From President Ryan: The future of student advising is bright

If you’re like most UVA alumni, you remember how connections with faculty members and advisers on Grounds changed the course of your study, career or personal development. Those connections can be especially crucial for new students as they adjust to college, choose their classes, and consider their academic and personal goals. Several major new undergraduate advising initiatives are aimed at strengthening these relationships and making sure students are receiving the support they need.

UVA already enjoys excellent graduation rates and an exceptional first-year retention rate of 96 percent, so there is a lot we have been doing right when it comes to student advising; we also have expert faculty members who are eager to help students. However, a 2022 faculty-led advising task force found room for improvement in pre-major advising—that is, advising during a student’s first year or two on Grounds. Students were too often matched with faculty advisers in different fields of interest, and sometimes felt they could not get the help they needed, while faculty members saw advisees infrequently and felt unable to effectively assist them.

Addressing these concerns and improving advising will help UVA to continue to provide the best student experience in the country and prepare our students for fulfilling careers and lives. Thanks to the task force recommendations and leadership from our provost’s office, deans, and Board of Visitors—especially former members Elizabeth Cranwell (Col class of ’86), Babur Lateef, and Barbara Fried (Col class of ’04)— we’ve made significant strides, including developing a holistic approach, designing a new first-year experience, and implementing digital solutions that make the process easier and more effective.

First, the task force and its partners envisioned a future of advising at UVA that is holistic, focused not only on students’ academic paths, but also on their personal and career development. UVA offers an abundance of academic opportunities, study abroad programs, career and internship possibilities, and student support services—but students can only benefit if they know about them. A more holistic advising system will help advisers quickly connect students with the resources that will benefit them most, providing opportunities they might otherwise miss out on.

A new dorm-based experience, called Hoos@Home, was a big step forward. Last year, we piloted this program, which included weekly academic and career advising sessions, to build relationships, get students thinking about their goals and share information. After enthusiastic feedback, the pilot will expand in the fall to include more than 1,900 students.

The Hoos@Home program is partly based on lessons learned from the School of Engineering and Applied Science, which revamped its undergraduate advising program several years ago to assign first-year students to introductory courses with the instructor serving as their adviser. Instead of meeting with their advisers twice per year, students saw them in class weekly, leading to many more opportunities to build a meaningful relationship.

Similarly, in the College of Arts & Sciences, a first-year curriculum, called the Engagements, offers four half-semester courses that introduce big ideas in a small class format. Students build relationships with the outstanding faculty teaching these courses, and the ultimate goal is to more fully integrate pre-major advising into Engagements courses. The College is also adding advising specialists for transfer students, students interested in health or STEM fields, military-affiliated students, and students with more complex academic needs.

Many of these changes focus on fostering strong, one-to-one relationships between students and advisers, which is and should be the top priority. However, we’ve also introduced technology upgrades to support these in-person relationships. The most significant is a course planning tool called Stellic, which streamlines the course selection process, helps students identify courses that will satisfy requirements they need, and facilitates collaboration among advisers. A new one-stop website for students and families, called Discover Your UVA, also helps new and returning students easily find information about student services, resources, and leadership and service opportunities.

Our students deserve every chance to succeed at UVA and to benefit from the mentorship and connection that good advising can provide, as well as the many resources we are fortunate to have. These changes help students access opportunities early in their time at UVA, build relationships with faculty members and advisers who are well-positioned to help them achieve their goals, and get support and guidance when they need it. Perhaps most simply, the best possible advising will give our students the best possible chance to reach their full potential and thrive, both now and far into their future. I cannot imagine a more important endeavor.

James E. Ryan (Law class of ’92)
President of the University of Virginia