2022 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Seas the Day: Understanding Academic Advising from the Sand to the Surf
Coastal Alabama Community College
Friday, September 23, 2022
8:00AM-3:00PM
Branch Auditorium (B111)
Vantrel Mainor
Morning Keynote
Teach Us How to Lead and Advise You: Learning from the Students We Lead
Vantrel Mainor, Academic Coach at Savannah State University
Leader, mentor, artist, visionary, author, and an entrepreneurial spirit, are just some of the words to describe Vantrel Mainor. He is a strong advocate for both student and professional development, speaking to various groups on subjects pertaining to leadership, personal growth, workplace culture, among other topics. Vantrel is a 2002 graduate of Savannah State University (SSU) where he completed his undergraduate degree of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing, with a minor in Art. He would later receive both a Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Divinity from Liberty University. He also received his certification in both Academic Advisement from Kansas State University and College Student Wellbeing: Trauma & Resilience from Florida State University. Vantrel has been employed at Savannah State University for close to 16 years, working in Trio Programs (Education Talent Search), Academic Coaching, and currently Professional Advising. He also co-advises Greater Impact Campus Movement and Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity. Last but certainly not least, Vantrel Mainor is the proud husband of Sheri Mainor; together, they have two beautiful daughters, Imani and Zoey.
Teach Us How to Lead and Advise You: Learning from the Students We Lead
Vantrel Mainor, Academic Coach at Savannah State University
Leader, mentor, artist, visionary, author, and an entrepreneurial spirit, are just some of the words to describe Vantrel Mainor. He is a strong advocate for both student and professional development, speaking to various groups on subjects pertaining to leadership, personal growth, workplace culture, among other topics. Vantrel is a 2002 graduate of Savannah State University (SSU) where he completed his undergraduate degree of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing, with a minor in Art. He would later receive both a Master of Arts in Religion and Master of Divinity from Liberty University. He also received his certification in both Academic Advisement from Kansas State University and College Student Wellbeing: Trauma & Resilience from Florida State University. Vantrel has been employed at Savannah State University for close to 16 years, working in Trio Programs (Education Talent Search), Academic Coaching, and currently Professional Advising. He also co-advises Greater Impact Campus Movement and Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity. Last but certainly not least, Vantrel Mainor is the proud husband of Sheri Mainor; together, they have two beautiful daughters, Imani and Zoey.
Concurrent Session 1
Panel: Collaboration in Advising
Panelists: Patty Davis, University of South Alabama, Dr. Celeste Robertson, Coastal Alabama Community College, Yolanda McNeil, Bishop State Community College
Category: Open Swim
In this session, panelists members will share best practices for collaborating with staff and faculty to better advise students. The session will begin with questions posed by the moderator and end with time for audience questions. Attendees will learn how to increase faculty and staff investment in advising, how to hold stakeholders accountable, and how to balance the advising
load with various offices.
Presentation: Document Everything, but not that! How to Maximize the Effectiveness of your Advising Notes for Student Learning.
Presenter: Jonathan Hovell, University of West Florida
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
In this presentation, advising notes will be examined as a methodology for increasing student learning. First, best practices for effective and ethical advising documentation will be examined. Then, examples of effective and negligent advising notes will be reviewed for context. Finally, a data-driven collaborative note taking methodology will be explored for possible inclusion into the overall advising pedagogy. Upon completion of the session, viewers will possess a better understanding of the importance of the documentation process of advising, as well as gain an implementable tool for maximizing student learning during the advising
process.
Presentation: Fish are Friends Not Food
Presenters: Carson Wood & Jayla McAdory, University of South Alabama
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
As an academic advisor, it’s important to facilitate students’ as they explore majors, interests, and careers. At our institution, Arts & Sciences-General/Exploratory students have 45 credit hours to select the major that best fits their goals and aspirations. At the end of the last academic year, our team noticed an increased number of students going into their second year without a home major. To better support the Fall 2022 cohort, our team piloted advising strategies to guide incoming students along the way and equip them with resources to make informed decisions towards their major and career goals. This presentation will provide insight on the techniques our team used to allow first-year students to select the Learning Community that aligned with their major or interest area while forming a community to promote student success. We’ll also examine the collaborative relationships between students and advisors in Career Services and Academic Advising and Transfer Services intended to assist in the development of meaningful educational, career and personal goals that are consistent with students'; interests, values and
abilities.
Panel: Collaboration in Advising
Panelists: Patty Davis, University of South Alabama, Dr. Celeste Robertson, Coastal Alabama Community College, Yolanda McNeil, Bishop State Community College
Category: Open Swim
In this session, panelists members will share best practices for collaborating with staff and faculty to better advise students. The session will begin with questions posed by the moderator and end with time for audience questions. Attendees will learn how to increase faculty and staff investment in advising, how to hold stakeholders accountable, and how to balance the advising
load with various offices.
