1. The Power of Planning and Sorcery of Strategy
Casey Mawson
College of Sciences and Health Professions
Cleveland State University

2. Was it your plan to be an advisor?

3. What I learned early in advising
Students need help scheduling
Students don’t have your knowledge base
Program knowledge
Catalog
Policies
Vocabulary
Can’t visualize through graduation
Aren’t able to strategize schedules

4. What is Strategic Planning?
What are the benefits?
How does it apply to Academic Advising?
Recognize goals or mission, strategize, and measure the outcome

5. Key Components of Strategic Planning
Mission and Values
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
Strategies
Measurements
What are you trying to accomplish during your advising sessions?
What are your values in regard to advising?
Think about your strengths and weaknesses and what challenges you may have to overcome.
What strategies can you use to meet your goal?
How can you measure if you are meeting your goal? (Also includes funding streams, but that doesn’t apply in this case)

6. Activity: How does your advising practice fit into a strategic planning model?

7. Mission and Values Act as more than just a scheduler
Meet the needs of my students
Create a connection
Create a realistic plan for them to accomplish their goals
Engage my students in the planning process
Assist my students in successful and efficient degree completion

8. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
Strengths: thorough understanding of degree requirements, course offerings, intensity of required courses
Weaknesses: high caseloads, time restrictions during appointments
Opportunities: Caseload is limited and my students don’t meet with other advisors.
Threats: no control over course offerings, students may not be successful in courses, students may not follow plan.

9. Strategies Talk to students Create a graduation plan
Know their goals
Know their comfort level with difficult courses
Know their course load comfort level & preferences
Create a graduation plan
Layout all remaining course requirements
Encourage self-registration, but regular check-ins
Be prepared to adjust multiple times
Create guides or handouts when there is a pattern of questions
Tips for applying to grad school
Career option
Electives
Advantages: getting to know lets them know you care. Helps you create a more reliable grad plan

10. Measurements Graduation rates Are Grad Plans Effective?
Students understanding requirements
Students being more self sufficient
Do they help you to advise
After appointment survey
Student testaments

11. MAGIC TIME!

12. Graduation Plans for Every Student
*Shows a personal path, specific to that student
*Adjustable, so it’s easier to understand when plans change

13. How do grad plans benefit students?
Offering structure increases graduation rates and timeliness of degree completion
Gives a timeline for graduation
How many credits need to be taken each semester
Can explain why certain classes should be taken at specific times
Shows how much room students have for electives
Opportunity to discuss summer plans
Is financial aid available for summer courses?
Exams for grad school
Internships or other experiences
Other commitments

14. https://completecollege

15. How do grad plans benefit advisors?
Scheduling goes smoother
Time to focus on other issues
Many students are confident in creating their own schedules
Plan for electives
Easier to answer “quick” questions
Able to determine if there is room for a minor or second major
Others can review the plan, as needed
Verification of what was discussed during advising appointments

16. How do you make an effective graduation plan?

17. Know your majors Course Requirements and Substitutions
Times and Semesters
Prerequisites
Sequencing
Grad School: Stay up to date on requirements
Gen Eds embedded in major
Common electives
Know your faculty
*Know if you should recommend a lighter load with certain courses and professors

18. Understand the next steps for students in your majors
Grad School
Is there an exam? GRE, MCAT, GMAT, LSAT
What are the timelines to apply to grad school?
How can student best prepare or make themselves competitive?
Research
Experience
GPA
Work
Is an internship recommended?
Job market and how to have an edge
Resources to help with the job search process
Career Services
Career Fairs
Appropriate job boards

19. Pre-Professional Graduation Plan

20. Double Major Graduation Plan

21. Dual Admission Graduation Plan
The student plans to get into a RESP program, so I encouraged dual admission. This shows the break and where courses will be taken. Tri-C and CSU courses are listed.

22. Know how to advise for grad school
Programs you are familiar with
Competitiveness
Timelines
Program length / Cohort
Work
Common / Local schools
Prerequisites
Programs you don’t know about
Refer if possible
Get a basic understanding
Ask the student to conduct research
Ask questions

23. How can students utilize strategic planning?

24. What are the student’s long term and short term goals?
Mission and Values
What are the student’s long term and short term goals?
List priorities
Talk about why the student wants to achieve this goal
Explore if this is really the best option
Discuss if the goal is realistic and attainable
Get a job or go to grad school
Time to complete the degree
Summers / # of credit hours (scholarship)

25. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
Aptitude
Grade History
Support System
Is there anything that can hold them back?

26. Strategies
Advisors are essential in planning a strategy for degree completion
Plan courses
Plan timelines
Advise on resources
Discuss how to get through the most difficult courses
Work with students when hiccups arise

27. Measurements Periodically check in to make student is on track
Assess progress to ensure student remains competitive
Graduation
Goal Attainment

28. Graduation plans are NOT magic!
*Can’t make students follow through
*Can’t make them earn high grades
*Can’t stop life from happening
Know Campus Resources: Help with plan B, where to refer students in a crisis, Know petition policies

29. Career Counseling Refer to Career Services
Assessment tool and/or classes for career exploration
Guidance / Developmental Advising
Environment
Aptitude
Job expectations
Level of Education
Resources for research

30. Generalist Advising
First Year Advisors, Community College, Other: TRIO or Athletics
How does the concept of strategic planning fit into your advising practice?

31. Mission and Values Get students started off on the right foot
Help them understand resources
Make sure they understand their path
Give them tools and advice to be successful
Make a valuable impact
Provide direction and support

32. Strengths and Weaknesses
First person they work with
Easy to create a connection
Mandatory meetings
Able to refer
Weaknesses
May not have a lasting relationship
Know it alls
Don’t follow through
*Holds, or just pretend it’s mandatory
*Know it all (freshmen: story about teaching SDEV)

33. Strategies
Know your campus resources
General understanding of next steps and competitiveness of grad school
Don’t just refer, reach out

34. Measurements Are students prepared when they move onto the next step?
Measure retention rates
After appointment survey

35. Case Studies

36. References
Krach, K. (2016, September 6). 5 Key Components of Strategic Planning. Retrieved from
Karp, M.M. & Stacey, G.W. (2013) Designing a System for Strategic Advising, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Retrieved from
Academic Maps with Proactive Advising. Retrieved from
(2014) Four Year Myth: Make College Affordable. Restore the Promise of Graduating on Time, Complete College America. Retrieved from