Terrell Strayhorn, Ph.D.
Do Good Work Consulting Group
President and CEO
Advising Conference Schedule
In Person Sessions
| Information | Abstract | Presenter(s) |
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8:30am to 9:30am Presidents Hall 3 & 4 |
Dr. Terrell Strayhorn will share his insights on fostering belonging, equity, and student achievement. |
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10:00am to 11:00am Room 204 |
Join our keynote speaker, Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, for a Q&A session following his opening keynote. |
Terrell Strayhorn, Ph.D.
Do Good Work Consulting Group
President and CEO
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10:00am to 11:00am Anatomy of an Advising Assessment Project Room 205 |
Throughout Academic Year 2024/2025, a volunteer group of academic advisers from a large R1 university collected assessment data about their students’ demonstrated understanding of, and students’ confidence in, their understanding of General Education... Read more |
Michelle Covert, PhD
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
College of Health and Human Development
Amy Johnson
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
College of Health and Human Development
Jamie McClintock Brenner, PhD
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
College of Health and Human Development
Caroline Condon-Lewis
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
College of Health and Human Development
Nada Madrid
Penn State
Academic Adviser
College of Health and Human Development
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10:00am to 11:00am Bridging the Gap: The Role of an Advising Syllabus in Supporting Commonwealth Campus Students Room 207 |
It is not always easy for students to make transitions with academic programs and switching campuses at an institution. At Penn State, students can request to change their campus. If a student is uncertain about making a seamless transition from one campus... Read more |
Giancarlo Labruna, M.A., M.S
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
Academic Support and Global Programs- College of Engineering
Tabitha McKean, M.Ed.
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
Academic Support and Global Programs- College of Engineering
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10:00am to 11:00am Revising the Academic Recovery Process to Increase Engagement and Improve Student Outcomes Room 208 |
Advisers helping students navigate academic recovery after a poor semester noticed that the instituted recovery process did not serve all students; they determined that to successfully move from the Academic Warning status to Good Standing status, students... Read more |
Karen Doberstein, M.A.
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
College of Engineering
Corey Swank, M.Ed.
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
College of Engineering
Nate Milner, M.Ed.
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
College of Engineering
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11:15am to 12:15pm Room 204 |
Penn State's land grant mission is to serve the people of Pennsylvania. This mission is complicated by the legacy of settler colonialism, which roots our institution in Western ideals of education. While many people consider settler colonialism a relic of... Read more |
Laura Angell Hennessey, Master's of Liberal Studies
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
College of Health and Human Development; Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
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11:15am to 12:15pm Connecting the Dots for First-Year Exploratory Students Through Competencies and Engagement Room 205 |
Student engagement is a cornerstone of student success, underutilized by first-year students. Engagement opportunities are rewarding for students socially, academically, and professionally. Many professional organizations provide core competencies to... Read more |
Tanja St. Pierre
Penn State
Assistant Director,
Division of Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Carolyn Jensen
Penn State
Director, Academic Advising,
Eberly College of Science
Ali Rill
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
Division of Undergraduate Studies
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11:15am to 12:15pm Generative AI as a Mirror: A Reflective Partner in Academic Advising Room 207 |
Generative AI isn’t just for drafting emails or speeding up tasks—it can also be a powerful partner in reflective practice. This session invites academic advisers to explore how AI can support professional growth by helping us examine our language, question... Read more |
Rebekka Kuhn, M.Ed.
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
Division of Undergraduate Studies
Liz Agler
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
School of Visual Arts
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11:15am to 12:15pm We Are…Connecting Across the Commonwealth Room 208 |
We created the BA 197 Smeal College of Business Pre-major Seminar, which is an innovative, fully remote and asynchronous course designed to engage and include pre-major students across all Penn State Commonwealth Campuses. The course features creative... Read more |
Olivia Lewis, M.A., CDE
Penn State
Director of Diversity Enhancement Programs,
Smeal College of Business
Dawn Maguire, M.Ed.
Penn State
Assistant Director of Campus College Engagement and Outreach,
Undergraduate Education, Smeal College of Business
Julie Cutler, M.A.
Penn State
Assistant Director of Enrollment,
Undergraduate Education, Smeal College of Business
Evan Smith, MBA, MeL
Penn State
Instructor,
Marketing Department, Smeal College of Business
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12:30pm to 1:30pm Presidents Hall 3 & 4 |
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1:45pm to 2:45pm “It Takes a Village” - Building Intercampus Communication Room 204 |
This session will focus on how a community goal of supporting all College of Engineering students at Penn State grew into an intercampus open forum for communication. We will share its beginnings, goals, some of the challenges that we faced, what this has... Read more |
Karen Marsala B.S., B.A.
Penn State
Records Manager,
Academic Support and Global Programs,
College of Engineering
Tabitha McKean M. Ed.
