NMDS Archive: Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year, Part I (2015 edition)

Editor's Note: Later today, we'll hold the third event in this year's New Member Discussion Series program, titled “Taking Your Show on the Road: How to Participate in Scholarship while Teaching at a Two-Year School” (Mildred Green Room, Babylon Student Center, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.). I hope to see many of you at this event: while continued professional development and scholarship is not only something many of us are interested in personally, it's also a requirement for promotion. This event aims to share some excellent advice on ways to engage in scholarship in a way that doesn't threaten or impede your regular duties at the college. (ALSO: Stay around the Mildred Green Room from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. for The Write Time -- another way to work some scholarship into your busy schedule, and there's coffee courtesy of the Faculty Association!)

Last semester, we began the New Member Discussion series with an event titled, "Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year."  The following is Jared Dowd's paper on the topic.

See you soon! 

-- SKG

Hindsight: What You Can Learn from My First Year

by Jared Dowd, Counselor, Financial Aid

BRIDGING THE GAP

In starting any new job there is a tendency, as a new hire, to shy away from asking questions and acting as though you know it all. Do yourself a favor and utilize your relationships with your colleagues. Bridging a line of communication with those around you engenders trust and enables you to improve on your skills and shows you want to do your job to the best of your ability. Reach out beyond the larger community. Knowing all the avenues your students can take advantage of makes you a better advisor to your students. Plus, it also helps you whenever you are trying to get something done yourself. 

Although I have been with the college since 2010, prior to my current position as the Campus Coordinator for TRIO: Student Support Services, I have always found this to be helpful. In my first semester I took advantage of the veteran counselors around me at the Eastern Campus One Stop Shop. Through expanding my knowledge base on how the campus operated, I built relationships with each branch of student services. It allowed for my contemporaries to learn from me as well, knowing they could count on me for help and advice.‬ I am privileged to have such a supportive group of colleagues.

Jared Dowd presenting at the NMDS in September 2015

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT SUFFOLK HAS TO OFFER

Each semester Suffolk Community College runs many workshops and professional development opportunities for you to learn and expand your knowledge base. I also found the Faculty Association's New Member emails, and the Office of Faculty and Professional Advancement's Monday Morning Mentor emails, started my weeks off on the right foot.

You can also get involved with advising a club on your campus or becoming part of a committee. At the end of my first semester I was approached to be a co-advisor for the Students Against Depression Club. Twice a month I would sit down with the club's president and discuss their plans for the semester. They do a lot of positive work on campus.

These occasions are also a great place to meet some of your peers, build relationships, and enrich your own education.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH MENTORS

Prior to coming to the Eastern Campus, Lorianne Lueders-Yanotti, director of Student Support Services, was my professional guide and mentor in higher education. During my years working at Ammerman, she helped cultivate my understanding of higher education and always encouraged me to keep an open mind. I was always willing to take on new challenges. She taught me the proper way to handle myself at this level. Her guidance has helped me become the professional I am today.

In my first year at the Riverhead Campus, Matthew Okerblom was my Faculty Association mentor. He actually held my position in years prior, so knew the workload I had to deal with and helped my transition immensely. Throughout my first semester I feel as though I thanked him on a daily basis for clarity on an array of issues and for giving me advice on navigating my journey at Suffolk Community College.  He recently became the assistant dean of Curriculum, yet I know I can always go to him for advice.‬ (The free lunches didn’t hurt, either. I am now a fan of Turkish cuisine.)

Dr. Martinez, the Assistant Dean of Student Services, provided me with many one-on-ones throughout my first year. In our meetings I was able to bounce any issue off of him‬ and get his insight.  He was a big proponent of encouraging me to become more involved in campus and taking advantage of professional development when I could. I feel fortunate to have him advising me and his encouragement to make the most of my time with the college.

I was lucky enough to already know one of the mentors for the Faculty Association, Terri Morales. I knew her through my work with Student Support Services and EOP. She was my go-to for any questions regarding benefits, bereavement, vacation, and was an integral part of me becoming an adjunct professor in my first semester. She helped me figure out my syllabus and class lessons as I was appointed a COL 105 class 10 days before it began. I highly suggest contacting your Faculty Association Mentor on your campus at the start of the semester and getting to know them. They provide a wealth of knowledge. 

