Revised 4/10/12 Academic Advisor Career LadderAuburn University

Academic Advisor Career Ladder Guide Outline

I. Explanation of Advancement in the Academic Advisor Career Ladder

II. The Candidate’s Dossier: General Instructions and Formatting

III. Recommendations for Promotion

Appendix A. Criteria for Academic Advisor Career Ladder Levels

Appendix B. Timetable for Promotion Cycles in the Academic Advisor Career Ladder Program

Appendix C. Application for Academic Advisor Career Ladder Promotion

Appendix D. Auburn University Academic Advisor Survey

Appendix E. Template for Academic Advisor Survey Summary Report

Appendix F. Directions for Creating Electronic Dossier

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I. Explanation of Advancement in the Academic Advisor Career Ladder Promotion in the Academic Advisor Career Ladder is based on merit as demonstrated in a dossier of documented achievement compiled by the candidate for promotion. Six areas contribute to decisions regarding advancement: Education Experience Advising Continuing Education and Professional Involvement Creative and Professional Development Outreach and Professional Service

The academic advisor career ladder consists of three levels. Appendix A delineates the criteria for each of the six areas noted above for Level I, II, and III. This chart notes the minimum number of activities for promotion to Level II and Level III by area. When an academic advisor meets all criteria for advancement to the next level, he/she may submit a dossier with the appropriate evidence for review by the Academic Advisor Peer Review Committee.

Part II of this manual, The Candidate’s Dossier: General Instructions and Formatting, delineates the evidence required for each area. The semester timetable for promotion cycles in the academic advisor career ladder program is outlined in Appendix B.

Part II. The Dossier – General Instructions and Formatting

Candidates for promotion are to develop an electronic dossier in the form of an Adobe Acrobat pdf file according to the instructions provided in Appendix F. The electronic dossier is to be delivered to her/his dean’s office. The dean’s designee adds the confidential letters of recommendation from the candidate’s supervisor and dean noted in Section 3 and delivers the materials to the Office of the Provost by the deadline established in the annual call for promotion letter. The submitted electronic dossier will be treated as a confidential document, as it contains personnel records and confidential letters of recommendation. At the end of the review period, all copies of the dossier (electronic or paper) will be destroyed, except for one retained for archival purposes in the Office of the Provost. Furthermore, the members of the Academic Advisor Peer Review Committee will conduct their work under the terms stipulated under a confidentiality statement that they must sign, which assures that the contents of the dossier and the committee’s deliberations remain confidential.

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INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CANDIDATE

Candidates are responsible for ensuring that all required information in Sections 1 and 2 are included in the dossier. Incomplete dossiers will not be considered for promotion. Additional materials may not be submitted after the deadline noted in the annual call for promotion letter.

SECTION 1. Education and Experience

1A. Application for Promotion and Biographical Cover SheetCandidates are required to complete the application in Appendix C. Information regarding Education and Experience are included on this application.

1B. Prior Service Credit MemoA prior service credit letter is provided to the candidate by the Chair of the Academic Advisor Peer Review Committee at the time of hire. This letter is to be included in the dossier. If the candidate does not have a copy of this letter, he/she may obtain a copy from the Office of the Provost.

1C. ResumeThe resume is to include information on past employment history and the nature of the work performed. This information may include employment as a graduate assistant, teacher educator, etc. Candidates are to indicate whether positions were full-time or part-time; if part-time, candidates are to indicate the number of hours per week and/or percent of time. In addition, the resume is to include any honors, awards, or notable achievements.

SECTION 2: Documentation of Accomplishments in Achievement AreasThe candidate is responsible for adequately and clearly documenting activities in each of the following areas of achievement. The dossier and letters of recommendation within the dossier should make clear what accomplishments have been achieved by the candidate in each of these four job-related areas of the career ladder since the time of the initial conversion review in June of 1999 or the last promotion.

2.A. Advising The Committee’s primary concern relates to the candidate’s development in the role of academic advising. The Committee evaluates the candidate’s contributions to advising based on the following required evidence.

2.A .1 Promotion Application Letter The candidate should prepare a letter addressed to the Academic Advisor Career Ladder Review Committee stating how she/he has met the requirements for promotion and how her/his performance merits promotion. The candidate may also offer an overview of the accomplishments presented in the dossier. This letter should be no more than two pages in length. 2.A.2 Performance Evaluation A copy of the candidate’s most recent performance evaluation completed by her/his supervisor is to be included.