Presentation: Document Everything, but not that! How to Maximize the Effectiveness of your Advising Notes for Student Learning.
Presenter: Jonathan Hovell, University of West Florida
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
In this presentation, advising notes will be examined as a methodology for increasing student learning. First, best practices for effective and ethical advising documentation will be examined. Then, examples of effective and negligent advising notes will be reviewed for context. Finally, a data-driven collaborative note taking methodology will be explored for possible inclusion into the overall advising pedagogy. Upon completion of the session, viewers will possess a better understanding of the importance of the documentation process of advising, as well as gain an implementable tool for maximizing student learning during the advising
process.
Presentation: Fish are Friends Not Food
Presenters: Carson Wood & Jayla McAdory, University of South Alabama
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
As an academic advisor, it’s important to facilitate students’ as they explore majors, interests, and careers. At our institution, Arts & Sciences-General/Exploratory students have 45 credit hours to select the major that best fits their goals and aspirations. At the end of the last academic year, our team noticed an increased number of students going into their second year without a home major. To better support the Fall 2022 cohort, our team piloted advising strategies to guide incoming students along the way and equip them with resources to make informed decisions towards their major and career goals. This presentation will provide insight on the techniques our team used to allow first-year students to select the Learning Community that aligned with their major or interest area while forming a community to promote student success. We’ll also examine the collaborative relationships between students and advisors in Career Services and Academic Advising and Transfer Services intended to assist in the development of meaningful educational, career and personal goals that are consistent with students'; interests, values and
abilities.
Concurrent Session 2
Panel: Leadership in Advising
Panelists: Dawn Buckley, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Vantrel Mainor, Savannah State University, Catherine Preston, University of South Alabama
Category: Don’t Get Tide Down
In this session, panelists members will share. The session will begin with questions posed by the moderator and end with time for audience questions. Attendees will learn how to increase faculty and staff investment in advising, how to hold stakeholders accountable, and how to balance the advising load with various offices.
Presentation: Batten Down the Hatches with ORI101!
Presenters: Lee Conerly, Charity White, and Mandy Bezeredi, Coastal Alabama Community College
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
Providing a brief overview of recent changes in ORI101, presenters will outline Coastal Alabama Community College’s required orientation class and facilitate discussion about best practices for new students. Batten Down the Hatches with ORI101! As a required course for all students, ORI101 should establish connections among students, their resources, and learning communities while enrolled in college. To keep new students from exclaiming, "Shiver me timbers!" instructors can link relevancy of course materials directly to individual student needs and goals while supporting the institution’s mission statement.
Presentation: Keeping our Students Afloat – Coaching as a Life Saver
Presenters: Patty Davis, University of South Alabama
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
Effective academic advising is based on the relationship developed between the advisor and their advisee. Consequently, advisors often incorporate coaching methods into their appointments in order to address the whole student well beyond the scope of simply choosing classes and checking academic progression. Academic Advising & Transfer Services began incorporating coaching practices into our fall outreach in 2021 in an effort to best support our students. Developing effective academic coaching techniques allows advisors to help students evaluate and act on their stated goals, interests, and dreams. This presentation will highlight the introduction of Leader Led Coaching to our advisors and the transformational nature of it. An overview of the training process and the benefits of coaching for both the advisor and advisee will be provided.
Panel: Leadership in Advising
Panelists: Dawn Buckley, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Vantrel Mainor, Savannah State University, Catherine Preston, University of South Alabama
Category: Don’t Get Tide Down
In this session, panelists members will share. The session will begin with questions posed by the moderator and end with time for audience questions. Attendees will learn how to increase faculty and staff investment in advising, how to hold stakeholders accountable, and how to balance the advising load with various offices.
Presentation: Batten Down the Hatches with ORI101!
Presenters: Lee Conerly, Charity White, and Mandy Bezeredi, Coastal Alabama Community College
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
Providing a brief overview of recent changes in ORI101, presenters will outline Coastal Alabama Community College’s required orientation class and facilitate discussion about best practices for new students. Batten Down the Hatches with ORI101! As a required course for all students, ORI101 should establish connections among students, their resources, and learning communities while enrolled in college. To keep new students from exclaiming, "Shiver me timbers!" instructors can link relevancy of course materials directly to individual student needs and goals while supporting the institution’s mission statement.
Presentation: Keeping our Students Afloat – Coaching as a Life Saver
Presenters: Patty Davis, University of South Alabama
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
Effective academic advising is based on the relationship developed between the advisor and their advisee. Consequently, advisors often incorporate coaching methods into their appointments in order to address the whole student well beyond the scope of simply choosing classes and checking academic progression. Academic Advising & Transfer Services began incorporating coaching practices into our fall outreach in 2021 in an effort to best support our students. Developing effective academic coaching techniques allows advisors to help students evaluate and act on their stated goals, interests, and dreams. This presentation will highlight the introduction of Leader Led Coaching to our advisors and the transformational nature of it. An overview of the training process and the benefits of coaching for both the advisor and advisee will be provided.
