It's hard to believe that another academic year has almost 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 nearly 650 scheduled individual advising appointments, 10 transfer orientation sessions which welcomed 50 new students, and held two Saturday Express Advising Events where more students were assisted. A very hearty thank you to the CCPS Undergraduate 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. Please join me in congratulating Theresa and Kathryn on their successes.

I would also like to make you aware of Anne London's work with PA380, which she has done for several years, but this is her first year co-teaching the course. We are very proud of her work in this arena as well.

We know the end of the semester can be grueling, so please stop by next week for our finals week tradition and grab a snack and play a game! Though this semester is ending, we are also gearing up for summer orientation season where we will be working with other GVSU faculty and staff to welcome thousands of new students to GVSU, while also continuing to work with our current students to make sure they are all set for 2015-2016.

This will be the final newsletter for this academic year. We'll be here all summer so stop by and say hi so you don't miss us! The next newsletter will come out in August. Have a wonderful summer!

--Jennifer L. McCaul, Director

In what has become a finals week tradition, the CCPS-UAC is again offering free snacks, beverages and fun games for CCPS students and faculty to help relieve the stress of finals week. Stop by our office Monday thru Wednesday 10am-4pm! Grab a snack and a beverage... Play a game... Take a break from studying or grading!

Theresa Lyon, 2nd year GA in the CCPS-UAC has been selected by the Michigan Academic Advising Association Board of Directors (MIACADA), to receive the 2015 Outstanding Advisor - Graduate Student award.  The award selection committee was extremely impressed with her nomination packet and overall passion for the academic advising profession. 

One student wrote in a letter of support "I had my very first advising appointment with Theresa. Ever since then, I have gone back to her every time. She really made me feel like she wanted the best and more for me. I was very grateful that she was able to answer all of my questions. She has helped me tremendously when it comes to looking at graduate schools. Not many people around Michigan know good forensic science schools. Theresa directed me to a list
of fully accredited forensic science schools throughout the United States. I now have campus visits set up with three of those schools and Theresa is at the top of my list to thank for that. She is an outstanding advisor and person."

Another student described Theresa as always having "a positive attitude and an eagerness to help" and yet another said she was an "incredibly hard working individual who goes above and beyond to help students...I truly appreciate all of the time Theresa has dedicated toward helping me achieve my goals."

The award will be presented at the MIACADA Annual Conference at Oakland University in Rochester Michigan on May 8th.

Theresa will also receive an award for Academic Excellence in the College Student Affairs Leadership, M. Ed. program. Only one student in each graduate program may be selected for this honor based on grade point average, outstanding performance in coursework, academic skills that exceed the average in terms of written assignments, projects, service, or leadership. This award will be conferred by the Dean of Graduate Studies at an upcoming awards ceremony.

A final piece of exciting news is that she has already received an offer of employment with the University of Cincinnati as an academic advisor in the College of Business where she will start in June.

Congratulations on all of these outstanding accomplishments Theresa!

For CCPS Senior Academic Advisor, Anne London, Spring Break 2015 was spent on a service learning trip in Southern Alabama. London co-teaches PA380 Service Learning with Quincy Williams (SPNHA). This class focuses on assisting communities after natural disasters as well as providing a historical context and cultural competence component. This year the group assisted the southern Alabama community of Bayou La Batre. While New Orleans garnered most of the national attention with Hurricane Katrina, this small rural community was impacted significantly. The National Weather Service Forecast Office of Mobile, Alabama, notes: “It is known that the storm surge was as high as 12-14 feet range in Bayou La Batre, Alabama and was likely closer to 20 feet immediately along the Mississippi-Alabama border.” Although it has been 10 years since Hurricane Katrina arrived, the traumatic impact was evident throughout the community.  The town’s economy has suffered greatly as a result of Katrina and citizens are still recovering from the disaster. Less evident, however, were the invisible wounds of the community. These included loss of employment, security, and repercussions due to the changing economy. While in Baylou La Batre, the group assisted with painting, rebuilding wheelchair ramps, fixing and building back porches, and cleaning debris from lawns. While assisting citizens in the neighborhoods, students had the opportunity to combine education with high impact experiences. Students also visited the Light of the Village afterschool program in Prichard, AL. Here they assisted high school students with ACT and ASVAB testing preparation and the younger students with homework help and a playground friend. The trip also contained a cultural component as the group visited New Orleans, The Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, Dexter Parsonage Museum, and also the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, AL. The week was full of enriching experiences that will impact staff and students for a lifetime.

Kathryn Timm, 1st year GA in the CCPS-UAC has been selected for a summer practicum experience at the Fried International Center at Hope College. There she will help plan international student orientation & summer ESL programming for visiting groups from Japan. She will also be working on social media communications and the website for the office. Kathryn says "I am excited to learn more about international students, gain additional programming experience, and learn more about immigration regulations." She will begin this experience in June and return to our office in August.

Spring/Summer Payment Deadline: April 24 by 5pm

Classes begin 1st 6 weeks and 12 weeks: May 4

Final Add or Drop 100% 1st 6 weeks and 12 weeks: May 8 by 5pm

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