The Online Reflector

The University of Indianapolis has a new Center for Advising and Student Achievement (CASA), located in the Schwitzer Student Center.
CASA was set up through President Robert Manuel’s strategic plan, along with focus group meetings.
“CASA was created as a result of the strategic plan that has to do with student retention, student graduation rates, academic planning and academic exploration,” said Director of the Center for Advising and Student Achievement Lela Mixon.
The CASA mission statement is to provide a centralized, accessible program of effective academic advising and mentoring for students,  from class registration to career exploration.
“A lot of times, advising in the past … seemed to be closely related to the registration process,” Mixon said. “We’re wanting to expand the definition of advising to include mentoring, to include discussion of topics about life skills and transitions to college, to include academic planning and personal goals.”
All the advisers’ offices are located in Schwitzer instead of within individual units. Key Adviser of Center of Advising and Student Achievement Krista Swisher said that his move to a centralized location lets the advisers support each other while helping the students.
“It’s real nice to be able to put all of our collective heads together to figure out the best solution to a problem,” Swisher said. “It’s much more of a feeling of collaboration now that we’re all together. We were kind of isolated from each other when we were in our separate buildings.”
The center is open later on most days, which allows students to go in if they have pressing needs that they want to address with an adviser. Although the student’s adviser might not be available, any of the other advisers can help with questions.
“I think we’re all versed enough in each program that if someone has a gen-ed question anyone of us can fill in for that student. If they want immediate attention anyone of us could fill in,” Swisher said. “Or they of course have the option to just contact the specific advisor they want to talk to and set up a meeting.”
Advisors have been in their new offices for only six weeks, but already students have said that they like where the advising center is located and how advisors are all together.
“Informally, many students said that they appreciated that we were all here, that if they had questions about their transcripts that advisor was right next door, if they were a double major then that advisor was right next door,” Mixon said. “So I think that, at least, it helps currently that they can talk to multiple people who are in the same spot.”
CASA is still a work in progress while the advisors settle into their new space and students begin to meet with their advisors. Swisher asks that everybody be patient as they work out the kinks and settle into the new office.
“If the students can be patient and the university community can be a little patient, they can soon realize the amount of talent and know-how that we do have in this office when it comes to advising,” Swisher said. “We’ve got a lot of years of experience in the advisors that we have here. And if our feedback and our observations on what the potential strengths and weaknesses of this office could be, if we’re listened to and if everybody tries to ride it out like we’re riding it out, I think it could end up being a very valuable thing.” The University of Indianapolis has a new Center for Advising and Student Achievement (CASA), located in the Schwitzer Student Center.
CASA was set up through President Robert Manuel’s strategic plan, along with focus group meetings.
“CASA was created as a result of the strategic plan that has to do with student retention, student graduation rates, academic planning and academic exploration,” said Director of the Center for Advising and Student Achievement Lela Mixon.
The CASA mission statement is to provide a centralized, accessible program of effective academic advising and mentoring for students,  from class registration to career exploration.
“A lot of times, advising in the past … seemed to be closely related to the registration process,” Mixon said. “We’re wanting to expand the definition of advising to include mentoring, to include discussion of topics about life skills and transitions to college, to include academic planning and personal goals.”
All the advisers’ offices are located in Schwitzer instead of within individual units. Key Adviser of Center of Advising and Student Achievement Krista Swisher said that his move to a centralized location lets the advisers support each other while helping the students.
“It’s real nice to be able to put all of our collective heads together to figure out the best solution to a problem,” Swisher said. “It’s much more of a feeling of collaboration now that we’re all together. We were kind of isolated from each other when we were in our separate buildings.”
The center is open later on most days, which allows students to go in if they have pressing needs that they want to address with an adviser. Although the student’s adviser might not be available, any of the other advisers can help with questions.
“I think we’re all versed enough in each program that if someone has a gen-ed question anyone of us can fill in for that student. If they want immediate attention anyone of us could fill in,” Swisher said. “Or they of course have the option to just contact the specific advisor they want to talk to and set up a meeting.”
Advisors have been in their new offices for only six weeks, but already students have said that they like where the advising center is located and how advisors are all together.
“Informally, many students said that they appreciated that we were all here, that if they had questions about their transcripts that advisor was right next door, if they were a double major then that advisor was right next door,” Mixon said. “So I think that, at least, it helps currently that they can talk to multiple people who are in the same spot.”
CASA is still a work in progress while the advisors settle into their new space and students begin to meet with their advisors. Swisher asks that everybody be patient as they work out the kinks and settle into the new office.
“If the students can be patient and the university community can be a little patient, they can soon realize the amount of talent and know-how that we do have in this office when it comes to advising,” Swisher said. “We’ve got a lot of years of experience in the advisors that we have here. And if our feedback and our observations on what the potential strengths and weaknesses of this office could be, if we’re listened to and if everybody tries to ride it out like we’re riding it out, I think it could end up being a very valuable thing.”