Guest Blog by Sammie Eckerson, Recruitment and Admissions Advisor, WSU Graduate and WSU-R Transfer
Going to college is an amazing journey. University student services staff’s main role is to guide students through their development in college.
The college advisor’s focus is to meet the needs of individual students daily. These needs can include course planning, registration, time management, transfer support, FAFSA/financial information, and more. Advisors do this work because they are helpers, and they care about their all their students. Many times, the caseloads are over 800 students. Imagine the dedication this takes!
The time that it takes to support their students means that advisors also need to make sure they are taking care of their own wellness. For individuals in the helping professions, it is easy to put others before themselves. According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness is an “active pursuit.” To ensure that individuals are taking care of their whole self, wellness should be incorporated into our daily lives.
To make certain that the wonderful college advisors are celebrated and taking time for their own wellness, Winona State University – Rochester assembled Advisor Thank You Boxes for each community college advisor in SE Minnesota and beyond.
The items include:
- Transfer Admissions Quick Tips Sheet
- Kind Bar
- Stress Ball
- Journal
- Colored Pencils & pens
- Positive postcard
- Magnets
- and more!
WSU-R staff will be delivering Advisor Thank You Boxes
We appreciate each and every community college advisor that we work with. We will be hand-delivering Advisor Thank You Boxes on the following dates:
- Century College – March 22
- Inver Hills Community College – March 22
- Minnesota State Community College – March 30
- Riverland Community College – March 28
- Rochester Community and Technical College – March 10
- South Central Community College – March 28
- Western Technical College – March 30
Resources for Advisors:
- NACADA Articles for Academic Advisors
- How to help someone in distress
- Employee Wellness 101: tips, ideas, and best practices
- Ten ‘Must Have’ Tips for New and Not so New Advisors
- 4 Secrets to Effective Academic Advising
- The Eight Dimensions of Wellness
What are your favorite resources? Any tips or ideas to share with other advisors? How do you maintain your wellness and make it a priority in your day?
