The Advising Network and the Office of the Provost host an Annual Academic Advising Symposium every Spring semester for Boston University faculty and staff members who are part of the undergraduate academic advising community.
Photonics Colloquium Room
8 St. Mary’s Street, 9th Floor
Friday, March 1, 2019
About the Event
It is not easy to be an effective academic advisor. No matter your title, and no matter the student advisee population, we all face the challenge of building meaningful relationships with our advisees. The basis of these relationships are the daily interactions we have with students through appointments, office hours, email exchanges, phone calls, and group meetings. Every experienced advisor knows that these interactions can be incredibly rewarding but they can also be challenging as students share information and experiences that may stretch our expertise and, just as importantly, our comfort level.
The 6th Annual Advising Symposium will focus on these interactions, giving us tools and techniques to become effective advisors. David Spight, former NACADA President and current Director for Undergraduate Programs for Engineering at University of California Davis, will join us to provide a broader perspective on our roles as advisors and the importance of our day-to-day interactions with students. Attendees should plan to be actively involved in the symposium as we will both model and practice the tools of the trade.
About Dr. David B. Spight
Dr. David B. Spight began his advising career providing academic advising to undecided students at Colorado State University. In 2008, he was named the Assistant Dean for Academic Advising in the School of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and was tasked with developing a new advising center for a new academic unit aimed at helping students explore majors. In 2016, he transitioned to a new position as Director of Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Engineering at the University of California, Davis. Spight has been highly involved in NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, a professional organization focused on enhancing academic advising with 13,000 members nationally and internationally. He has served as chair of Commission on Undecided/Exploratory Students, a member of the council, a board member, Vice President, and most recently as President. Spight has presented and published articles on advising undecided students, first-generation students, assessment of advising, and integrating academic and career advising. Spight earned his Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Alabama.
Keynote by Dr. David Spight, University of California, Davis