THE ART OF KINDLY SAYING NO

When beginning any new position you want to make an impact. Your intent is to show your colleagues that you have what it takes to be amongst them and excel. In some cases, people get themselves in trouble because they don’t know the power of the word "no." 

Obviously, being put in a situation to take on more work, or being asked to do something beyond your job description is hard as the new person on campus. In my first year, it was frequently acknowledged that I should get involved with a campus committee. I intend to sometime this year, but last year it was very important for me to be my 110% best at my current position as the Campus Coordinator of Student Support Services. When the issue of committees was brought up, my reply was simply, “At this point, I want to be the best counselor for the program I am serving. Perhaps later in the year, once I have everything in place, I will begin to seek out getting more involved in that way.” I think any colleague would respect this approach and still think highly of you, regardless.

Practical Matters: Student Activities and Clubs

by Sarah Kain Gutowski, Chair, New Member Mentoring Program
 

On Wednesday of last week, faculty and students here at the Eastern campus gathered on the patio outside the Peconic building for Student Activities Day, a kind of open house for student clubs and organizations. Club officers and advisors were generally on hand to answer questions from students seeking to participate in extracurricular campus activities, and to gain new members in the process. You may have seen something similar occurring on your own campus.

For years now, I've been a faculty advisor to a student organization. For several years while I worked on the Ammerman Campus, I co-advised a student writing group that met to workshop their poetry, short stories, and plays outside of a classroom setting. Then, when I transferred to the Eastern Campus, I began advising the campus literary magazine. From my time as an adjunct to the present, I've always been involved with student activities, and this involvement has kept me engaged and invested in a way that's much different from my experience in the classroom. In fact, I'd say that if anything, it's enhanced my ability to connect with students in a meaningful and productive manner.

I encourage all of you to consider being a student activities advisor as well, and if you’re presented with the opportunity to do so – well, jump at it. All three of our campuses offer our student body a richer, more diverse college experience by providing numerous activities throughout the semester – and by facilitating and supporting a number of different student clubs and organizations. Being an advisor can help you learn so much more about our students than time in the classroom

The super-sophisticated display for the club I advise.

can – and I say this after receiving lots of really personal personal essays in Freshman Comp.

PAs, Specialists, Counselors, Librarians and faculty can become more involved with student life by being an advisor to a student club or organization. Not only is this a wonderful way to mentor students, it’s also a good way to garner some campus-wide service you can cite on your application for promotion.

As an advisor, you’ll need to assist the club officers when necessary (you aren’t required to attend all the meetings, although the presence of an advisor is necessary for any off-campus excursions the club may make). Depending on the campus, you might attend an Officer and Advisor meeting during Common Hour once a month or once a semester. You’ll sign some forms. You’ll be invited to a lovely, catered Student Awards Ceremony at the end of the year. And that’s about all the heavy-lifting that’s involved, unless you’d like to be more active. 
 

The Ammerman Campus in particular needs faculty and staff advisors for student clubs, so if you’re located on the Ammerman campus and you’re interested in becoming involved, contact Frank Vino at x4814. If you are located on the Eastern campus and would like to become involved, call x2531 and let Denny Teason know you’re available to advise; likewise, if you’re on Grant, call Lisa Hamilton at x6260.
 

Lastly, I’ll say this: Because the college is changing constantly to accommodate the needs of our students and community, our roles and requirements as faculty and staff are changing constantly, too. You may find that you’ll join some committees your first year or second year and that by your seventh year, you’ll either be chairing those committees or you’ll find yourself on entirely different committees.
 

Well, I began co-advising The Society of Writers back when I was an adjunct faculty member. Over the years – after being hired as full time faculty and going through the process of two promotion cycles – the one item that’s never changed on my promotion applications is my role as an advisor. I love mentoring students, and I’ve found the experience extremely rewarding, particularly with clubs that are educational in focus, like the honors societies or STEM clubs. It’s a fantastic way for us -- new and “senior” members alike – to connect with our students, and remind ourselves that while academics are (and should be) the primary focus of our energies, student activities further solidify a feeling of solidarity between faculty and students at our school.

