1. Peer Advising Students Helping Students Find their Gateway to Success
Pat Caro, Director
Cynthia Holguin, Assistant Director
Academic Advising Center

2. OVERVIEW About UTEP and the AAC Job Description Hiring/Interviewing
Training
Benefits for the Center
Benefits for Peer Advisors
Goal Development Activity

3. UTEP – Who, What, Where? Located on US/Mexico Border
Regional population 2.2 million
Enrollment Fall 2017: 25,078
Student Demographics:
54% Female
46% Male
87% El Paso County Residents
80% Hispanic
Degrees Offered
72 Bachelors, 73 Masters, 20 Doctoral

4. Academic Advising Center (AAC)
Primarily advise Freshmen and Sophomore students under the following majors:
General Studies (undeclared/undecided)
Liberal Arts up to 60 credit hours
Education up to 29 credit hours
Nursing up to 29 hours
Business - based on college level Math and English completion
Health Sciences up to 29 hours
PIE: Programa Interamericano Estudiantil
START
UTCAP
German Abitur
TSI Advising: Texas Success Initiative
A state initiative to ensure college students are prepared for college level Math, Reading, and Writing courses
Students who place into developmental courses must meet with an advisor each semester until they complete all three areas

5. AAC Populations 5 colleges 23 Majors 5 Programs semester credit hours 5,000 students per semester

6. Academic Advising Center (AAC)
Management Team
Director
2 Assistant Directors
3 Coordinator/Managers
Program Advisors
10 Professional Advisors
TSI Advising
All Majors
PR/SU/START
Peer Advisors
7 student advisors
TSI Advising
Freshmen Major Advising
Exceptions: PR/SU/START, Education, Abitur, UT-CAP
Front Desk
5 student employees
Screen students and non-student visitors
Schedule appointments
Serve as referral source to other offices

7. Tell Us About You! Do you have student advisors?
How many of you are from 4 year institutions?
How many of you are from 2 year institutions?
How many students does your advising unit serve?
How many majors/programs do you advise toward?
How many of you have already implemented peer advising in your center?
Thanks for sharing!

8. Peer Advisor Job Description

9. Peer Advisor Job Description
Populations/SCH advised
Texas Success Initiative advising and registration
New Student Orientation
Caseload support
Cross training with other student personnel

10. Hiring Peer Advisors
Application, resume, interview process and expectations
Sophomore/Junior level preferred
2.5 GPA requirement above University student staff requirements
Hire within the department to transition from freshmen level positions to peer advising
Select from all majors
Customer service/campus background preferred

11. Interviewing
Interview question samples

12. Interviewing
Interview question samples

13. Training Peer Advisors
Learn all majors/programs
Technology component:
Electronic Advising Forms
Banner Student Information System
Degree Evaluation
TSI Developmental Advising and Registration
Role Reversal and Observation
Provide training and guidance to incoming student staff

14. Training Plan Orientation Phase
Provide a detailed orientation to advisors regarding the expectations of the position and the various student populations served within the AAC
Instruction Phase
Provide specific instruction regarding key advising concepts, important history and partnerships, university policies and specific AAC processes
Implementation Phase
Provide instruction regarding the various resources and advising approaches required to ensure consistency and assessment of processes
Continuous Development Phase
Provide continuous professional development opportunities for advisors to develop skills and enhance services to students

15. Training Plan Sample

16. Training Plan Sample

17. Benefits for the Center
Peer to Peer interaction with students
Maximize peak advising availability
New Student and Transfer Student Orientation prep activities and advising support
Late registration assistance
Cross trained to cover front desk and scanning duties

18. Benefits for the Center
Advising Data

19. Benefits for the Peer Advisors
Professional Work Experience
Office policies and procedures
Interaction with supervisory staff
Interaction across campus
Customer service

20. Benefits for the Peer Advisors
Exposure to Professional Work Environment
Communication skills
Phone, , face to face
Teamwork/Team Building
Leadership among Peers and Professional Staff

21. Benefits for the Peer Advisors
Develop Problem Solving/Critical Thinking Skills
Handling difficult situations
Upset customers/parents
Student issues and concerns
Troubleshooting advising issues

22. Goal Development Activity
Identify your wish list
If you had no limitations, (budget, staffing, training needs, etc.) how would you like to implement or enhance a Peer Advising approach for your unit?
List your top 3 wishes now

23. Questions to Explore
If your unit already has peer advisors, how can you maximize their impact for advisees?
Do you have any unmet staffing needs peer advisors may be able to fill?
If you don’t have peer advisors, what role can they play?
How can you justify peer advising needs for your unit?
What populations or programs can peer advisors serve?
What are the institutional policies regarding student staffing(work studies/hourly/grad students) to consider?

24. Questions/Comments?
Contact us if you would like more information regarding
Peer Advising processes at UTEP:
Pat Caro –
Cynthia Holguin –