the committee about Commonwealth Campus students and Starfish, multiple panelists remarked on the need for fluidity in how advisers interact with students.
“One of the things we’re learning here today is the connectivity quality is essential,” Oldsey said.
Gaudelius pointed out that this is a key element of One Penn State 2025, especially Guiding Principle One, which is focused on creating a seamless student experience.
Disability task force formed
Steven B. Wagman, committee vice chair, announced a disability task force was formed to help students with disabilities in the classroom and beyond. Wagman reported that in fall 2021, about 5% of undergraduate and 3% of graduate students at Penn State have a documented disability and cited an increasing number of students with documented neurodiversity disabilities.
“While these students can and do succeed in the classroom, there are additional challenges in securing internships and full-time employment, something the task force is addressing with support from Career Services and Alumni Career Services.” Wagman said.
The task force recommended the University develop a landing page to serve as the centralized repository for its disability and accessibility resources across campuses. The task force also recommended a mechanism to report experienced or witnessed access issues, and a system to respond to the issues in a timely manner.
Panelists for this trustee-driven discussion included:
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Anna Barone, director of Student Care and Advocacy at Penn State
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Dawn Coder, senior director for Academic Advising and Student Disability Services, Penn State World Campus
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Lorraine Craven, director of Student Services and Engagement, Penn State Greater Allegheny
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Natalie Hernandez DePalma, co-interim senior director and clinical director at Counseling and Psychological Services, Penn State University Park
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Chris Jefferson, director for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Penn State
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Terri Mando, director of academic advising and coordinator of New Student Orientation and the Division of Undergraduate Studies, Penn State Behrend
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Brian Patchcoski, assistant vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion in Penn State Student Affairs
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Denise Poole, director of Student Success Initiatives
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Mark Rameker, senior director for Residence Life at Penn State
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David R. Smith, associate dean for advising and executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies at Penn State
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Carlos Wiley, director of the Paul Robeson Cultural Center at Penn State
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Yvette Willson, interim director of the Gender Equity Center at Penn State.