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
Academic Support and Global Programs,
College of Engineering
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1:45pm to 2:45pm Navigating Futures: The Intersection of Academic Advising and Career Development for Student Success Room 205 |
Struggling to bridge the gap between academic and career advising? Join us to explore the innovative Navigator Program—a Title III-funded initiative that seamlessly integrates career development into liberal arts education through hybrid advising roles.... Read more |
Shayna Devlin, PhD
Cedar Crest College
Falcon Navigator,
Student Success and Engagement
Lisa Johnson
Cedar Crest College
Navigator Coordinator,
Student Success and Engagement
Taylor Rigsby
Cedar Crest College
Falcon Navigator,
Student Success and Engagement
Lauren Henderson
Cedar Crest College
Falcon Navigator,
Student Success and Engagement
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1:45pm to 2:45pm Room 207 |
STEM students are historically underrepresented in study abroad programs due to barriers such as tightly structured curricula, concerns about academic progress, and a lack of clear advising pathways. These challenges are particularly pronounced in fields... Read more |
Sara Kuhlman, Masters in the Psychology of Leadership
Penn State
Coordinator of International Experiences,
College of Engineering
Joel Waters
Penn State
Coordinator of Education Abroad & International Programs,
Eberly College of Science
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1:45pm to 2:45pm Room 208 |
One of the core challenges of implementing an academic improvement program is not about knowing what is/is not effective but about scaling up with consistency so a larger population of students benefit from proven practices. At two Penn State campuses,... Read more |
Erin M. Shumac, M.A.
Penn State Altoona
Student Success Advocate and Starfish Tenant Administrator.
Student Success Center
Daniel Mercado, M.S.
Penn State Harrisburg
Director.
Academic Support and Advising Services
Adrianne Lindeman
Penn State Harrisburg
Academic Adviser.
Lambert Undergraduate Advising Center
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3:00pm to 4:00pm Room 204 |
Harford Community College (HCC) Advising, Career, and Transfer Services Department has undergone changes to transfer programming offered to students. In alignment with community college research data and advising literature, the department added several... Read more |
Megan Scott, M.S.
Harford Community College
Academic Advising
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3:00pm to 4:00pm Practical Guide for Parallel Planning: Assisting Students Through Major Change Room 205 |
As advisors, it is our job to help students carve a path to reach their goals. However, sometimes we also have to do the more painful work of helping students make new goals when the original plans don’t work out. It’s a balancing act between being... Read more |
Martha Nyce, MA
Penn State Harrisburg
Academic Advisor,
Lambert Undergraduate Advising Center
Megan McGee Yinger, PhD
Penn State Harrisburg
Academic Advisor,
Lambert Undergraduate Advising Center
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3:00pm to 4:00pm Take the Vacation: Reducing Burnout & Promoting Well-Being in Academic Advising Room 207 |
Higher Education professionals, including Academic Advisers, experience burnout at a much higher rate than the general population in the United States. They are also less likely to take all their vacation time. This session will focus on ways for advisers... Read more |
Emily Artello
Penn State Behrend
Associate Director of Academic Advising,
Academic Advising
Kristy Bunce
Penn State Behrend
Academic Adviser
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3:00pm to 4:00pm Strengthening the Faculty-Adviser-Student Relationship: New Materials and Technologies Room 208 |
At a decentralized institution, where information is continuously updated, misunderstanding between faculty, students, and professional academic advisers can emerge. When students are pursuing a degree in a language, commonly a second major, they are often... Read more |
Joseph Bauman, PhD
Penn State
Teaching Professor of Spanish,
Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese
Lauren Halberstadt, PhD
Penn State
Associate Teaching Professor,
Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese
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Virtual Sessions
| Information | Abstract | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00am to 10:45am |
In Conversation with Dr. Sam Richards |
Sam Richards, Ph.D.
Penn State
Teaching Professor of Sociology,
Co-Founder of World in Conversation Center for Public Diplomacy
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| 11:00am to 12:00pm |
Join our keynote speaker, Dr. Sam Richards, for a Q&A session following his opening session. |
Sam Richards, Ph.D.
Penn State
Teaching Professor of Sociology,
Co-Founder of World in Conversation Center for Public Diplomacy
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| 11:00am to 12:00pm |
Although it has roots back to the progressive education movement of the late 1930s (Dewey, 1938), engaged learning is a relatively new term added to the lexicon of higher education (Fitzgerald et al., 2012), and has been increasingly valued on college... Read more |
Carrie Little, M.S.
Penn State
Engaged Learning Specialist,
College of Health and Human Development, Office of Undergraduate Education
Michelle Covert, Ph.D.
Penn State
Academic Adviser,College of Health and Human Development, Center for Student Advising and Engagement
Matt Lockaby Leet, M.A.
