4.6.a. The School’s advising and career counseling services
Academic advising
The School begins the advising process each year with a new student orientation, lunch and resource fair. Following this event, students meet with their respective majors for further orientation. A week-long series of fun and informative events follows. These events aim to introduce students to the public health field and the School, faculty and other students.
The School’s academic advising program is designed to provide each student the support and services needed to successfully meet academic requirements. These include:
A faculty academic adviser who is assigned upon the student’s decision to enroll
A research adviser and/or master’s project committee
One or more student services personnel in each major
Student Services Center personnel
Campus resources such as University Counseling Services, relevant targeted resources, such as the University Alumni Association mentor program, the international program and academic resource centers.
The School holds faculty accountable for their responsibilities as advisers. The School receives feedback on the quality of faculty advising via the annual student survey and the recent-graduate survey. Poor advising performance is addressed in annual faculty performance reviews. Implementation of ‘quality circles’ 2007 led by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs in all divisions are addressing student suggestions including improving academic and career advising.
Career counseling
Primary responsibility for career counseling rests with the School’s Career Resource Center. The Career Resource Center helps current students and alumni enhance their career management skills, maximize employment opportunities and develop and maintain professional contacts.
This is accomplished through services and programs that include:
Career Services Web Site. The career services Web site includes a calendar of career-related events; a job posting system available to employers, students and alumni; tip sheets related to job search issues; links to relevant Web sites; information about placement of previous graduates; profiles of student field experiences; and information for employers, mentors and alumni.
One-on-One Career Counseling. The Center’s career counselor is available for résumé critique, mock interviews and general job-search coaching. She meets or has e-mail contact primarily with current students. As time allows, she also will meet with alumni and/or prospective students.
Resource Room. Open from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to accommodate student schedules, the Resource Room provides prospective students, current students and graduates access to computers, job posting binders, job search reference books, CDs and DVDs and other materials.
Professional Networking Directory. Available both in a binder and online, the Professional Networking Directory offers contact information for alumni employed around the world. It is a helpful resource for current students, alumni, and, on a limited basis, prospective students as they network for employment opportunities.
E-mail Announcements. The Career Center sends one or more messages each week to all students, providing information about job search workshops, employer campus visits, job openings, scholarship or fellowship opportunities, internship postings, etc.
Special Programs. The Career Center sponsors campus visits by employers, alumni panels and job fairs and sponsors job search workshops, practice interviews and mentor networking events.
4.6.b. Procedures by which students may communicate their concerns to officials
The University defines student grievance policies and procedures and provides resources related to assisting their resolution. University policies and procedures are in force in the School, and the School does not replicate University resources. It does provide information regarding student grievances in its student handbook and, on a case-by-case basis, individual faculty, Student Services staff and/or the Dean’s Office work with students to address concerns or direct them to University resources.
Students are informed of the University’s grievance policies, procedures and resources through its Web site. Other resources available to students include:
For more detail on student grievance procedures, please see Chapter 1.4.e. As noted there, aggregate data on the complaints of the School’s students are not available.
4.6.c. Student satisfaction with advising and career counseling services
Student satisfaction with advising and career counseling is measured through an annual, year-end survey. Twenty-five percent of School students responded to the 2005-2006 survey. Among those who responded, nearly three-fourths (73 percent) were “somewhat” or “very satisfied” with academic advising.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents reported using career services. Of those who ranked career services, 70 percent rated them highly (4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) and 22 percent chose the middle score.
4.6.d. This criterion is met.
Strengths
The School offers students a comprehensive academic advising program designed to provide the support they need to meet academic requirements.
The School maintains a Career Resource Center offering tools and personal support to help students and alumni manage their careers, identify employment opportunities and develop and maintain professional contacts.
Faculty are held accountable in annual performance reviews for their responsibilities as advisers.
Students and recent graduates are surveyed annually to gauge their satisfaction with the School’s advising and counseling support.
Weaknesses
The response rate to student satisfaction surveys is low.
Recommendations
Other methods to measure effectiveness of advising and counseling services should be implemented.
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