Academic Advising Council Hosts a Luncheon with Dr. Kathleen Shea Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Advising at University of Oklahoma.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018 from 11:30am-1:30pm in Burney Ballroom A.
All Faculty and professional advisors as well as administrators are invited.
Please RSVP by February 20, 2018 at https://selectsurvey.uncw.edu/SelectSurveyNET//TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=llKKl5620
Dr. Kathleen Shea Smith is the Associate Provost for Academic Advising at the University of Oklahoma. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing advising services to ensure that each individual student is on a pathway to academic fulfillment and degree completion. She serves as a member of the retention team and leads academic advising initiatives that promote campus collaboration, the consistent implementation of policies, and the removal of barriers to graduation. Since her arrival to OU, she has introduced coaching as a key retention strategy, believing it offers a solid framework for deeper conversations and empowering mentorship. In the past year, 28 campus professionals have completed a certification in Academic Life Coaching, an International Coach Federation accredited program. A group is currently working on a Coaching to Flourish model that encompasses eight specific competencies based on research examining student success and progress to degree. In two years, the first to second year retention rate at OU has risen from 86% to 92%.
Prior to her role at the University of Oklahoma, Kathleen was a member of the Advising First team at Florida State University where she rose from the ranks of academic advisor to Director of Advising First. During her time at FSU, the university also experienced a significant increase in student retention and high quality advising was a driving force behind this gain. Kathleen directed several initiatives that attracted national attention including the Advising First Center for Exploratory Students, which received NACADA’s Outstanding Program Award, and the Advising First Center for College Life Coaching, a leader in the coaching to retain movement. She is a leader in the association having served as the Chair of the Commission for Undecided and Exploratory Students, Co-Chair of the Advising and Academic Coaching Interest Group, and an active member of the Research Committee, which presented her with the outstanding dissertation award for her study examining the relationship between students’ perceptions of advising and their enrollment behavior.
Kathleen has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Kenyon College, a Master’s Degree from Temple University, and a doctorate in Higher Education from Florida State University. Kathleen is a regular presenter, trainer, and speaker and is committed to helping institutions find ways to remove barriers to graduation and implement holistic student support strategies.
