Some of the 2016 Advising Champions include: (front, left to right) Arlene Sanders, Dr. Ellen Green, Dr. Virginia Webb, Dr. Jan Haynes, Darla Sisney, (back, l to r) Dr. Leslie Fadiga-Stewart, Lacey Blessitt, Dr. Sharon Hamilton, Dr. Thomas Laub, Charly Abraham, and Dr. Tom Brady.A group of Delta State faculty known as the Advising Champions are continuing their advising efforts dedicated to the development of a streamlined campus-wide advising process.
Each Advising Champion is a faculty member who is recognized as an effective academic advisor and adopts the tenets of Proactive Advising, an advising process that involves the use of proactive outreach and intervention to enable students to persist to graduation.
The program operates under the envelope of the Student Success Center and is run by Student Success Advisor Darla Sisney.
“Engaged, knowledgeable academic advising is critical to every student’s success,” said Sisney, quoting the Academic Advising Resource Guide. “Advising should consist of a continuous conversation between the student and his or her advisor, not merely sporadic sessions for choosing what courses to take.
“When done well, academic advising aids every student to plan and implement a program of study consistent with their goals, interests and strengths. With this in mind, Delta State is taking steps to establish an effective and efficient advisement process.”
Advising Champions guide students through the following methods:
- Assist in efforts to enhance proactive advising at Delta State
- Serve on the frontline for implementing proactive advising in their academic areas
- Relay new advising strategies, resources and practices to their departments
- Act as advocates, mentors and resources for new academic advisors
Academic Advising Champions for Spring 2016 include:
- College of Arts and Sciences
o Dr. Ellen Green, Department of Biological Sciences
o Dr. John Tiftickjian, Department of Biological Sciences
o Dr. Sharon Hamilton, Department of Chemistry and Physics
o Ms. Tricia Walker, Delta Music Institute
o Mr. Charly Abraham, Delta Music Institute
o Dr. Karen Bell, Interdisciplinary Studies
o Dr. Paula Norris, Department of Mathematics
o Dr. Paulette Meikle-Yaw, Division of Social Sciences and History
o Dr. Leslie Fadiga-Stewart, Division of Social Sciences and History
o Dr. Garry Jennings, Division of Social Sciences and History
o Ms. Arlene Sanders, Division of Social Sciences and History
o Dr. Thomas Laub, Division of Social Sciences and History
o Dr. Lisa Moon, Department of Social Work
o Ms. Cora Jackson, Department of Social Work
o Dr. Lekeitha Morris, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences
- College of Business
o Dr. Rebecca Hochradel, Division of Management, Marketing and Business Administration
- College of Education
o Dr. Jon Westfall, Division of Counselor Education and Psychology
o Dr. Temika Simmons, Division of Counselor Education and Psychology
o Dr. Tom Brady, Division of Teacher Education, Leadership, and Research
o Dr. Jan Haynes, Division of Family and Consumer Sciences
o Dr. Virginia Webb, Division of Family and Consumer Sciences
o Dr. Mary Jones, Division of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
o Mr. Todd Davis, Division of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
o Dr. John Alvarez, Division of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
o Ms. Amy McAdams, Division of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
o Dr. Franco Zengaro, Division of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
- School of Nursing
o Ms. Lacey Blessitt, School of Nursing
For more information, contact Sisney at 662-846-4577 or dsisney@deltastate.edu.
