Next Practices How to Build a Strong Faculty and Staff Advising Partnership
Nothing beats seeing a student’s confidence bloom when the right support team steps in. At Austin Community College, Dr. Giao Phan, Dean of the Public and Social Services Division; Kathy James, a nineteen-year advising veteran who now coordinates support across every campus; and Dr. Rania Salman, Assistant Department Chair and dedicated mentor in early childhood education, have turned collaboration into an everyday habit instead of a distant goal.
Dr. Phan describes how her division built trust by showing up for students and colleagues semester after semester. Kathy explains how a single advising platform finally lets faculty and advisors view the same student information, closing the gaps that once sent everyone in circles. Dr. Salman brings the story down to the classroom, sharing what it feels like to walk beside students from their first class to graduation, using each conversation as a chance to guide and encourage.
You’ll hear how this trio moved from frustration to momentum through slow, thoughtful training, plain-spoken conversations, and a lot of patience. What began as a modest pilot is now a campus-wide mindset where technology serves people, silos stay open, and every student knows someone is in their corner.
Show Notes:
[04:11] ACC is a community college that serves in an expansive district of students throughout Texas. All of the students have access to an advisor.
[05:17] There are 10 areas of study focused on specific career objectives.
[06:15] As the Executive Dean for Advising, Kathy's role is overseeing the process, policies and procedures for all of their advising student services.
[07:22] Giao is the Instructional Dean over the Public and Social Services Division. Her role is to help 10 academic programs and their Department chairs was scheduling their curriculum, advising, and any needed resources.
[08:31] Rania's primary role is a faculty member. She's also a department chair.
[09:09] We talk about their successful partnership with student affairs and faculty. They started the journey through the Guided Pathways model.
[10:33] It was helpful to categorize the students by area of study.
[12:08] Technology has helped create an easy way to get information to students and faculty. They needed to consolidate to just one system. The Civitas Learning Platform helps them develop partnerships from an advising standpoint with faculty, deans, and department chairs.
[13:51] Having technology to communicate in place has really helped understand the roles and true responsibilities of advising and working with students.
[14:10] We take a macro view of advising and how having one system makes it so much easier and possible. With Civitas they can bridge the two worlds of department chairs and student affairs.
[16:27] Having communication centralized has helped get the right communication to the right people. They also can look at the touch points which have helped increase completion rates.
[17:05] Having access to the data and knowing the touch points and overarching issues has also been a major game changer.
[19:46] Navigating the challenges between having faculty and student affairs working together.
[25:46] Kathy shares her perspective from advising and student affairs.
[31:06] How to get faculty to come to the training and how is it ran. When the deans are onboard, the team also gets onboard. Deans and department chairs identify faculty to do this work.
[35:08] These efforts have made their jobs easier and their programs more student focused.
[36:39] Getting everyone on the same technology has made communication so much more clear and helps identify faculty that want to engage.
[37:46] The note taking has created accountability and added a human touch. It's an organizational culture shift that helps students.
[39:14] It's important to have a trail that lets you know if the students have received the right guidance, especially when it comes to things like declaring majors.
[40:10] Achievements include getting everyone at the same place at the same time.
Links and Resources:
Dr. Giao Phan - Austin Community College
Dr. Rania Salman - Austin Community College
Kathy James - Austin Community College
Delivering Holistic Support at a Large Urban Community College District with Dr. Ruth Reinhart