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The Furman Advantage: Developing a Culture of Enhanced
Advising and Mentoring
Brad Harmon, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for the First-Year and Second-Year
Experience
Michelle Horhota, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Mentoring and Advising
Presentation Outcomes
• Learn about The Furman Advantage and its promises.
• Learn about Furman’s Four Year Pathway and the intentional
advising/mentoring initiatives it has inspired.
• Learn about the development of the Pathways Advising Program.
• Learn how Furman defines the roles of advisors and mentors.
• Learn about important changes Furman has made to advisor
assessment and training/development to support The Furman
Advantage and its promises/outcomes.
Furman University at a Glance• A private co-educational liberal arts university founded in 1826 in
Greenville, South Carolina
• 2,800 undergraduates from 45 states and 49 countries
• 60+ academic programs within 3
degrees (BA, BS, BM)
• Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 11:1
• Average Class Size: 19 students
• Division I Athletic Program
Furman University at a Glance• A residential campus (four-year residency requirement)
• 92.5% of Furman first-year students return for their second year
• 73.0% graduate in four years; 80.3% in five years
• 97% placement rate 6 months post-
graduation
• #5 “Best Schools for Making an
Impact” (Princeton Review)
Furman’s VisionThe Furman Advantage guarantees
every student an unparalleled education
that combines classroom learning with
real-world experiences and self-
discovery. This integrated four-year
pathway, guided by a diverse
community of mentors, prepares
students for lives of purpose and
accelerated career and community
impact — demonstrating in concrete
terms the value of a Furman education.
The Furman Advantage Promises• Excellent academic instruction
• Variety of applied- or engaged-learning experiences that are
appropriate for students’ interests and developmental stage
• Intentional reflection to help students deepen learning and
better understand their own skills, values, and next steps
• Thoughtful guidance provided by a team of advisors and mentors
• Opportunities to engage globally and locally
• Meaningful connection to career opportunities and professional
development
The Four-Year Pathway
The Furman Advantage: A Four-Year Pathway
The Furman Advantage: A Four-Year PathwayYear 1: Explore & Discover
Year 1: Explore & Discover• Implemented enhancements to new
student orientation
• Summer model built around college student thriving
• Academic Pathways Fair added during summer orientation to help students and parents/families better understand available academic opportunities
• Opening convocation moved to start of fall orientation and reimagined
New Student Survey• Annual survey given to new students in May
• Redesigned survey this year to reflect The Furman Advantage
messages
• Survey asks students to indicate: • Academic interests
• Interests in campus involvement (co-curricular and extra-curricular)
• Confidence in various academic abilities (writing, learning from
setbacks, etc.)
New Student Survey• Students were asked to respond to two open-ended questions:
“Describe what you, as a thriving college student, would look like.
What do you think may help or hinder that from happening?”
“Is there anything you would like your advisor to know about you?”
• New student survey responses shared with academic advisors prior
to the advisor’s first meeting with students during fall orientation
Sample of New Student Survey Thriving Responses
• I will be a student-athlete playing for the men's soccer team and will try
my best to develop real, raw, and authentic relationships…I will work
hard off the field and in the classroom to do my absolute best at
managing my work and my soccer schedule. I will get involved with my
professors and use them as great resources to help me out through my
years there.
• I would like to see myself trying classes that I would not have normally
chosen for myself in order that I get a feel for everything and hopefully
this would allow me to eliminate or reinforce a certain major/life purpose
path. I think adjusting to the academics will set me back a little bit but
that is normal and expected.
Year 1: Explore & Discover
• Re-envisioned advising program
• Supports first-year student thriving
and development
• Holistic advising approach that
emphasizes mentoring and
reflection along a student’s pathway
• Furman Engaged! featured a new first-
year student session
• Cohort 1 (2017-2019): 98 students in 8 classes led by academic
advisors
• Cohort 2 (2018-2020): 175 students in 12 classes led by academic
advisors
• Student participants randomly selected from incoming class in a
way that ensures a representative class sample
• Academic advisors mentor students during their first two years at
Furman
• Meet once per week and cover common curriculum created by
faculty and staff
Pathways Advising Program
Pathways Advising Program Goals
Year 1: Explore & DiscoverPathways Fall Term Curriculum
Finding your place
Time management
Strategic involvement
Conflict resolution, making good choices
Academic integrity
Stress management and mental health
Thriving & responding to failures
Library & academic success resources
Family adjustments
Spring course planning
Reflection
Year 1: Explore & DiscoverPathways Spring Term Curriculum
Time management
Physical health (diet, sleep)
Strengths
Leadership identity
Summer & MayX planning
Career exploration
Academic majors
Fall planning
Personal finances
Communicating across differences
Reflection
Pathways Program Assessment• Assess each module after every class
• Quantitative assessment on academic progress, well-being,
connection with resources, coping, etc.