Dawn M. Buckley
Afternoon Keynote
Calming the Seas: Improving Resiliency and Post-Traumatic Growth
Dawn Buckley, Director of Enrollment at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Mrs. Buckley also serves as the Licensed Professional Counselor for Harrison County Campus and three centers. She sponsors the Harrison County Early Alert Fund, Mac’s Helping Paws Food Pantry, and Professional Clothing Closet. These services provide students with food, clothing for interviews and public speaking, bus passes, gas cards, and other items to assist at-risk students in continuing their enrollment. Before joining MGCCC in 2012, Mrs. Buckley was in private practice and served in counseling roles in inpatient, outpatient, school, and hospital clinic settings.
Mrs. Buckley has served in leadership roles for twenty-five years and is Past-President of Mississippi Counseling, Mississippi Licensed Professional Counselors, and Pine Belt Counseling Associations. She also served in committee positions with American Mental Health Counselors and American Counseling Associations. She is pursuing a Doctorate of Educational Leadership from the University of South Alabama. Mrs. Buckley resides in Biloxi, Mississippi, with her husband, Dr. Matt Buckley, a counselor educator, and two strong-willed pets, Breesie and Kammie. They have eight children and four grandchildren in Hattiesburg, Chicago, and Salt Lake City.
Calming the Seas: Improving Resiliency and Post-Traumatic Growth
Dawn Buckley, Director of Enrollment at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
Mrs. Buckley also serves as the Licensed Professional Counselor for Harrison County Campus and three centers. She sponsors the Harrison County Early Alert Fund, Mac’s Helping Paws Food Pantry, and Professional Clothing Closet. These services provide students with food, clothing for interviews and public speaking, bus passes, gas cards, and other items to assist at-risk students in continuing their enrollment. Before joining MGCCC in 2012, Mrs. Buckley was in private practice and served in counseling roles in inpatient, outpatient, school, and hospital clinic settings.
Mrs. Buckley has served in leadership roles for twenty-five years and is Past-President of Mississippi Counseling, Mississippi Licensed Professional Counselors, and Pine Belt Counseling Associations. She also served in committee positions with American Mental Health Counselors and American Counseling Associations. She is pursuing a Doctorate of Educational Leadership from the University of South Alabama. Mrs. Buckley resides in Biloxi, Mississippi, with her husband, Dr. Matt Buckley, a counselor educator, and two strong-willed pets, Breesie and Kammie. They have eight children and four grandchildren in Hattiesburg, Chicago, and Salt Lake City.
Concurrent Session 3
Presentation: Don’t Get Tide Down - Help Reclaim Your Time
Presenter: Rachael Treis, University of West Florida
Category: Don’t Get Tide Down
There are only 24 hours in a day. Increasing caseloads and job requirements can prevent us from having the time for the student interactions that are vital to development. How can we best utilize our time to satisfy both the required and desired and help prevent burnout? Participants will develop strategies to streamline tasks and free up precious time.
Presentation: Staying Afloat: Using Gradual Release to End Sink or Swim Training
Presenters: Dallas Schmidt & Joshua Goldman, University of South Alabama
Category: Don’t Get Tide Down
This presentation takes the teaching model of Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) and applies it to training new academic advisors. By establishing mentor/mentee relationships, we are able to ease new advisors into advising their student caseloads as well-prepared professionals. Our training process starts with teaching advising concepts, then showing how those concepts are applied practically by shadowing appointment. After that, new advisors lead their own appointments alongside their mentor. The process culminates with new advisors leading appointments independently. This gradual process builds confidence in new advisors while also establishing a strong rapport between mentor and mentee.
Presentation: Casting A Wide Net to Support Second Year Retention
Presenters: Autumn Courtney & Catherine Preston, University of South Alabama
Category: Many Fish in the Sea
The sophomore year of college is a time of transition. It is also seen as a time for career exploration and decision making. At South, our students' second year matters. We want our students to get engaged and find their focus. We want to support second year students as they navigate their undergraduate path, and we want to ensure they know they belong at South.
Through a Title III grant, South has launched the Second Year Experience. This program focuses on a student’s connection to the institution and provides additional support for our second-year students. In the Academic Advising & Transfer Service’s office, advisors this fall will implement communication and outreach strategies to support second year student persistence. Additionally, we will focus our efforts on our second-year exploratory students to help them clarify their academic goals and assist them in selecting a major. This presentation will provide an overview of the Second Year Experience program and outline the specific strategies advisors will utilize to support second year student retention at South. We will have a presentation with time with questions on how to support Second Year Students as Advisors. We will go over how our office is creating a Second Year Experience.