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2.A.3 Student Survey DataSummary data from the student assessment surveys of the individual candidate’s advising are required. These data must be collected using the Auburn University Advisor Survey described in Appendix D. The data should be presented in the format illustrated in Appendix E. Data must be collected no more than 18 months prior to submission of the application and dossier. In addition to summary data for the required “core” questions, data for questions that are specific to the advisor’s unit/college may be included.

2.B. Continuing Education and Professional Involvement In addition to advising, the Committee expects evidence of frequent and sustained continuing education and professional involvement in each of the three subcategories noted below.

2.B.1 Advisors Caucus Letter Candidates are to present a letter from one of the Advisor Caucus officers addressed to the Advisor Career Ladder Review Committee evaluating the candidate’s participation in and contributions to the caucus. While advisors are not expected to attend every function hosted by the Caucus or attend every convention, the Committee expects advisors to demonstrate that their professional involvement is a priority.

2.B.2 Professional MembershipsThe candidate is required to be a participating member of one or more state, regional, or national organizations concerned with academic advising or related professional associations. A list of membership(s) is required as part of the candidate’s dossier submission. Information pertaining to leadership positions in these organizations should be included if applicable.

2.B.3. Activities/EventsA summary of additional continuing education activities/events is to be presented with items numbered and listed in reverse chronological order beginning with the most recent. For each item, candidates are to provide a brief description, including information as to where and when the activity took place. Following are examples of activities/events: Course work in areas that enhance advising skills Attendance at advising-related workshops, presentations, and/or video conference sponsored by

the advisors caucus, the university, or state, regional, or national advising or advising-related associations

Serving on advising-related committees at the university level An advising award

2. C. Creative and Professional DevelopmentActivities included in this category showcase the candidate’s strengths, abilities, creativity, interest, and commitment to advising and to students, faculty, and colleagues. These activities must represent a significant achievement and demonstrate a substantial time commitment to develop and execute. They should have a meaningful impact in improving advising and should be aligned with the goals of the advising unit. The list should be brief, but each item should include a short description of the activity and a justification explaining its significance. Items are to be listed in reverse chronological order with the most recent listed first.

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Following are examples of activities that merit inclusion in this category. Applicants should pay close attention to any notes below regarding the clustering of activities to constitute a significant achievement and present this cluster of activities as one item rather than multiple items. The candidate is responsible for explaining the significance of the individual and clustered activities. The Committee is not responsible for determining how less significant items could be clustered to form a significant achievement. Examples for 2.C.: Develop a significant advising-related program (e.g., peer mentoring program, manuals, web pages,

etc.). Note: Development of a brochure typically is not considered a significant achievement but may be paired with related work to form a significant achievement.

Redesign a significant program component (e.g., collegiate operations, processes/procedures, forms). Note: Creation of individual advising-related procedures and/or forms is not considered a significant achievement; however, development of multiple related forms and/or procedures may merit consideration. Applicants should cluster these achievements into a single achievement rather than list separately.

Teach and significantly revise an advising-related class. Note: This activity may be considered a significant achievement in Creative and Professional Development if the applicant has developed the course content, assignments, etc. and has been in charge of ongoing course refinement. Otherwise, the achievement is to be noted in Outreach and Professional Service. An example that is appropriate for Creative Work and Professional Development is teaching UNIV 1000, modifying the course for the college’s learning community, and refining it through repeated teaching of the course to new learning communities.

Present a paper or workshop on advising issues to a campus audience or at an external conference. Note: "Repeat" presentations are not considered additional significant achievements unless substantive changes are documented.

• Publish a paper or related advising materials in a state, regional, or national outlet

Promotion to Level II requires two significant achievements in the area of Creative and Professional Development. Promotion to Level III requires three additional significant achievements for a total of five in this area. The candidate may have multiple achievements in the same category (e.g., workshop presentation).

2.D. Outreach and Professional ServiceThe Committee is interested in commitment to advising as a whole at Auburn University and service to the entire AU community. Generally, advisors are typically very involved in their colleges, schools, and professional associations and candidates have more than adequate activities in this area. The activities should help enhance advising services, and student learning. The candidate’s list of activities should be brief and in reverse chronological order. Following are examples of service activities: Hold an office or chair significant committees in the Caucus Serve on a University committee Advise school/college chartered organizations Teach related classes (e.g., UNIV 1000) Hold office or chair significant committees in state/regional/national advising (or related)

associations Develop significant liaison program or programs with other campus resources or referral agencies. Other significant activities for school/college or university (with documentation).Promotion to Level II requires one service activity in the area of Outreach and Professional Service. Promotion to Level III requires two more sustained service activities for a total of three in this area.