Guest Post: Advising

by Joe Napolitano, FA Mentor, New Member Mentoring Program

Editor's Note: Due to technical problems with the listserv last week and this week, we're a little behind on our posts. We apologize for the inconvenience.

 

Now that we're back, up and running, please welcome FA Mentor Joe Napolitano as our third fabulous guest blogger of the semester. Joe, who teaches Biology on the Eastern Campus, writes in his post about some of his own experiences as a first-year faculty member advising first-year college students, and gives us some relevant advice as we begin this semester's period of Priority Registration at SCCC.

 



Snow, Shark, and Priority Reg

It’s that time of year, once again.  The birds are flapping off to warmer climes (enviably), the trees are giving up on photosynthesis in one final festival of color (which we get to clean up), and surplus Halloween candy is cheap and plentiful (I’ve had Twizzlers for breakfast every day this week).

You may have also noticed the cool autumn breezes carrying faint whispers of “mid-semester…”, “SAIN report…”, and “priority registration….” - that’s right, it’s advising season.

 

Although our teaching duties probably occupy the bulk of our time, especially for new faculty, advising and mentoring students is, arguably, an equally important role of Suffolk faculty.  Regardless of rank or discipline, we all have two common goals - to facilitate students’ academic success during their time here, and to prepare them for their academic or professional endeavors to come.  Advising takes many forms and, chances are, you’ve already done plenty this semester.  However, the mid-semester mark is a useful advising cue for two reasons - it’s a good time to appraise students of their progress in your courses thus far, and also to start planning a course schedule for the next semester.

Sometime between the mid-semester mark and priority registration (October 24^th and November 11^th, respectively, this semester) I require all of my students to sit down individually with me for a brief advising session I call the ‘mid-semester check-in’.  During the check-in, we review their academic progress and attendance, calculate their current grade and estimate what they’ll need to get on upcoming assignments in order to end up with a final grade they’re satisfied with.  For students who are struggling, we talk about study skills and time management and plan additional meetings, if necessary.  I’ve found that, despite transparent grading policies and regular feedback, students don’t always have a clear idea of how they’re doing.  Perhaps it’s just easier to think “if I just keeping showing up it’s somehow going to be ok” instead of “holy crap, if I don’t do get it together in this class I’m completely screwed”.  Regardless, the check-in has been effective at ‘scaring straight’ some at-risk students (and providing a nice ego-stroking to those who are doing well).

The second part of the check-in is about planning ahead - getting students to start thinking about the next semester.  If you are unaware, Priority Registration is a period just after mid-semester when students can begin registering for the next semester’s classes.  In general, the longer a student has been at Suffolk, the earlier the registration date - this gives students with fewer semesters left the first crack at registering for the courses they need.  Students can check this date by logging in to MySCCC, clicking the “My Courses” tab, then “View My Holds”.

I encourage my students to have a schedule ready before their registration date so they can jump on the classes they want.  Wait too long and the class may fill (or be canceled) and there’s no waitlist system for courses at Suffolk so it’s hit or miss as to whether a seat will open up.

Advising can be a little intimidating, especially for new faculty.  After all, how can you guide a student through the intricacies of Suffolk when you just got here yourself?  To you, I have two pieces of advice:

First, fear not.  Advising is actually one of the best ways to learn about courses, requirements and programs at the College that you’re not already familiar with.  There are also plenty of resources available to help faculty with advising - from your FA faculty mentor to the Academic Advising and Mentoring Centers.  Although the AAMCs may seem like another service for students, they’re also very much for faculty.  Check out the brand new AAMC Short Guide - a brief how-to for faculty advising and mentoring.  It’s available at every AAMC, on the Virtual Learning Commons and via the Title III Project home page.  The guide also includes a veritable gold mine of contact info for College programs and offices.  Don’t know the answer?  Just call someone and ask!

My own first advising experience was terrifying (initially).  I volunteered for ‘arena advising’ - students queue up at a computer lab to meet with a counselor or faculty member during priority registration.  I showed up with little knowledge of Suffolk, to a long line of waiting students who knew even less and were expecting me to guide them.  Not only did I survive, but I learned so much from the experience  that I ended up doing it every semester thereafter - not just to help students, but because every advising experience made me a better adviser.