Beginning of Year 1 (pre-test, establish baseline)
December of Year 1
April of Year 1
Two assessments in Year 2
• Compare pilot students to control group of students
• Qualitative Assessment (e.g., focus groups)
Preliminary Pathways Program Assessment
• Compared to the control group, pilot participants:
Report higher satisfaction with advising*
Report higher sense of belonging*
Report an average of 6 professors who would recognize and say hi
outside of class
Report improvements in speaking clearly and effectively
Report higher levels of “Accepting yourself even when things fail or go
badly”
*Differences in these variables were most notable in students with a GPA
lower than 3.0
Preliminary Pathways Program Assessment: Qualitative Focus Groups (n=18)
Do you think you have benefitted from being in the Pilot?
General feeling of support. Even if you can’t use what you specifically learned that week, I'm glad that someone thought to tell me. I’ve been able to share what I’ve learned with other people.
~First-year Pathways student
Preliminary Pathways Program Assessment:Qualitative Focus Groups
It’s made the transition from high school to college easier. You have your constant once a week group of people where you talk about personal stuff. You can get so caught up in academics that it’s easy to forget about growing as a person. It helps center your thoughts.
~First-year Pathways student
The Furman Advantage: A Four-Year PathwayYear 2: Examine & Decide
Year 2: Examine and Decide Pathways Curriculum
Identity Development
Diversity
Strengths
Leadership development
Professional Interactions
Career exploration
Academic majors and
course planning
Preparing for High-Impact
Experiences
Finding a mentor
Reflection for meaning
and purpose
Year 2: Examine and Decide
• Sophomore Engaged Program
• Major Declaration Survey and
Reflection
The Furman Advantage: A Four-Year PathwayYear 3: Connect & Refine
• Academic departments create Year 3 and
Year 4 of the pathway• Includes initiatives in career and professional
development, reflection, and connections with
alumni/university partners
• Engaged Learning Experiences (Research,
Internship, Study Away)
Year 3: Connect and Refine
The Furman Advantage: A Four-Year PathwayYear 4: Synthesize & Initiate
Year 4: Synthesize & Initiate
Initiatives in career and professional
development:
•Malone Center for Career Engagement
−Career Learning Communities
(CLCs)
−Career Treks (e.g., to Research
Triangle Park & Atlanta)
• Free personal finance course for seniors
Training and Assessment
Advisor Training and Development: The Roles of Advisors and Mentors
1. Instructor
2. Interpreter/Translator/Advocate
3. Resource Connector/Facilitator
4. Mentor/GuideDerived from The Power of Advising: Seven
Significant Educational Roles of Academic
Advisors, by Joe Cuseo
Advisor Training and Development: The Academic Advising Guide
• Provides expectations of advisors and advisees
• Introduces the four-year pathway
• Provides advisors with suggested advising topics for discussion at targeted developmental checkpoints along each year of a student’s pathway
• Offers recommended activities for advisees
• Provides key campus resources for advisors to support students
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Advisor Training and Development Opportunities
• New Advisor Institute• 1 ½ day institute for new academic advisors (August & January)
• Modified to teach new advisors about their roles and responsibilities
under The Furman Advantage
• Added a two hour session dedicated to inclusive advising
• Returning Advisor Institute• 2 hour institute for experienced academic advisors
• Distributed The Furman Advantage “talking points” cards to advisors
• Share assessment results and New Advising Assessment
Advisor Training and Development Opportunities
• Pathways Advisor Training• 2 day institute in August, 1 ½ day institute in January
• Trained by the experts who created the modules
• Follow-up “refresher” sessions for new advisors prior to spring
registration window
Advisor Training and Development Opportunities
• Lunch and Learn Series September 6th & 7th – Challenge and Support
September 25th – Validation Theory and Student Success Workshop
(presented by Dr. Laura Rendón)
September 27th – Advising First-Gen students and Creating a Sense of
Belonging
October 11th – How to use the results of the Fourtitude Project for
Advising
October 19th – International Students and their Academic Challenges
October 25th – Inclusive Advising for Students on the Autism Spectrum
Advisor Assessment• Academic Advising Committee charged with developing an assessment
last year:
Reviewed assessments from other institutions and national organizations
Created items connected to roles of advisor and expectations of advisee
Tested assessment with 817 respondents in April
Institutional Research analyzed the items and selected three items per role for advisors, 10 items for students to self-reflect
Revised survey will be given later this year
• Assessing current students and alumni to examine the impact of the
Furman Advantage on student outcomes
• Gallup’s “Big 5” from the Gallup-Purdue Index (now STRADA Student)
• Individualized items to assess accelerated transition to life after Furman
• Data are pending!
Gallup Partnership
Any Questions?