College implements new two-tiered advising system; students skeptical
Liz Bogaty
Issue date: 9/10/09 Section: News
The college revamped the adviser system this semester, moving the focus to students' core curriculum before specialization in a major.
The new two-tiered adviser system gives freshmen a core adviser, and later encourages them to switch to an adviser within their chosen major.
The new system resulted from the recommendations of an outside educational consultant, hired by the president and provost after the college scored low in advising during assessments of the school. The college then formed a committee to consider and implement the consultant's recommendations, according to Andrea Yeutter, assistant director of admissions.
Don Westblade, professor of religion and chair of the committee, said the old adviser system "prematurely focused on one adviser and for that a major."
Previously, incoming freshmen were assigned advisers based on their chosen major. Now, students are assigned a random adviser that will help him or her build a "core curriculum" based on Hillsdale's liberal arts philosophy.
Administrators randomly split in half each Rhetoric and Great Books class, and assigned each half an adviser.
"Students should postpone the move of specialization and figure out how their specialization fits into the liberal arts. It's a circle of knowledge to examine how a major can cohesively work into liberal arts," Westblade said.
Westblade said that in years past, students would start with one adviser, change interests, and then have to change advisers maybe one or more times. With the new system, the belief now is one adviser can help develop the core curriculum and then other for your major.
"For the first two or three semesters, students' advisers can help them focus on the liberal arts which is necessary for all specializations," Westblade said.
Some freshmen expressed displeasure with the new adviser system after hearing of how the old system operated.
"The point of college is to get a degree in your field of interest, an adviser in your major could help you do that," freshman Nathan Knapp said.
Some freshmen, like Ann McAlister, wound up with an adviser in their major.
"I was lucky that I got an adviser in my field and won't have to change advisers, but I feel bad for the freshmen that have to find another adviser when we really don't know the professors," McAlister said.
Westblade explained that most students will have two or three advisers at the end of the advising process. After a student finishes his or her core classes, they then are encouraged to find an adviser within their major while still seeking advice from their core adviser.
"The core adviser and specialized adviser are not mutually exclusive; they have the opportunity to work together," Westblade said.
Westblade said he hopes the class of 2013 will graduate under this advising system, giving the college at least four years to decide if it works.
"The major picture is the key here," he said.
The new two-tiered adviser system gives freshmen a core adviser, and later encourages them to switch to an adviser within their chosen major.
The new system resulted from the recommendations of an outside educational consultant, hired by the president and provost after the college scored low in advising during assessments of the school. The college then formed a committee to consider and implement the consultant's recommendations, according to Andrea Yeutter, assistant director of admissions.
Don Westblade, professor of religion and chair of the committee, said the old adviser system "prematurely focused on one adviser and for that a major."
Previously, incoming freshmen were assigned advisers based on their chosen major. Now, students are assigned a random adviser that will help him or her build a "core curriculum" based on Hillsdale's liberal arts philosophy.
Administrators randomly split in half each Rhetoric and Great Books class, and assigned each half an adviser.
"Students should postpone the move of specialization and figure out how their specialization fits into the liberal arts. It's a circle of knowledge to examine how a major can cohesively work into liberal arts," Westblade said.
Westblade said that in years past, students would start with one adviser, change interests, and then have to change advisers maybe one or more times. With the new system, the belief now is one adviser can help develop the core curriculum and then other for your major.
"For the first two or three semesters, students' advisers can help them focus on the liberal arts which is necessary for all specializations," Westblade said.
Some freshmen expressed displeasure with the new adviser system after hearing of how the old system operated.
"The point of college is to get a degree in your field of interest, an adviser in your major could help you do that," freshman Nathan Knapp said.
Some freshmen, like Ann McAlister, wound up with an adviser in their major.
"I was lucky that I got an adviser in my field and won't have to change advisers, but I feel bad for the freshmen that have to find another adviser when we really don't know the professors," McAlister said.
Westblade explained that most students will have two or three advisers at the end of the advising process. After a student finishes his or her core classes, they then are encouraged to find an adviser within their major while still seeking advice from their core adviser.
"The core adviser and specialized adviser are not mutually exclusive; they have the opportunity to work together," Westblade said.
Westblade said he hopes the class of 2013 will graduate under this advising system, giving the college at least four years to decide if it works.
"The major picture is the key here," he said.
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