BLOOMINGTON, Ill.— Illinois Wesleyan University has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, which will enable the University to implement an Advising Center on campus.
The Foundations, which concentrate on privately governed, four-year, liberal arts institutions, seek to support solid universities acknowledged for academic excellence.
The new Advising Center, which should be in place in fall of 2008, will provide a valuable resource for students and faculty, said Assistant Provost and Registrar Jeff Frick. “We are always looking for ways to make the experience of attending Illinois Wesleyan as smooth as possible.” The Office of the Registrar will oversee the new Advising Center. “This grant will enable us to offer more extensive help to our student population.”
The University will not be moving away from faculty-led advising, said Frick, rather it will support our faculty members in their knowledge of current requirements within departments. In addition, the University will institute a second-year advising program for students who have an undeclared major, which is modeled after the strong first-year advising program. “Faculty will still be very much involved in the process of helping students understand the academic programs,” said Frick. “The grant will allow us to hold workshops and training sessions which further sharpens our faculty members’ engagement in academic advising.”