MUS Advising Fellows

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As an essential component of the Montana University System’s Success Agenda’s, OCHE has supported strategic initiatives meant to enhance the impact of holistic advising on student success outcomes. In ongoing support of advising and recognition that holistic advising increases key student success outcomes including retention and graduation, OCHE is recognizing excellence in holistic advising and fostering advising communities through the MUS Advising Fellows. MUS Advising Fellows are current staff or faculty who have advising responsibilities (academic advising or success advising) and who demonstrate excellence in holistic advising that leads to enhanced student success.

Selected Advising Fellows will lead a community of practice on their campus with other advisors. Advising Fellows will design and facilitate a community of practice that leads to meaningful and positive change in advising practice in ways that are aligned with institutional goals for holistic advising.

Advancing Holistic Advising

Holistic advising in the MUS leans on frameworks like NACADA’s “Definition and Scope of Practice for Academic Advising,” Achieving the Dream’s Holistic Student Supports toolkit, and the Community College Resource Center’s “Framework for Advising Reform” (or SSIPP advising) for evidence-based advising that provides in an intentional and structured approach, utilizing both academic and non-academic supports to promote achievement of academic goals, student development, and timely degree attainment. MUS holistic advising includes the essential aspects of the SSIPP framework: sustained support to students over their academic pathway; strategic deployment of supports based on student need and interest; integration of advising with other student services and supports; proactive advising that identifies and reaches out to students who are in need; personalized advising from corps of advisors who know students and their needs. Supports and approaches may include advising that:

  • Intentionally provides academic and non-academic supports and resources to help students achieve their educational goals; that actively connects data and technology systems to create seamless experiences for students; and that is designed to provide a range of service intensity based on student need.
  • Promotes intentional student learning about their academic curriculum, structures, processes, and cultures;
  • Integrates academic and career-connected advising, goal setting, and decision-making;
  • Explores students’ strengths, skills, and interests to inform academic and career pathways;
  • Develops students’ skills in connecting self-knowledge and intellectual development to decision-making that informs academic and career pathways;
  • Leverages data and technology tools to monitor student progress on key academic, financial, and student experience benchmarks;
  • Implements systematic approaches that identify students who are not meeting key academic and non-academic benchmarks and proactively provide support;
  • Implements structured and intentional referral systems to refer and connect students to specialized supports that include, for example, mental health, wellbeing, basic needs, financial, academic, career, or other supports; 
    Implements intentional and structured guidance and connection to resources or activities that promote intellectual and social belonging and career purpose;
  • Actively designs and puts into practice assessment models aimed at advancing holistic advising and student success goals of retention, degree completion, and future education and/or workforce placement.