From the Director

It's hard to believe that another academic year has come to an end! Since the last newsletter, our office has been busy working with students as they plan and register for their next year or in some cases prepare to leave GVSU and take the next step in their professional journey. In the past 6 weeks, our office had over 700 scheduled advising appointments with students, answered over 3000 phone calls and replied to over 2000 emails. A very hearty thank you to the CCPS advising Center staff for another registration season well done! 

I would like to take this issue of the newsletter to celebrate our two graduate student advisors and the amazing work they are doing with students and for the academic advising profession. Please read on for more about their recent accomplishments and awards. Please join me in congratulating them on their successes.

We are going to take a newsletter break until August. That doesn't mean we are taking the summer off though! We will be working with new student orientation to welcome thousands of new students to GVSU while also working with our current students to make sure they are all set for 2012-2013. We will also use this time to develop some exciting new ideas for the upcoming year. We will announce some of these ideas in the August newsletter so be sure to check out our next issue. Have a great summer!!

--Jennifer L. McCaul

Katie Clark Selected for Michigan Outstanding Advising award

Katie Clark will be presented with an Oustanding Advising -Graduate Student Award at the upcoming Annual Conference of the Michigan Academic Advising Association (MIACADA) held in May at Davenport University. In support of her nomination, one student wrote "She is extremely compassionate, patient, and caring, and her help really enhanced my experience at the CCPS Advising Center." Another said "she was very helpful and answered all my difficult questions. I was able to plan better with her help."

Katie will earn her M.Ed. degree in College Student Affairs Leadership April 2012. She has done a fantastic job in our office for the past two years and will be greatly missed as she leaves us to continue her journey into the advising profession. Congratulations Katie!

Careers in Community & Public Service Roundtable a Success!

The first Careers in Community & Public Service roundtable was a success! Students had an opportunity to interact in round table format with alums working in their field of study. One student commented "[the best thing was] the conversational aspect of the event; the ability to interact instead of just listening to a presenter." Another student said "[the best thing was] the chance to meet other students in my major and exchange experiences and ideas." We are very happy with this inaugral event and hope to offer it again the future! Thank you to the CCPS Deans Office, Career Services, and Alumni Relations for your support and assistance with this event! 

Kate Snider To be Published in the NACADA Journal

Kate Snider, a Graduate Assistant Advisor in the CCPS-UAC has had a book review accepted for publication in the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Journal. The book review will appear in the upcoming printed copy of the journal to arrive in member's mail boxes soon as well as the NACADA website! Well done Kate! MORE INFORMATION

Finals Week Tradition Continues

In what has become a finals week tradition the CCPS-UAC offered free snacks, beverages and fun games for students and faculty to partake in to help relieve the stress of finals week. Over 100 students stopped by our office this week to particpate in the fun. We'll see you next finals week....mark your calendar now for December 10-12, 2012. 

Save the Dates!

The Academic Advising Professional Development Committee is working on the 2012-2013 Advising Forums scheduled for 3-5pm on September 20th (Allendale) and January 24th (Pew). The topics will be related to students with disabilities and the transition to the new general education. Faculty & Staff are encourage to attend to learn more about these topics. More information to come!

In the Spotlight: Laker for a Lifetime

A new campaign has been rolled out to introduce faculty, staff, and students to what it means to be a Laker. The new website includes resources to stay informed, get involved, give back, and demonstrate Laker pride. The site has some great content related to the character of students as well as the history and traditions of the university. This site will only get better with time. Please take a moment to look at the site as well as share this resource with students. L-A-K-E-R-U-A Laker...for a lifetime? MORE INFORMATION