Lori Seischab, Ph.D. Academic Specialist- Advisor Department of Physiology College of Natural Science Michigan State University Transitioning from Faculty to Professional Advisor

Mentoring Mentor undergraduate students in career development, through individual advising, workshops or other group events, and mass communication Coach students on diverse topics, including effective study techniques, developing rapport with faculty members, and using reflective writing to gain interpersonal and intrapersonal core competencies Collaboration Work with department faculty, biology advisors, college-wide advisors, and student affairs administrators on projects that typically are related to program development or assessment Bridge the communication gaps that had existed between these groups Teaching Teach one career development course per year for freshmen and sophomores in physiology and other biology programs JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Within the department Apply for promotion whenever I am ready or remain indefinitely at my current level – choice is mine In preparation for promotion, I plan on expanding my role in the department to include grant writing to support pipeline programs External to the department Advancement opportunities exist with the Student Academic Affairs division Typically those positions are filled by people with Master’s degrees in higher education, counseling, or student affairs. While my Ph.D. in physiology does not prevent me from pursuing those career paths, I prefer to stay imbedded in a science department One of my strengths as an advisor is that I understand the research and course content within my department. I would lose that edge if I moved to Student Academic Affairs CAREER PATH TRAJECTORIES

Active listening, a service orientation, persuasion, and communication While students share common experiences and struggles, I strive to approach each student as a unique individual I give my full attention to each student, understand what he/she is saying, and then ask appropriate probing questions I identify each student’s unique set of needs, decide on appropriate interventions, and then convey that information to the student in a way that establishes a good rapport, builds trust, and persuades them to modify their behavior It is essential to perceive and understand students’ reactions during these conversations SKILL SETS, DEGREES, AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Knowledge of career paths Students trust me because I connect them with real-world resources and data I don’t expect students to accept my advice unless I have backed it up with evidence To stay current, I use training webinars, conference materials, newsletters, and listservs from AAMC, NAAHP, and NACADA SKILL SETS, DEGREES, AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Knowledge of student development Students need help with processes, so I teach them how to speak with professors, how to begin writing a personal statement, how to balance their workload, how to make decisions, etc. I need an understanding of learning theories, which I have gained by reading STEM education literature (CBE- Life Sciences Education journal is my favorite) and student development literature SKILL SETS, DEGREES, AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Expectations Essential to be able to relate to people from diverse backgrounds Detailed knowledge of science-related career paths Obstacles Limited control over my schedule Other parts of my job (compiling data, planning workshops, writing letters of recommendation, preparing for my class, etc.) are fit into brief (5-10 min) breaks This style of work-flow is a challenge that can be mastered with practice. EXPECTATIONS AND POTENTIAL OBSTACLES