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INFORMATION TO BE ADDED BY THE DEAN’S DESIGNEE

SECTION 3: Letters of RecommendationThe candidate is expected to provide his/her supervisor and dean with a copy of Sections 1-2 for review at least two weeks before the dossier is due to the Office of the Provost. After a review of the dossier, the supervisor and dean each write a letter of recommendation on the candidate’s application for promotion. If these referees support the promotion, their letters should describe how the candidate’s performance merits promotion and describe how the candidate has met the requirements for promotion. These confidential letters are then added to the electronic dossier and submitted to the Office of the Provost by the deadline noted in the annual call for promotion.

3.A. Letter of Recommendation from the Candidate’s Supervisor

3.B. Letter of Recommendation from the Candidate’s Dean

Part III. Recommendations for PromotionThe chair of the Academic Advisor Peer Review Committee sends each candidate a letter notifying her/him of the Committee’s recommendation regarding promotion. A recommendation to promote indicates that the Committee has found sufficient evidence of the minimum number of significant achievements in each category.

Promotion to Level IIIf the recommendation is to promote the candidate to Level II, the Committee does not indicate in the decision letter if the candidate exceeded the minimums because a different committee reviews cumulative achievements for promotion to Level III. If the Committee determined that insufficient evidence was presented to merit a recommendation for promotion to Level II, the letter to the candidate provides information regarding which activities described in the dossier did count as significant achievements if the Committee determined the candidate had not met the minimum number in one or more area.

Promotion to Level IIIPromotion to Advisor Level III requires demonstrated evidence of continuing activity following promotion to Level II. Although achievements prior to promotion to Level II will be considered, significant contribution since the last promotion is expected.

The Committee reviewing for promotion to Level III is to assume that minimum requirements in each category were met for the promotion to Level II; however, this Committee is not bound by the way a previous committee "counted" significant achievements that exceeded these minimums. If the recommendation is to promote the candidate to Level III, the Committee does not indicate in the decision letter if the candidate exceeded the minimums. If the Committee determined that insufficient evidence was presented to merit a recommendation for promotion to Level III, the letter to the candidate provides information regarding which activities described in the dossier did count as significant achievements if the Committee determined the candidate had not met the minimum number in one or more area.

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AppealInformation regarding the appeal process will be included in the initial call for promotion letter.

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Appendix A. Criteria for Academic Advisor Career Ladder Levels

SECTION 1: Education and ExperienceLEVEL I LEVEL II LEVEL III- Bachelor’s degree- Limited practical experience (e.g., advising, related educational, counseling or student services work). Knowledge of computer use desirable.

-Bachelor’s degree- Five (5) years professional experience and growth at Level 1 (or equivalent) with a Bachelor's degree or three (3) years with a Master's.- Two (2) years of this 3 or 5 years must be as an academic advisor on the Auburn campus

- Bachelor’s degree- Seven (7) years professional experience (or equivalent) and growth with a Bachelor's degree or 5 years with a Master's.- Four (4) of this 5 or 7 years professional experience must be as an academic advisor on the Auburn campus.- Two (2) years experience at Level II

SECTION 2: Documentation of Accomplishments in Achievement AreasLEVEL II LEVEL III

2.A: AdvisingMust demonstrate successful advising as supported by required documentation outlined in section 2.A of Career Ladder Guide

Must demonstrate successful advising as supported by required documentation outlined in section 2.A of Career Ladder Guide

2.B: Continuing Education and Professional Involvement

Must have consistent participation in Auburn University Advisors Caucus and documentation of sustained involvement in Advising or related professional organizations and activities as outlined in section 2.B of the Career Ladder Guide

Must have consistent participation in Auburn University Advisors Caucus and documentation of sustained involvement in Advising or related professional organizations and activities as outlined in section 2.B of the Career Ladder Guide

2.C: Creative and Professional Development(**Committee expects to see demonstrated evidence of continuing activity following promotion to Level II and that the specific requirements are cumulative for each category.)

