The Office of Academic Advising hosts virtual monthly conversations designed for advisors to share experiences, gain skills and insights, and connect with others in the George Mason advising community. These meetings are open to any George Mason faculty, staff, and graduate assistants that are currently academic advisors, have academic advising experience, or are interested in becoming advisors. Explore the topics for the upcoming year below. Email oaa@gmu.edu if you have any questions.
2024-2025 Schedule
February: Memorable Moments
In this session, we invite you to share a memorable experience you have had while advising. It can be a heartwarming, humorous, unusual, frustrating, or simply intriguing moment. Whatever you would like to share as if we were sitting around a campfire…but without the marshmallows.
Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation email.
Registration form – February Roundtable
March: Moving Up
Join us for a discussion with former academic advisors who have successfully transitioned into new roles, whether through promotion to administrative positions or by moving into different areas or fields. This session offers a unique opportunity to learn from their experiences, gain insights into the skills and strategies that facilitated their transitions, and explore potential pathways for your own career growth.
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation email.
Registration form – March Roundtable
If you have attended any conferences over the past year and participated in sessions that you found especially beneficial for advisors, please take this opportunity to share your insights. Let’s collaborate to inform, learn, and inspire one another.
Date: Thursday, April 17, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Zoom link will be provided in the registration confirmation email.
Registration form – April Roundtable
Past RoundtablesDecember 2024: Advising Before Mason
How does advising at George Mason compare to advising at other colleges? What are our strengths in this area, and what successful practices from other colleges could be adapted to enhance our services? We invite those with advising experience at other institutions to share their insights. Additionally, individuals who have only worked at George Mason are encouraged to engage in the discussion.
November 2024: Tough Conversations
Even for seasoned professionals, engaging in difficult conversations can be challenging. If you have strategies or best practices for navigating these discussions, we encourage you to share them during this session. Additionally, we invite you to join us to learn valuable skills from each other that can help facilitate these conversations more effectively.
October 2024: Major Changers
The statistics regarding the frequency of students changing their majors vary, but the general consensus is that such changes occur more frequently than not. Let’s talk about best practices and the different ways in which we engage with our students once they’ve expressed an interest in changing majors.
September 2024: “Why I Advise”
Academic advising is not a career path that high schoolers have in mind when applying to college. It comes to our attention later in our educational journeys, and each of us has unique experiences that have led us to this field. Join us for this session and share your story of how and why you pursued a career in advising.