Dec 13, 2011

Student Services reorganizing

Changes are ahead for the Brainerd campus Student Services Department, according to Beth Adams, Dean of Students. Starting Monday, Dec. 19, office reassignments will relocate more than two dozen employees. "We are in the process changing our counseling and advising services model. After Spring Semester, the Counselors will no longer be providing academic advising services to students.  Their focus will be on developing and implementing retention programming and continuing to see students who are seeking personal and career counseling services," Beth said. "We are making significant changes to office assignments and  consolidating our 4 reception areas into one area on the Brainerd campus (the current Records/Registration, Financial Aid, Business Office windows).  There will no longer be a reception area in the current Admissions and Counseling suite and all students will be routed to the windows to make appointments or request service.  This change will provide us with a pool of support staff to whom we are referring as generalists."


Mary DeVahl and Suzie Karsnia will serve as our counselors for the Brainerd campus and Christina Kavanaugh will serve as the Staples campus counselor. Our Admissions Representatives (Dan Davidson, Joan Jenkins, Jenni Hirsch, Jill Albie, Rose Tretter and Peggy Thorn) are in the process of being trained to serve as Advisors.  Their positions will serve to assist students with +80% of their questions regarding financial aid, admissions and academic advising.  An additional advisor will be hired this spring and we will be hiring a Director of Admissions and Advising Services to replace Charlotte Daniels who will be retiring later this month. The new Generalists group includes Jan Sterner, Carrie Ray, Linda Bartylla and Elene Pawlu.  Phil Olson will be continuing with his cashiering duties but help us to provide coverage at the reception desk as well.  This model will allow us to better serve students by reducing "bouncing" them from one window to another and provide for sufficient back-ups to ensure coverage at the windows.  Our generalists are in the process of training for their new roles as well. To sum up, The Advisors and Counselors will be our "front line" staff and will see the vast majority of our students and visitors.  They will be located in the offices in closest proximity to the reception desk (the Advisors in the offices down the hall on the left as you are facing the desk and the Counselors down the right-hand hallway).  All of our Records/Registration, Financial Aid, and various other administrative and/or processing staff will be located in the current Admission and Counseling Suite.  We anticipate that there will be limited traffic to these offices given that the Advisors will be crossed train to assist with most student questions.