Complete two of the significant achievements as outlined in section 2.C of the Career Ladder Guide

Complete three of the significant achievements (for a total of five**) as outlined in section 2.C of the Career Ladder Guide

2.D: Outreach and Professional Service(**Committee expects to see demonstrated evidence of continuing activity following promotion to Level II and that the specific requirements are cumulative for each category)

Achieve one of the service activities as outlined in section 2.D of the Career Ladder Guide.

Achieve two more sustained service activities (for a total of three**) as outlined in section 2.D of the Career Ladder Guide

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Appendix BSemester Timetable for Promotion Cycles in the Academic Advisor Career Ladder Program

(revised 05/6/10)

Summer/Fall The Chair of the Peer Review Committee informs the Provost or designee of the vacancies on the Committee and identifies the schools/colleges from which new members may be appointed. A list of all Academic Advisors III employees who may be considered as committee members is requested from the Office of Human Resources by the Provost or designee. The Provost or designee appoints new members to the Peer Review Committee for a three-year term.

October 1 Call for Promotions issued by the Provost or designee

Mid Nov Application dossiers due

Nov/Dec Dossiers reviewed by Peer Review Committee

Mid Jan Notification of outcomes (promotions and denials) by the Chair of the Peer Review Committee (sent to the candidate, supervisor, Dean, College HR Liaison)

+10 working days Candidate letters of appeal due to the Provost/Provost designee

Late Jan Provost/Provost designee appoints Appeals Committee as needed

March 15 Reclassification forms due to Office of Human Resources. Job Family Promotion form and justification packet prepared by Dean’s Office (employee data and signature approvals only)

Mid-Summer Human Resources issues HR-35 subject to approval by the Auburn University Board of Trustees

Oct 1 Promotion in title and salary in effect, if approved by Auburn University Board of Trustees

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Appendix CAUBURN UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC ADVISOR CAREER LADDERApplication for Promotion and Biographical Cover Sheet

Name :

School/College:

Other Department or Work Unit, if any:

Check Advisor Level and Grade that you are applying for:

Advisor Level II, Grade 32

Advisor Level III, Grade 33

State present Human Resource job title and grade:

Indicate number of years completed in present title and grade (as of October 1 of the current year):

Indicate number of years completed in an Advising job title at Auburn (cumulative of all grade levels, as of October 1 of the current year):

Indicate number of years claimed as equivalent experience and explain:

Education (list most recent first):Institution Degree Major Date Awarded

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Appendix D. Auburn University Academic Advisor Survey

Required Auburn University Advisor Survey

The seven survey statements listed below are required for each advising unit. Each unit may include a caveat to explain that this survey is in reference to the academic

advisor, not the faculty advisor. Each unit may include additional survey questions, as needed Each unit may determine the appropriate delivery and frequency of this survey. Each school/college must use the same 5-point Likert scale:

5 = Strongly Agree4 = Agree3 = Neither Agree or Disagree2 = Disagree1 = Strongly Disagree.

All students should be made aware that answers are confidential.

(1) This advisor has thorough knowledge about advising details related to my individual academic needs.

(2) This advisor has thorough knowledge of Auburn University policies and procedures regarding academics.

(3) If this advisor cannot respond to my concerns or questions, s/he makes the effort to refer me to the appropriate person, office, or resource.

(4) This advisor is approachable and is concerned with my overall academic success.(5) This advisor is courteous and professional.(6) This advisor provides timely and accurate information.(7) I am generally satisfied with the services provided by this advisor.

In relation to candidates for promotion, please note the following: Advising survey results for each promotion candidate are to include data from the past 18

months.

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Appendix E. Template for Academic Advisor Survey Summary Report

Auburn University Academic Advisor Survey Summary ResultsAdvisor Name

Date

Survey Period: Sem. Or Date

Sem. Or Date

Sem. Or Date

Sem. Or Date

Sem. Or Date

Sem. Or Date

Survey Questions 5= Strongly Agree; 4= Agree;3= Neither Agree or Disagree; 2= Disagree; 1= Strongly Disagree

Mean ResponsesMy advisor has thorough knowledge about advising details related to my individual academic needs.My advisor has thorough knowledge of Auburn University policies and procedures regarding academics.If my advisor cannot respond to my concerns or questions, he makes the effort to refer me to the appropriate person, office, or resource.My advisor is approachable and is concerned with my overall academic success.My advisor is courteous and professional.My advisor provides timely and accurate information.I am generally satisfied with the services provided by my advisor.College or unit questionCollege or unit questionCollege or unit questionNumber of Responses:Student Comments (No identifying information on students should be included; survey date or period should be noted in parentheses for each comment):

