President’s Task Force on Advising Makes Student Advisement Recommendations

The President’s Task Force on Advising this week presented five broad recommendations to improve academic advising at Kean University through streamlined implementation, transparent and thorough communication, targeted training and updated technology. 

The Task Force began its work in January 2022, enlisting more than 100 faculty, staff, administrators and students from across all departments of Kean’s Union campus to serve as active members. The group presented its full report at Miron Student Center on Monday, October 16.

“This report represents the culmination of countless hours of hard work undertaken by the Task Force as they balanced a sense of urgency to optimize the advising experience with an understanding that this kind of deep systems work requires time, patience and a very deliberate process,” said Kean President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D. “This report and the recommendations it contains represent the first step toward making changes to our advising structures to better support our students through their academic journeys to graduation.”

The Task Force made the following recommendations:

• Ensure equitable and accessible advising delivery, including having the Center for Advising, Persistence and Success (CAPS) staff of professional advisors advise all incoming students, who would then be assigned a faculty advisor once they earn 60 credits.
• Provide clear lines of communication of academic advising practices to University students, faculty and staff, including using one advising platform and contacting students through their preferred method of communication.
• Ensure that the policies, procedures and practices are equitable, student-centered and look to increase student outcomes, including requiring use of the institutional advising platform across campus. 
• Overhaul all advising technologies and platforms to provide easy access to necessary curriculum and student support information, including having all curriculum software and degree audits track students’ majors and minors.
• Provide advisors with a standardized advisor training program and opportunities to gain certifications to develop the knowledge and skills needed to help students persist to graduation, including an assessment component.

The Task Force was co-chaired by Senior Vice President for Transformational Learning and External Affairs Joseph Youngblood II, Ph.D., and Associate Vice President for Advising, Persistence and Success Mensah Peterson, Ed.D. 

Youngblood noted that the Task Force maintained a student-centered framework while integrating evidenced-based research, best practices and the study of comparative institutions into the fabric of advising at Kean. It had a proactive approach, implementing changes that could make an immediate impact even as the panel’s deliberative work continued. For example, EAB Navigate, a new advising platform, is currently being piloted in Kean’s College of Business and Public Management.

“This was not meant to be a report on a shelf, waiting for the process to be over to make meaningful change,” Youngblood said. “Where we are going on advising is so necessary to the future success of our students. We believe our recommendations will truly transform the advising experience for Kean students.” 

Peterson said the Task Force is now looking for feedback on its recommendations as the University moves into the next phase of creating plans for implementation.

"The President's Task Force on Advising was an extremely collaborative and inclusive effort from faculty, staff, administrators and, most importantly, students to improve overall academic advising at Kean University,” Peterson said. “We thank President Repollet for creating this Task Force and the members of the campus community who contributed to this effort.”

Students who served on the Task Force shared their advising experiences to help keep the panel’s work student-focused. Glynnis Tan, a senior studying global business, worked with the group reviewing the new Navigate student-success platform.

“Navigate has been very helpful for me,” Tan said, noting that the platform sends text reminders about upcoming advisement sessions. “I am excited to have it implemented throughout the University. Students will really enjoy the Navigate platform too, especially the convenience of having the app on your phone.”

Alumna Megan Engels ’23 studied in the history education honors program and now works as a freshman coordinator at the Kean Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program.

“Student voices are very important, and the willingness to hear student voices is one of the best things about Kean University,” Engels said. 

The Task Force investigated five Content Areas – Advising Communications; Advising Structure and Model; Advisor Training; Advising Policies and Procedures; and Technology and Assessment – and made recommendations on each. 

The report now goes to President Repollet for his review and further action. More information can be found on the President’s Task Force on Advising webpage.