We had a few people mention not seeing the email in time last week, so we are going to extend the deadline to signup for an Interest Group to this Friday, 8/26 @ 5:00 PM. This will allow for more people to participate as well. Currently, we have enough people for two (maybe three) groups. The groups we would have as of right now are "Policies & Procedures" and "Special Populations." The "Technology" group could for sure "make" if we have enough people. We would also like to have as many centers represented in each group as possible, so please discuss with your colleagues whether your center's views need to be represented. The link to signup is: https://academicadvisingcouncil.wufoo.com/forms/qb76qba084e3y6/. Once you signup, please go ahead and block your calendar from 10:30-12:00 on Thursday, 9/1 for out first meeting. Academic Advising Council [logo] Give the AAC feedback: AAC@utsa.edu<mailto:AAC@utsa.edu> Anonymous Suggestion Form<https://academicadvisingcouncil.wufoo.com/forms/m1wyx5bg1vmo1qc/> AAC Website<http://www.utsa.edu/aac/> From: Matt Keneson Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2016 7:52 AM To: &#39;advising(a)lists.sis.utsa.edu&#39; <advising(a)lists.sis.utsa.edu&gt; Subject: RE: Interest Groups Signups 2016-2017 Just a reminder to sign-up for the Interest Groups using the link below by the end of the day tomorrow. Currently we only have enough people for 1-2 groups and only 5 centers are represented. These groups have a fairly low time commitment since they only meet once per month for about 1.5 hours. This is your chance to work with advisors from other centers and to have a direct influence over our work! Academic Advising Council [logo] Give the AAC feedback: AAC@utsa.edu<mailto:AAC@utsa.edu> Anonymous Suggestion Form<https://academicadvisingcouncil.wufoo.com/forms/m1wyx5bg1vmo1qc/> AAC Website<http://www.utsa.edu/aac/> From: Matt Keneson Sent: Friday, August 12, 2016 3:22 PM To: &#39;advising(a)lists.sis.utsa.edu&#39; <advising@lists.sis.utsa.edu<mailto:advising@lists.sis.utsa.edu>> Subject: Interest Groups Signups 2016-2017 Hello, Based on the feedback we have gotten from the participants of the 2015-2016 Interest Groups, the AAC has decided to continue the program for the 2016-2017 year. As a reminder, the Interest Groups are advisor-lead committees that seek to brainstorm and implement ideas to improve advising. Each group has a special focus to prevent duplication of efforts. Ultimately, the number of groups offered will depend on how many advisors sign-up to participate. We are planning to offer the following four groups for the 2016-2017 year: * Advisor Experience: Focuses on creating ideal conditions for advisors to improve recruitment and retention. Potential topics include: training & professional development, morale & recognition, and competitive compensation. * Policies & Procedures: Focuses on clarifying policies and improving procedures. Potential topics include: clarifying catalog or information bulletin policies, streamlining processes to take as little time as possible and reduce confusion, and clarifying the roles of different offices in various processes. * Special Populations: Focuses on how to best serve various student groups. Potential topics include: Academic Warning/Probation/Dismissal, the "Murky Middle", 1st-year students, Undeclared students, and 1st-generation students. * Technology: Focuses on how to best use technology to support advising. Potential topics include: best practices that promote efficiency/effectiveness, identifying what advising needs technology to help with, and identifying specific tools or programs that could best help advising. You can check the Interest Groups page<http://www.utsa.edu/aac/interestgroups.html> on the AAC website or the Interest Groups folder (located inside the AAC folder) on the I:drive for more information about the activities of the groups from the 2015-2016 year. This is not a mandatory program, but we are hoping to involve as many advisors and centers as possible. The groups meet monthly after the all-advisor meetings (the first Thursday of each month) from 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM. Participants will be meeting from 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM after the September 1st all-advisor meeting to discuss the goals, expectations, and organization of the groups, so please mark your calendars if you are interested in participating. Please read the instructions on the signup form carefully so that the form can be completed successfully. If you are not interested in being a part of some of the groups, you will need to mark "N/A" for those groups. Also, if you are interested in being a Chair for a group, there will be an area for you to indicate your interest. When assigning members to the groups, the AAC will first consider advisor preferences, but they will also strive to balance center representation between the groups as best as possible. For the 2015-2016 year, all advisors that participated were placed in either their first or second choice group. Interest Groups Signup Form<https://academicadvisingcouncil.wufoo.com/forms/qb76qba084e3y6/>;. Advisors will have until 5:00 PM on Friday, August 19th to complete the form. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Matt Keneson (matt.keneson@utsa.edu<mailto:matt.keneson@utsa.edu>). Academic Advising Council [logo] Give the AAC feedback: AAC@utsa.edu<mailto:AAC@utsa.edu> Anonymous Suggestion Form<https://academicadvisingcouncil.wufoo.com/forms/m1wyx5bg1vmo1qc/> AAC Website<http://www.utsa.edu/aac/>