Past Lunch and Learn Events
December 8, 2023 Lunch and Learn
Embodied Advising for Social Justice
Embodiment is a newer concept in the self-care world that refers to a state of wellness where our minds, bodies, and emotions are aligned and integrated. This can run counter to the way we often show up to our work as advising professionals (all head and heart but ignoring our physical being, leading to burnout) and the systems we work within, where enrollment and academic achievement are prioritized but the backgrounds of the students we serve, many of whom come from communities with health and college completion disparities, are overlooked. This workshop will explore the ways the concept of embodiment can help advisers adopt more grounded, responsive, and sustainable practices in order to transform student outcomes as well as the systems that serve them. Please bring your favorite mindfulness techniques and resources to add to a “community care” repository we will co-construct together.
This Lunch and Learn was presented by Lisa Black, TRIO Student Support Services Director at Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC). Lisa has served as the Program Director of KVCC’s TRIO Student Support Services grant since 2014. She has 21 years of progressive leadership experience working in TRIO programs both in her home state of Maine and in Buffalo, NY, where she started out as a Reading and Writing Specialist. Lisa graduated with a master’s degree in English with a concentration in Poetry and Poetics from the University of Maine at Orono, where she also earned bachelor’s degrees in English and Women’s Studies. Lisa currently serves on the Board of the Maine Educational Opportunity Association, where she chairs the First Gen Celebration Day committee and on the Board of Maine Equal Justice where she serves as Vice President and chairs the Governance Committee. Lisa has a passion for grassroots organizing and systems change and has helped shape state benefit programs designed to help students with low incomes attain college degrees. She loves teaching and advising and as someone who would have been TRIO-eligible considers partnering with TRIO students to attain their educational goals to be the greatest privilege of her life.
May 1, 2023 Lunch and Learn
Socratic Advising (Advising Strategies Part 3)
Socratic Advising focuses on helping students engage in self-reflection to make informed decisions and resolve unexpected challenges. Learn how advisors can use this model to teach students to be self-aware thinkers and also build trust with students by using counseling techniques. Assessment strategies are discussed as well.
This Lunch and Learn was presented by Judi Brewer, Associate Director of Advising at the University of Southern Maine. Judi is also part of USM’s Faculty Interest Group (FIG). This Faculty Interest Group came together to explore the concept of Advising is Teaching, made mainstream by Marc Lowenstein in 2005 with his article, “If Advising is Teaching, What Do Advisors Teach?”. Their research on this topic brought them to their primary resource for this event: “Academic Advising Approaches: Strategies that Teach Students to Make the Most of College”.
March 21, 2023 Lunch and Learn
Advising Strategies Part 2: Advising is Teaching
There are multiple models to use while advising students, but the main goal of these models is to allow the student make their own choices and to help the student feel empowered. This session dives deeper into Strengths-Based Advising, Self-Authorship Theory, and Proactive Advising, and how to effectively build relationships with students using these models.
This Lunch and Learn was presented by members of the University of Southern Maine Faculty Interest Group (FIG). This Faculty Interest Group came together to explore the concept of Advising is Teaching, made mainstream by Marc Lowenstein in 2005 with his article, “If Advising is Teaching, What Do Advisors Teach?”. Their research on this topic brought them to their primary resource for this event: “Academic Advising Approaches: Strategies that Teach Students to Make the Most of College”.
February 14, 2023 Lunch and Learn
Advising Strategies Part 1: Advising is Teaching
There are multiple models to use while advising students, but the main goal of these models is to allow the student make their own choices and to help the student feel empowered. This session dives deeper into Learning Centered Advising, Developmental Advising, Motivational Interviewing, and Appreciative Advising, and how to effectively build relationships with students.
This Lunch and Learn was presented by members of the University of Southern Maine Faculty Interest Group (FIG). This Faculty Interest Group came together to explore the concept of Advising is Teaching, made mainstream by Marc Lowenstein in 2005 with his article, “If Advising is Teaching, What Do Advisors Teach?”. Their research on this topic brought them to their primary resource for this event: “Academic Advising Approaches: Strategies that Teach Students to Make the Most of College”.
October 28, 2022 Lunch and Learn
Utilizing Holistic Advising to Promote Student Success
Holistic advising, using aspects from positive psychology and advising theories to assist all students, especially transfer students, to facilitate their success. This will include specific advising tips and skill development for both faculty and professional advisors.
This Lunch and Learn was presented by Elaine O’Reilly, Ed.D. Dr. Elaine O’Reilly assists people in raising their awareness of themselves, others, and how to tune into their gifts to live a more fulfilling life. She is a former therapist and presently a faculty member in psychology, a published author, and a speaker. She holds a BA in Psychology, an MA in Counseling and Dance Movement Therapy, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. She has designed and delivered several workshops that include (and are not limited to) adjustment and change, inclusion and diversity, mindfulness, understanding stress, establishing mentor programs, curriculum development, and the differences between happiness and meaning.
October 14, 2022 Lunch and Learn
Recommitting to Your Why: Tapping into Your Resilience and Heartwork to Support Student Success
Over the past few years, advisors working in higher education have been having to navigate significant upheaval and respond to difficulties none of us could have imagined. Without a doubt, you have inevitably had to engage your resilience to persevere, personally and professionally. In this session, we will explore your why and reconnect to those parts of your work that help you find resilience, purpose, and alignment to best serve yourself and the many students you support.
This Lunch and Learn was presented by Dan Tillapaugh, PhD. With over two decades of experience working in higher education, Dan Tillapaugh is passionate about supporting his colleagues in their personal and professional development. A faculty member at California Lutheran University, Dan is also a leadership and heartwork coach and consultant. As a coach and speaker, Dan draws on his academic preparation with a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies and a master’s degree in counseling and personnel services. He likes to call himself a recovering perfectionist and continues to work toward accepting a mindset of being perfectly imperfect. Outside of his work life, he loves baking loaves of sourdough bread, making pottery, taking long naps with his cat, Olivia, and laughing about life with his husband, Martin. To learn more about Dan’s work, visit his website (External Site).
March 2022 Lunch and Learn
Recognizing and Addressing Microaggressions in Academic Advising
Microaggressions can hinder academic advising when it is least expected. Understanding one’s own biases, intentionality, and cultural competencies can better help advisors support students where they are at. Learn how microaggressions can be recognized and addressed, either with yourself or with others, using strategic methods and engaging in a supportive, empathetic dialogue.
February 2022 Lunch and Learn
The Relationship of Grit to Academic Improvement for College Students on Probation
An individual’s grit can positively influence student success and help support students on probation. Understanding the elements of grit and how it is measured along with the most recent research creates a fundamental foundation for assisting students. Learn how advisors can use these resources as well as an advising approach that combines the power of grit and growth mindset to assist students in achieving their academic goals.
October 2021 Lunch and Learn
Assessment of Academic Advising
Assessment has become an expectation at our institutions. Many of us are unsure about what assessment is, how to develop a plan of action, and even how and where to begin. During this session, you will be introduced to assessment terminology and the steps within the assessment process. You will also have the opportunity to identify student learning outcomes and begin to create an assessment map. Participants will also leave with an understanding of the benefits and challenges of assessing academic advising.
September 2021 Lunch and Learn
Nontraditional Students: Mind Full or Mindful? Using Mindfulness to Assist Nontraditional Learners in Achieving Academic Success
Nontraditional students often have additional obligations that the traditional student may not have. These extra responsibilities can generate added anxiety and stress on an already overloaded student. The use of some simple mindfulness practices can assist students in regulating those stressful or anxious states and can offer additional tools to help equip them with the perspectives, skills, and habits that they can use to be successful.