Second, never underestimate your ability to make a positive difference as an adviser.  Even a few minutes spent showing a student how to access their SAIN report or check their registration date can add up to some serious empowerment down the road.  College isn’t high school, and it can be daunting for students when they realize that, to a large degree, they’re expected to be their own guidance counselors, and navigate an unfamiliar educational system while making important life-decisions.

One of my favorite advising moments happened when I checked in with a student to whom I had suggested applying for a new summer research assistantship.   The student was one of the brightest I’d had, and the research experience would look great on her resume and perhaps even open a few doors.  As the deadline loomed, I asked if she had applied.  She replied that it looked interesting but was too expensive.  “Expensive?”  I was baffled - “the program is free”.  “But what about the $3000 stipend?” she asked.  “Uh, ‘stipend’ means *they* pay *you*…”  Needless to say, she applied, was accepted and spent the summer as an assistant researcher.  Crisis averted by a wee bit of advising.

 

(For more information, log in to MySCCC → click “Virtual Learning Commons” tab → click “For Instructors”.)

Student Activities and Clubs

by Sarah Gutowski, Chair, New Member Mentoring Program

 

Yesterday, I met with members of the student club I advise for the first time this semester. I’m brand new to my campus (I transferred from Ammerman to Eastern) and so I’m also brand new to the club. Our meeting was part “get to know you” session and part planning session for the year’s activities, and on the whole, I think it was fairly productive. I left our meeting with a better idea about the interests, commitments, concerns, and experience of the students at the Eastern campus than I’d gathered from my experience in the classroom over these first two weeks of school. It was eye-opening, and also energizing. I’m looking forward to working with them over the coming year.



Pine and Sky, Eastern Campus

This isn’t my first time as a club advisor, though. For several years on the Ammerman Campus, I’ve co-advised a student writing group that meets to workshop their poetry, short stories, and plays outside of a classroom setting.  My experiences as an advisor at Ammerman made me eager to become involved with Student Activities on the Eastern Campus, so when Cynthia Eaton asked if I’d like to take over as advisor to the campus literary magazine (a student group she’s ably advised for several years now), I jumped at the opportunity.

 

I encourage all of you to consider being a student activities advisor as well, and if you’re presented with the opportunity to do so – well, jump at it. All three of our campuses offer our student body a richer, more diverse college experience by providing numerous activities throughout the semester – and by facilitating and supporting a number of different student clubs and organizations. Being an advisor can help you learn so much more about our students than time in the classroom can – and I say this after receiving lots of really personal personal essays in Freshman Comp.

 

PAs, Specialists, Counselors, and faculty can become more involved with student life by being an advisor to a student club or organization. Not only is this a wonderful way to mentor students, it’s also a good way to garner some campus-wide service you can cite on your application for promotion.

 

As an advisor, you’ll need to assist the club officers when necessary (you aren’t required to attend all the meetings, although the presence of an advisor is necessary for any off-campus excursions the club may make). You’ll attend an Officer and Advisor meeting during Common Hour once a month. You’ll sign some forms. You’ll be invited to a lovely, catered Student Awards Ceremony at the end of the year. And that’s about all the heavy-lifting that’s involved, unless you’d like to be more active.

 

The Ammerman Campus in particular needs faculty and staff advisors for student clubs, so if you’re located on the Ammerman campus and you’re interested in becoming involved, contact Frank Vino at x4814. If you are located on the Eastern campus and would like to become involved, call x2522 and let Chris Conzen know you’re available to advise; likewise, if you’re on Grant, call x6702.

 

Lastly, I’ll say this: Because the college is changing constantly to accommodate the needs of our students and community, our roles and requirements as faculty and staff are changing constantly, too. You may find that you’ll join some committees your first year or second year and that by your seventh year, you’ll either be chairing those committees or you’ll find yourself on entirely different committees.

 

Well, I began co-advising The Society of Writers back when I was an adjunct faculty member. Over the years – after being hired as full time faculty and going through the process of two promotion cycles – the one item that’s never changed on my promotion applications is my role as an advisor. I love mentoring students, and I’ve found the experience extremely rewarding. It’s a fantastic way for us -- new and “senior” members alike – to connect with our students in a meaningful way.