Advising 101ab and USC Undergraduate Advisement Database Training

The Office of Undergraduate Programs, in conjunction with the university’s Council on Undergraduate Education, the Council of Academic Advisors, the Vice Provost’s Academic Programs Council and the Provost’s Council of Deans, have developed a mandatory university-wide training program, Advising 101ab, for all new staff advisors and student affairs administrators at USC.

Advising 101a is designed to provide education and training in the basics of academic advising, including relational and conceptual skill building, and knowledge about USC policies and procedures. The goal, of course, is to ensure effective and accurate delivery of service for all USC students.  A total of 559 staff-level academic/administrators, and faculty completed Advising 101a since fall 2001.

Listed below are the dates, times and locations for Advising 101a for the Spring 2011 semester:

February 1, 2011                               9:00-12:00 & 1:00-2:30 at WPH403

February 2, 2011                               9:00-12:00 & 1:00-3:00 at WPH403

                                                           3:00-4:00 at  STU B1                       

February 3, 2011                              9:00-12:00 & 1:00-2:00 at WPH403

Please note that the program is a three-day cluster.  We offer one Advising 101a 3-day session per semester. To receive credit for the program, you must attend all three days.  The sign up deadline for Advising 101a is Tuesday, January 26^th, 2011.

In addition to Advising 101a, staff members from the Office of Academic Records and Registrar conduct Advising 101b. They provide hands-on training sessions on the processes most important for advisors and in-depth information on issues in their areas.  The dates, times and locations of Advising 101b sessions at WPH403 are:

Monday, February 7, 10-11:30am (Academic Record Services)

Tuesday, February 8, 10-11:30am (Articulation Issues)

Wednesday, February 9, 10-11:30am (Registration Information and Processes)

Thursday, February 10, 10-11:30am (Probation and Petition Issues)

In addition, I would like to remind you that the University launched the USC Undergraduate Advisement Database for staff advisors effective August 7, 2007.    The Advisement Database is a web-based tool for managing the information and processes involved in undergraduate student advisement at USC. 

It is designed to increase retention and graduation rates by:

·         Increasing the efficiency of the advisement process;

·         Facilitating the transfer of data between schools and units;

·         Enabling proactive advisement by identifying students at risk of not graduating from USC;

·         Providing on-demand reporting for faster data analysis; and 

·         Safeguarding against loss of records due to staff turnover.

Most staff advisors have attended an Advisement Database training session.  There will be monthly trainings for all advisors who were unable to attend the sessions offered several weeks ago as well as for all recently hired advisors.  The dates and times will be announced soon.    Veteran advisors who would like a refresher are encouraged to attend also. 

The sign up deadline for the Advisement Database is one week prior to each session.

Madrid Summer Program & Buenos Aires Summer Program

USC College Department of Spanish and Portuguese

Madrid Summer Program

Late May – July 2011

First Informational Meeting:Friday, January 14
2:00 p.m., THH 119

Second Informational Meeting:Thursday, January 20
3:00 p.m., Location TBA

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the USC College announces its seven-week program in Madrid for 2011.  Improve your knowledge of Spanish language and culture and earn eight units of credit while living in one of Europe’s most exciting cities.  Students take two courses, live with a Spanish family, tour Madrid’s museums, make a one-week visit to Barcelona, and take short trips to the monastery of El Escorial and the historical cities of Segovia and Toledo.

Estimated costs: USC tuition (8 units, $10,880) plus airfare and room and board.

Possible courses:     
Spanish 265   Spanish for Communication: Society and the  Media
Spanish 266   Spanish for Communication: Arts and Letters      
Spanish 311   Advanced Spanish Through Contemporary Issues
Spanish 341   Advanced Conversation and Culture
Spanish 465   Cultural Perspectives of the Iberian Peninsula
Spanish 490   Directed Research

USC reserves the right to cancel any program in the case of an emergency beyond its control, or to cancel programs or substitute classes due to low enrollment or unavailability of faculty.  Should the program be cancelled, deposits will be refunded to students.  Students must register for eight units of credit.  If the program is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the decision to do so will be made by April 2011.

Program is tentative pending approval.
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Buenos Aires Summer Program

July - August 2011

First Informational Meeting:Friday, January 14
2:00 p.m., THH 119

Second Informational Meeting:Thursday, January 20
3:00 p.m., Location TBA

The program will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from July to August 2011 (5 weeks). Students will choose one of two 4-unit courses: (1) SPAN 311, “Advanced Spanish through Contemporary Issues,” or (2) Spanish 466, “Argentina, Society and the Arts” at the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires. Classes will meet Mondays and Wednesdays, and will be complemented by required cultural visits and daytrips on Tuesdays and Thursdays through which students will explore a selection of museums, cultural, and historical sites in and near Buenos Aires. There will also be opportunities to explore Argentine culture through poetry gatherings, film screenings, theatrical and musical performances, sports events, etc. Students will live in homestays with local families. There will be an optional short trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the conclusion of the program.

Estimated Costs: USC tuition (4 units $5,440), plus airfare and room and board. 

Possible Courses:Spanish 311:  Advanced Spanish Through Contemporary Issues
Spanish 466:  Argentina, Society and the Arts
Review date of applications will be determined at a later date.

USC reserves the right to cancel any program in the case of an emergency beyond its control, or to cancel programs or substitute classes due to low enrollment or unavailability of faculty.  Should the program be cancelled, deposits will be refunded to students.  Students must register for four units of credit.  If the program is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the decision to do so will be made by April 2011. Program is tentative pending approval.

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUFP)

The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (MMUFP) is a unique program designed to encourage, prepare, and support underrepresented students and students interested in increasing opportunities for underrepresented students, to pursue graduate studies and an academic career. The program supports specific academic disciplines where a diverse student body and faculty have traditionally not been present.

The Mellon Mays Program supports its fellows through faculty mentoring, financial support, GRE test preparation, graduate school preparatory workshops, and networking opportunities with top graduate schools in the United States. Each fellow designs and conducts an individual research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor, and receives a stipend during the summer and the academic year.

Information regarding the fellowship is available at www.usc.edu/mmuf

I urge you to review this information, and encourage your students to apply for the fellowship.

All applications must be received in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC), suite 425, by 4pm on Friday, February 11, 2011. Completed applications will be reviewed and qualified applicants will be selected for an interview.

The USC Study Abroad Fair is on Wednesday January 19th!

USC Study Abroad Fair

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Trousdale Parkway, 10 am- 2 pm

Visit the Study Abroad Fair for information on all overseas study programs offered by USC. Check out all the places you can study abroad. Talk to students who have already studied abroad and speak to representatives from a wide range of study abroad programs.

Flyer 1 and Flyer 2 for Posting

Study Abroad Information Sessions

Science and Health-Related Fields: Thurs. Jan. 20, Leavey Auditorium, 12 - 1 pm 

Humanities, Social Sciences and Area Studies: Thurs. Jan. 20, Leavey Auditorium, 5 -6 pm

India Study Abroad: Fri. Jan 21, Leavey Auditorium, 12- 1 pm

Come to one or more of the information sessions above to learn about study abroad opportunities in your field of study as well as the program in India.