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Appendix F. Directions for Creating Electronic Dossier

General Instructions:

The advisor career ladder promotion dossiers will need to be assembled as a single PDF document and submitted on a single data drive from each college/school. The advisor is responsible for preparing and assembling items 1.A through 2.D as per the Academic Advisor Career Ladder Guide and as given below. The PDF document should then be given to the advisor’s supervisor or dean’s office, so that the confidential letters of recommendation may be added in section 3.

The PDF file should be saved using the candidate’s LAST NAME first, then first name – no other information should be used in the document name.

Create a title page for each of the major sections of the dossier. The title page headings are noted below. In the PDF document the title pages will be assigned bookmarks using the same names noted for the title pages. The title pages provide a clear organizational structure for a printed version of the dossier; the bookmarks provide a clear organizational structure for the PDF document. The advisor should prepare the title page and bookmark for the final section before submitting the document to his/her supervisor or dean’s office.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Paula Clark in the Provost’s Office at 844-5390 or clarkps@auburn.edu.

Dossier ComponentsBrief Description

Academic Advisor Career Ladder Guide (See instructions in Guide)

Comments

Bookmark 1Title Page: Education and Experience

Add name to Title Page

Application and Biographical Cover Sheet

1.A Use the PDF Form

Prior Service Credit Memo 1.B Obtain from Provost’s Office

Resume 1.CBookmark 2Title Page: ApplicationPromotion Application Letter 2.A.1 Two page limitPerformance Evaluation 2.A.2 Most recent evaluationStudent Survey Data 2.A.3 Use template given in

Appendix EBookmark 3Title Page: Continuing Education and

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Professional InvolvementAdvisor Caucus Letter 2.B.1 One letter from Advisor

Caucus leadershipProfessional Memberships 2.B.2Activities/Events 2.B.3Bookmark 4Title Page: Creative and Professional DevelopmentCreative and Professional Development List

2.C

Bookmark 5Title Page: Outreach and Professional ServiceOutreach and Professional Service List 2.DBookmark 6Title Page: Letters of RecommendationLetter of Recommendation from the Candidate’s Supervisor

3.A Confidential letter added after packet submitted to dean’s or supervisor’s office

Letter of Recommendation from the Candidate’s Dean

3.B Confidential letter added after dossier submitted to dean’s office

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Directions for Inserting Bookmarks into the PDF Document

1. Before Beginning, assemble all dossier documents into a single PDF file.These instructions are for Adobe Acrobat 9.0 Professional. However, these instructions should be similar for other versions of Adobe Acrobat.

2. Once the Dossier PDF is created, begin adding bookmarks to the identified title pages in the document. A total of 6 bookmarks will be created in the entire dossier.

3. To add PDF Bookmarks:1) Open the PDF dossier file in Adobe Acrobat 9.0 Professional. 2) To create the first bookmark, go to the title page for Education and Experiences (the

first page of the documents). Note, the candidate’s name is added to this page. 3) Once you have located this page, click on the “Documents” tab, and select “Add

Bookmark” from the menu (see below):

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4) A window will open to the left of the document. Click in the field named “Untitled” and enter the following name “Education and Experience.”

This bookmark includes the following dossier sections:

Application and Biographical Cover Sheet

1.A Use the PDF Form

Prior Service Credit Memo 1.B Obtain from Provost’s Office

Resume 1.C

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5) To create the second bookmark, go to the title page labeled “Advising.” To create the next bookmark, click on the “new bookmark” icon, located in the top right of the window (middle icon).

Name the second bookmark “Application.” This bookmark includes the following dossier sections:

Promotion Application Letter 2.A.1 Two page limitPerformance Evaluation 2.A.2 Most recent evaluationStudent Survey Data 2.A.3 Use template given in

Appendix E

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6) Continue assigning bookmarks to each title page for the remainder of the document:Continuing Education and Professional Involvement

Creative and Professional Development

Outreach and Professional Service

Letters of Recommendation

7) Once all of the bookmarks have been created, save the PDF file using the candidate’s LAST NAME first (then first name)—no other information should be used in the document name.

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