Penn State
Assistant Director for Academic Services,
Global Office for Education Abroad
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11:00am to 12:00pm Developing a Peer Mentoring Toolbox: Strategies for a Successful Program |
Peer advising and mentoring programs can be a powerful tool in strengthening student success, building community, and enhancing the overall experience for new and continuing students. At The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), peer mentoring has played a vital... Read more |
Mary Lehr-Furtado, MSEd
The College of New Jersey
Associate Director,
Center for Student Success,
Gavin Farber, MS, MA
The College of New Jersey
Coordinator for Undergraduate Advising,
School of Business
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| 11:00am to 12:00pm |
This session will showcase ways that Starfish, Elevate, and related technologies are being used to support students at Penn State. Starfish features include remote drop-in kiosks, referrals, success plans, and an expansive group of individuals connected to... Read more |
Janet Schulenberg, Ph.D
Penn State
Senior Director,
Starfish Team Lead
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12:45pm to 1:45pm Career Development Net for First Generation Students and Students of Color |
First-generation and students of color often face systemic barriers in higher education, leading to higher dropout rates, particularly in STEM fields (e.g. Dawn et al., 2022). Advisors may unintentionally perpetuate lower expectations, reinforcing systemic... Read more |
Yi-An Burleson, Ph.D.
Penn State Beaver
Assistant Professor,
Department of Psychology
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12:45pm to 1:45pm Strategic Efficiency in Academic Advising: A Sustainable Approach for Year-Round Impact |
Advising professionals are often stretched thin across competing priorities, especially during peak periods of the academic year. This session presents aa yearly, weekly, and daily framework for how to use slow periods for strategic process improvements,... Read more |
Dina Liberatore
Penn State World Campus
Academic Adviser
Alma Bieckert
Penn State World Campus
Academic Adviser
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12:45pm to 1:45pm What Should Graduate Programs in Academic Advising Teach? A Conversation on Competencies |
Graduate programs provide an education to students in which they acquire deep knowledge and develop the skills they need for their careers. For example, graduate programs in human resource development develop their students (Yildirim-Tasti et al., 2021) and... Read more |
Giancarlo Labruna M.A, M.S.
Penn State
Academic Adviser,
Academic Support and Global Programs,
College of Engineering
Craig McGill, Ed.D.
Kansas State University
Associate Professor,
Department of Special Education,
Counseling and Student Affairs
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2:00pm to 3:00pm Advising for the Algorithmic Age: Preparing Students for AI-Mediated Futures |
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape education, work, and communication, academic advisors play a critical role in helping students make thoughtful, future-ready decisions. This session introduces AI in clear, accessible terms, then explores... Read more |
Tiffany Petricini
Penn State Erie
Associate Teaching Professor
Sarah Zipf
Penn State
Research Project Manager
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2:00pm to 3:00pm The Real Advisors of Student Success: Careers with Staying Power |
Behind the gates of our institutions, academic advising practitioners serve as partners in student success. We balance two worlds on campus - (1) serving as student advocates and (2) interpreters of academic practices and protocols. Our roles are ever-... Read more |
Gavin Farber
The College of New Jersey
Dean's Office,
School of Business
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2:00pm to 3:00pm Wearing Two Hats: Online Faculty Advising When Graduate Students Are At Academic Risk |
When students are assigned advisers who are faculty within their graduate programs, advising relationships and approaches may look different than that of a full-time academic advisor. This session, presented by the program coordinator and co-coordinator of... Read more |
Allie Goldstein, Ph.D.
Penn State
Associate Teaching Professor,
Program Co-Coordinator for the Online M.Ed. in Higher Education Program,
College of Education
Karen Paulson, Ph.D.
Penn State
Teaching Professor of Higher Education and Online Program Coordinator (EDLDR, HIED),
College of Education
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3:15pm to 4:15pm Academic Advising to Foster the Student’s Sense of Belonging |
Academic advising is a great opportunity to engage students in conversations that foster their sense of belonging to the institution. To practice new ways to connect with your advisees, you will learn the following: 1) Read your students’... Read more |
Angy Estrada, DMA, MA
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Academic Advisor,
School of Applied Engineering and Technology
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| 3:15pm to 4:15pm |
Students are facing a variety of financial challenges influencing their academics, involvement, and overall success and well being in higher education. Advisors can help students overcome these obstacles by being more aware of how finances influence student... Read more |
Becky Moore
Penn State
Academic Advisor,
College of Education
Julie Heaton
Penn State
Director,
Sokolov-Miller Family Financial and Life Skills Center
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3:15pm to 4:15pm Helping Advisors Become Authors: Practical Guidance for Writing About Advising |
Academic advisors often feel they do not have the time or expertise to publish about their work. The challenges preventing advisors from writing about advising lead to problematic gaps in advising literature. Advising practitioners can enhance their... Read more |
Melissa Cumbia
Virginia Tech
Academic Advisor,
Advising and Career Center,
College of Natural Resources and Environment
Sarah Bechtel
Virginia Tech
Associate Director of Undergraduate Advising & Academic Initiatives,
College of Science
Alanna Bitzel
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Assistant Director,
Writing Center
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