CHSS ADVISING NEWSLETTER
Spring Issue I, January 2020
Welcome to the Spring semester and the first issue of the CHSS Advising Newsletter! We are excited to bring you monthly updates and news, and invite you to contribute content as well. 

Advising Updates

Winter orientation kept us busy as CHSS welcomed 405 new students for Spring 2020. Thank you for continuing to make pre-orientation advising a success and for your ongoing dedication to academic advising in CHSS!

Future updates in this section will include news related to the Student Experience Redesign, other college or campus happenings, and articles related to the profession of advising. For now, we leave you with a NACADA resource and interesting read as we launch into a new semester of advising: Professional Identity Checklist for Advising Professionals. 

Spotlight on Student Success

How do we inspire students to have a growth mindset?
An initiative from the University of Arizona as a strategy in the journey of learning to learn: https://academicaffairs.arizona.edu/l2l-strategy-growth-mindset.

How does a growth mindset help?

Some people see intelligence as inherent (fixed mindset) while others see it as a quality that can be developed (growth mindset). These different perspectives lead to different behaviors and results. Students with a growth mindset believe that one's intelligence can be developed with practice and that failure is part of learning. Neuroscientists have determined that the brain grows like any other muscle in the body. People with a fixed mindset view times when they struggle and have difficulties as a poor reflection on themselves, while people with a growth mindset see those times as an opportunity to grow and get better. People with a growth mindset are more receptive to constructive feedback and recognize that it is not them personally, but the result of their work, that is being assessed. Students with a growth mindset embrace problems as an opportunity to learn while students who assume that their intelligence is set, are more likely to seek to demonstrate their “smartness” and less likely to ask questions in order to overcome setbacks in their learning.

What are some strategies to help students develop a growth mindset?

How students react when they are faced with challenges in their learning, is determined by their mindset. Students can be taught to develop a growth mindset. Instructors should praise effort, strategy and process rather than focusing on talent and intelligence to promote a growth mindset. Growth mindset does not mean that every student has equal ability or potential. Instead, it means that every student has the opportunity to improve and to develop their knowledge, skills and abilities with effort and good strategies. Students should view failure as an opportunity to learn and improve their knowledge and should be encouraged to persist despite obstacles. Carol Dweck, Stanford University, states that focusing on “yet” (i.e. “that is something I don’t understand yet”) creates a growth mindset environment which helps students to change their perspectives and be more receptive to learning.
Also watch: https://youtu.be/lpRO2JxM9MA.

Contact Us

We welcome your feedback! Email us (chssadv@gmu.edu) with your comments and suggestions.

Professional Development


MAAN Website
MAAN has updated its page and can now be accessed directly through
maan.gmu.edu.
LOL Schedule
The Learn Over Lunch (LOL) spring schedule is now posted. Upcoming session Feb. 11th: Advising on the Honors College Curriculum.
NACADA
The Region 2 conference takes place April 27-29 in Norfolk, Virginia! Registration is open, with an early bird deadline of March 30th. 
Region 2 Talks with NACADA
Check out this new feature for our region, with recordings available to members and non-members alike.

Davids Corner - Notes from Academic Affairs 


Re-enrollment Requests
Please keep in mind that any re-enrollment for a student with a GPA below 2.00 must come to our office. We also require a list of courses that student wishes to take. So, please speak with them about course selection, and let them know to submit that list along with the request form. Additionally, after the add deadline, any re- enrollment request must come to our office.

Change of Major
Please submit any major declaration forms that you get before the add deadline. After the add deadline these forms can be processed by the Registrar's office, but the major switch will not happen until the beginning of the next semester.

Six-Week Deadline
Please keep in mind that all paperwork for fall graduates is due to the Registrar's office by January 31st, six weeks after the conferral date. Any paperwork requiring our signature should be submitted  to our office at least a week before that. A note attached explaining that it is for a fall graduate would be helpful as well.

Course Repeat Exception
Please keep in mind the policy regarding a student's fourth attempt of a course when advising for any last-minute registrations, since these courses take longer to register for. The policies for this can be found at the following location: https://chssundergrad.gmu.edu/mason-registration/course- repeat-exception-request.

Meet a CHSS Advisor

Meghan Jack, CLS

For the last 4 months, I have been advising undergraduate students in the Criminology, Law and Society program. I love it here! Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a curiosity for Criminology and Criminal Justice and I knew that I would work within the field, even if indirectly, one day.

Once I “grew up,” I completed my Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University and my Master’s in College Student Personnel Administration at Illinois State University. I am so fortunate that I can blend these two passions in my work as an Academic Advisor. I am thrilled to be here and look forward to new opportunities as an undergraduate advisor!

Prior to Mason, I was an Academic Advisor at Penn State University for Criminology, Sociology, and Anthropology students. Outside of Mason, I am a Kansas City Chiefs fan, bookaholic, and professional Netflix binger. 
Newsletter Contacts: Katy Hoepf, Diana Keay, and Erin McSherry
CHSS Undergraduate Academic Affairs
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
George Mason University
https://chssundergrad.gmu.edu/
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