2024-02-22 Update on NTC Advising

From Kelly Grant, Senior Associate Dean of Student Success and Strategic Initiatives, Newcomb-Tulane College

Greetings Campus Partners,

I write today to update you on the new structure of what is now College Advising. In the spring of 2023, Newcomb-Tulane College undertook an extensive reorganization of what was formerly the Center for Academic Advising. The goal of the reorganization was to support a more holistic student support model, which we feel will better meet the changing needs of our students. We are also adding a number of ways for students to access advising through both their assigned advisor and as an alternative when that advisor is not available, an advisor through our new team advising structure.

Since last spring, the advisors have engaged in multiple internal training sessions on holistic student engagement, several co-sponsored by the Wave of Support team. The goal is for the College advisors to learn new approaches to supporting our students as they explore the many opportunities and support services Tulane offers and in their development as members of our broader academic community.

To best reach our students, in addition to continued one-on-one student support, we have added new pathways for engagement that include multiple drop-in advising events in Mussafer Hall and across campus. College Advising has also added targeted texting and social media campaigns, and we continue to develop more effective communication strategies to meet our students where they are when they need to receive important information about their academic journey.

Our newly structured management and operations team is designed to support this holistic approach. Below is a summary of the new leadership and operations team and their various responsibilities to help you, as a critical campus partner, reach the right person in College Advising quickly:

Katie McBride, Director of College Advising	Katie assumed the leadership of College Advising in May of 2023 and came to us with an extensive background in advising and student support. Katie is the main contact for contact College Advising strategic planning, advising policies and processes, and serves as the primary contact for campus partners and the schools for NTC advising related inquiries and projects.
Dolore Hemphill, Assistant Dean	Dolores oversees the procedures and training of the graduation certification process and supports students with special circumstances as they complete their degree. Dolores also provides support and guidance on the curriculum to undergraduate directors in the school units who certify graduating students in the majors. Dolores is an active mentor to new advisors as well as to the leaders in College Advising and in NTC.
Heather Cooper, Associate Director of Student Engagement	Heather oversees the assistant directors and their advising teams as well as directly supervises the first year advising team. In this capacity, Heather develops and leads initiatives that engage students and coordinates strategic student outreach and messaging.
Kevin “Q” Estoque, Associate Director of Operations	Q oversees staffing and budgeting, technology/IT initiatives and support, advising facility issues, other human resource related issues, as well as manages the College Advising master calendar of events and related logistics. Q also oversees the pre-professional advising team.
Lauren Briggs, Associate Director of Progress and Completion	Lauren oversees academic case management, which includes the processes and protocols of Leave of Absence, Medical Withdrawal, and coordinates the graduation/certifications processes housed in College Advising. Lauren also supervises the transfer credit/student record process housed in the College.
Erica Golden, Assistant Director, the Liberal Arts, Architecture, and Public Health Advising Team	Erica manages a team of 7 advisors that support approximately 2,600 sophomores, juniors, and seniors with primary majors in these disciplines. Erica coordinates her team’s outreach activities and scheduling, responds to elevated student concerns, and develops curriculum-specific training for her group. Erica also carries a small caseload of students.
Tracy Benoit, Assistant Director, the Science and Business Advising Team	Tracy manages a team of 8 advisors that support approximately 3,400 sophomores, juniors, and seniors with primary majors in these disciplines. This team works in close partnership with the School of Business team of academic counselors. Tracy coordinates her team’s outreach activities and scheduling, responds to elevated student concerns, and develops curriculum training for her group. Tracy also carries a small caseload of students.
Patrick Long, Coordinator of First Year Advising	Patrick facilitates the work of a team of 6 advisors that support only first-year students. Patrick works in close partnership with both Heather Cooper and Cristina Lawson, director of the First-year Experience. He coordinates this team’s outreach activities and scheduling, as well as responds to and leads special training on students in transition for this advising team. Patrick also carries a caseload of first-year students.
Sarah Berger, Training Specialist	Sarah oversees all training and professional development for College Advising and Student Success. Sarah coordinates the onboarding process for new advisors and success coaches as well as develops and delivers a curriculum of training that includes a library of resources housed on Canvas. Sarah coordinates ongoing professional development for both groups that includes opportunities for advisors and success coaches to earn various certifications in specialized student support. Additionally, Sarah carries a small caseload of students.

We hope this information will help you direct your inquiries to the right member of our leadership team and get the support and answers you need quickly.

Going forward, Katie McBride will be sending regular updates from College Advising to our campus partners via a periodic newsletter, so be on the lookout for more exciting developments in College Advising. We also invite your feedback – let us know how we are doing!

Thank you for your continued support! Kelly