1. Dana McGuire’s Spring 2011
Advising Practicum
in
Pamplin Undergraduate
Programs
Supervisor
Dr. Jennifer Clevenger, Director of
Advising

2. This was the plan…
• Objective 1: Create a report regarding recruitment,
retention and persistence of Pamplin students from
underrepresented populations.
• Objective 2: To gain an understanding of the roles and
functions of the various positions within Pamplin
Undergraduate Programs and the issues that confront
individual professional staff members.
• Objective 3: To gain hands-on experience in academic
advising by working with freshman and sophomore
students in the Pamplin College of Business

3. …and here’s what happened.
1. Report = data summary + literature review +
recommendations
2. Met with members of the office from
administrative staff to associate dean
3. Advised students
– Course request
– General advising
– Probation student

4. Going into the experience…
• Skills & experience:
– Oregon State University Exploratory Studies Program
& Academic Success Center
• Prior knowledge:
– Fall semester classes
– Experience with other institution’s policies
• Disposition:
– Doubted whether advising was a good fit for me
– Never wanted to try things until I felt exceedingly
prepared
– Drawn to work with students who are struggling

5. What I got out of the
experience…

6. Knowledge
• Understanding of the Pamplin lower division
curriculum and Virginia Tech Curriculum for
Liberal Education
• Knowledge of best practices for supporting
underrepresented student success
• Familiarity with the Appreciative Advising
Model and the needs of student veterans

7. Skills
• Confidently prepared major check sheets and
help students determine future courses
• Explained academic policies and procedures
• Utilized student development theory while
advising students
• Improved technical writing/research skills

8. Disposition
• Confident that I would enjoy academic
advising
• Better prepared to face new tasks with less
fear and a more a positive attitude
• Confirmed desire to work with students who
are struggling

9. What will I do differently?
• More manageable project
• Possibly develop a timeline for training with
input from supervisor (training and project)
• Get to know broader office/department
earlier

10. My (possible) future

11. Types of positions I will seek
• Academic advising and/or academic support
• Direct work with probationary students
• Ideal positions will have a teaching
component

12. How this experience has helped
me prepare
• Advising experience and knowledge
– Worked from students from many backgrounds
with diverse issues
• Direct work with probationary student
• Gained knowledge of strategies to enhance
retention and support success

13. Do I have a competitive edge?
• Yes!
• Advising experience at
Virginia Tech
• Networking opportunities
with other advisors on
campus
• Advising philosophy

14. Acknowledgment
Thank you Jennifer for providing this opportunity
and for your mentoring throughout the
semester!