Mason Advising Symposium

Topic: Advisor Well-being
Location: Meeting Room A
Presenters:
Jasmyne Rogers (she/her), Associate Director for Student Support and Retention, Honors College
Tabatha Hargrove (she/her), Student Support Coordinator, Honors College

Advisors and retention professionals serve on the front lines of student support. Often students show up to appointments with more than academics on their minds. To best support students, we must acknowledge the facets of their well-being: Mental Health, Physical Health, Community, and Finances. As we help students navigate their pathways to success, we must also be intentional about managing the impact this holistic advising may have on us. This session aims to provide resources and practical skills to support professional and personal well-being.

Topic: Career Advising
Location: Meeting Room B
Presenters:
Saskia Campbell (she/her), Executive Director, University Career Services
Dr. Jesse Guessford, Director of Curriculum and Initiatives, Undergraduate Education
Kerry Willigan, Assistant Dean, Office of Career Services, Costello College of Business
Marie alice Arnold, Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives and Experiential Learning, Global Education Office

As rates of high school student employment decline, internships and work-based learning have become even more pivotal in helping George Mason students bridge the gap between college and career. Yet, misconceptions about these opportunities often deter students from engaging in them early in their college experience when they can have the greatest impact on retention and timely degree completion. This session will address key myths, present relevant data, and provide a curated set of resources to help advisors confidently navigate this topic with their students. Newly identified Workforce Ready Minors will also be announced!

Topic: Technology in Advising
Location: Meeting Room C
Presenter: Vanessa DeShane (she/her), Director of Specialized Master’s Programs, Costello College of Business

This session will focus on the use of SharePoint to create a cohesive and comprehensive virtual orientation for incoming graduate students at the Costello College of Business. It will cover the project from conception to execution as well as the various iterations along the way. The session will outline the timeline and steps involved in standing up the SharePoint site, how we got buy-in and collaboration across multiple stakeholders, lessons learned along the way, and tips about using SharePoint as platform for developing student resources. It will include a preview of the SharePoint site itself, as well as tips for how the orientation site can evolve with a changing student landscape.

Topic: Working with Parents of Students
Location: Meeting Room D
Presenter: Ashley Korman, MEd, NCC (she/her), Academic Advisor, College of Engineering and Computing

Collaboration is a key aspect of being an effective academic advisor. We depend on strong communication and teamwork to support students and help them succeed. Parents and families play an integral role in many students’ lives, which is why they often participate in our advising sessions. Together with the student’s family, we aim to foster the student’s independence, and partnering with them can greatly contribute to the student’s success. In this session, we will explore how Mason collaborates with families, why this partnership is important, and share strategies for advisors to create meaningful advising experiences when families are involved.

Topic: International Students
Location: Meeting Room E
Presenters:
Veronica Bonilla (she/her), Academic Advisor, College of Engineering and Computing
Kara Haslbeck (she/her), International Advisor, Office of International Programs and Services
Yali Pan (she/her), Associate Director for Engagement and Assessment, Office of International Programs and Services

Join us to learn about working with International Students at GMU! We will address issues and tools for working with this specific demographic. We will define “International Student,” discuss demographics, explore cultural concepts and cross-cultural communication, explain terms like CPT and OPT, and engage in activities to provide practical tips specified to academic advisors.

Topic: Student Well-being
Location: Meeting Room A
Presenter: Lubna Zia-Uddin, Exploratory Academic Advisor, Undergraduate Education

This workshop session has been designed for advisors and support staff who seek to enhance their skills in guiding students through the challenging experience of grief and loss. Participants in this session will explore effective strategies for creating a compassionate and empathetic environment that fosters open dialogue and support for students. By the end of this workshop session, participants will be equipped with essential tools and strategies to support grieving students effectively, helping them navigate their loss with empathy and understanding. Together, we can create a more compassionate campus community.

Topic: Student Well-being
Location: Meeting Room B
Presenters:
Calena Creft, MS, LPC, NCC (she/her), Assistant Director, Outreach Services, Counseling and Psychological Services
Alexandra (Allie) Minieri, Ph.D. (she/her), Associate Director, Training, Counseling and Psychological Services
Jessica M. Hively, MSN, RN, PMHNP-BC (she/her), Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Counseling and Psychological Services

This interactive workshop seeks to strengthen the network of care for students encountering mental health challenges by equipping participants with the skills and knowledge required to recognize signs of distress, acquire practical tools for providing compassionate support, and refer students to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and other campus resources. The session will also address strategies for managing crisis situations and maintaining self-care while supporting students.

Topic: Advisor Well-being
Location: Meeting Room C
Presenter: Sara Montiel, PhD (she/her), Associate Director of Student Services, School of Integrative Studies
Contributor: Mark Thurston, PhD, SIS Faculty and Affiliate of the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being

Advising is meaningful work that can also be emotionally demanding. Academic advisors often serve as steady support systems for students in distress, which can lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and chronic stress over time. This interactive workshop explores the hidden emotional labor of advising and offers practical, research-informed strategies to support advisor well-being. Participants will learn about the psychological costs of helping professions, engage in a guided well-being exercise, and walk away with actionable tools for use in and out of the office. The session draws from the interdisciplinary course INTS 456 Self-Care and Well-Being for the Helping Professional, which advisors can take using their employee tuition benefit. Attendees will also learn about a broader suite of well-being courses at Mason to support themselves and their students. Join us to reconnect with your own resilience and leave with resources to help sustain your energy, focus, and sense of purpose in this work.

Topic: Career Advising
Location: Meeting Room D
Presenters:
Laura Wheeler Poms, PhD, MPH (she/her), Mason Core Director, Undergraduate Education
Rachel Lindsey, MEd (she/her), Assistant Director, Career Education, University Career Services

Students often struggle to connect their coursework to future careers, making it difficult to select classes that build essential career readiness skills. This session empowers academic advisors with practical strategies to help students link academic choices—especially Mason Core requirements—with career competencies. Participants will gain insights into the NACE career competencies, explore how Mason Core courses align with these skills, and experience an interactive demonstration of the “Career Conversations in Academic Advising” guide. We’ll also highlight key career readiness resources from University Career Services to support intentional academic decision-making. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to integrate career readiness into advising conversations.

Topic: Student Well-being
Location: Meeting Room E
Presenter: Jill Manuel (she/her), Exploratory Academic Advisor, Undergraduate Education

In part I of this series, we discussed childhood trauma, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as well as the impact that trauma has on the developing brain. Long-term impacts of ACEs may include physical and mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and lower levels of educational attainment. ACEs also present as factors in the increased number of students seeking treatment at university and college mental health agencies (Wright et al., 2009). With an understanding of the effects of ACEs, and the implications on post-secondary education, the American College Health Association (ACHA) has called for increased awareness of ACEs and trauma-informed training (Hoch et al., 2015). In part II of this series, we will discuss how higher education professionals can meet the increased needs of student survivors by creating safe spaces and providing the needed support to aid in student success.

Topic: Student Engagement
Location: Meeting Room F
Presenter: Antonio Stewart, MSW (he/him), Assistant Director, Undergraduate Education

Student engagement is a consistent challenge in academic advising. One of the most common barriers academic advisors experience is the lack of effective interaction with their students. This presentation will explore vital issues such as students not scheduling meetings, missing appointments, and disregarding outreach efforts through emails, texts, and phone calls. In addition, it will address the low participation rates in academic advising events and activities. The presenter will examine why students fail to engage with proactive advising strategies and offer practical solutions to foster stronger advisor and student connections. If you’re seeking effective ways to improve student engagement in your advising practices, this session is for you.