Overview
The Advancing Academic Advising Project (3AP) is a campus-wide collaboration to create a best-in-class academic advising system. It is sponsored by UTM's Vice-President & Principal, Professor Alexandra Gillespie and is led by Brian Ingoldsby, Senior Project Manager in the UTM Campus Project Management Office.
Goals for the project include:
- Identifying a goal state for UTM's academic advising program;
- Developing recommendations and an implementation plan for achieving that goal state;
- Significantly involving UTM community stakeholders to support enhancement activities.
The first phase of the project, focused on identifying a goal state for UTM’s academic advising program and recommendations for advancing to that state, began in the fall of 2023 and culminated in a report delivered to university leadership in the summer of 2024. This report is currently being reviewed and will be shared with the community in full later this fall.
Phase two of the project, focused on recommendation implementation, recently launched and will include a number of projects spaced over the upcoming years.
Learn more:
Executive Steering Committee
Anuar Rodrigues
Executive Director, Strategy
Mark Overton
Dean of Student Affairs and Assistant Principal
Nicholas Rule
Vice-Principal,
Academic & Dean
Phase One: Identifying a Goal State
Project Team & Activities
- Brian Ingoldsby, Senior Projects Manager, Project Management Office
- Felicity Morgan, Director, Career Centre, UTM Career Centre
- Jessica Silver, Director, Student Engagement, Centre for Student Engagement
- Pascal Michelucci, Professor, Department of Language Studies
- Sandra Ngan, Senior Projects Manager, Project Management Office
- Sharon Marjadsingh, Academic Advisor and Program Administrator, Department of Historical Studies
- Svitlana Frunchak, Assistant Registrar, Academic Advising Services, Office of the Registrar
- Olha Fihol, Assistant Registrar, Registrarial Services, Office of the Registrar
Project Team activities focused on: engaging in extensive community consultation; leading the Project’s seven (7) working groups (involving over 65 community members); facilitating communication and change management activities; and investing in group learning and development.
Working Groups:
In alignment with the goal of engaging and leveraging the expertise of UTM community members to the greatest extent possible, the Advancing Academic Advising Project (3AP) organized over 65 community members into 7 working groups, each responsible for reviewing and making recommendations related to a particular aspect of UTM’s academic advising program.
The seven working group areas included:
The Programs and Services Working Group is tasked with reviewing and making recommendations related to the academic advising programs (services) delivered to and experienced by students. Examples of topics this group is exploring include:
- Goals for our academic advising program
- The extent to which existing programs and services are achieving our goals
- How programming decisions are being made
- Recommended/required policies
Community members serving on this group include:
- Jessica Silver, Director, Student Engagement
- Michelle Kraus, Associate Registrar, Academic Standards, Advising & Financial Aid
- Amanda Luongo, Assistant Director, Residence Life
- Brett Beston, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Psychology
- Dray Perenic, Academic Advisor
- Kerrie Martin, Program Manager & Learning Strategist
- Natasha Hanif, Academic Advisor
- Panayiota Platanitis, Career Counsellor
- Laura Ferlito, Academic Advisor & Undergraduate Program Administrator
- Samuel Ronfard, Assistant Professor
- Krystle Shannon, Student
- Fairly Wong, Student
The Assessment Working Group is tasked with reviewing and making recommendations related to our programs use of assessment to guide practice.
Community members serving on this working group include:
- Pascal Michelucci, Professor
- Silvana Miller, Senior Project Specialist, Reporting and Analytics
- Kristina McCutcheon, Academic Advisor
- Chrystal Colquhoun, Data and Assessment Analyst
- Jonathan Davis, Research and Assessment Analyst
- Sara da Silva, Assistant Director, Academic Planning, Policy and Projects
- Madison Peters, Manager, ACE@UTM
- Rosa Ciantar, Academic Advisor
- Cindy Short, Program and Curriculum Support
- Razia Saleh, Student
- Kareena Kailass, Student
While many working groups are exploring the inclusivity of aspects of our academic advising program, the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Indigeneity Working Group is specifically focused on reviewing our academic advising program from an EDI&I lens and making recommendations as to how academic advising at UTM may be enhanced to support the success of all students.
Community members serving on this working group include:
- Sharon Marjadsingh, Academic Advisor and Program Administrator, Historical Studies
- Rebeca Mahadeo, Supervisor, Intercultural Fluency and International Student Development, International Education Centre
- Brian Cunha, Director, Student Housing and Residence Life
- Aimy Lieu, Assistant Director, Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy
- Ruhina Shaikh, Resource Centre Coordinator, UTM Career Centre
- Kaitlin Phillips, Indigenous Student Support Specialist, Office of Indigenous Initiatives
- Kayla Forrester, Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Economics
- Noor Leghari, Equity Project Specialist – Sciences, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office
- Ghishawa Ishfaq, Student
- Somtochukwu Nnakenyi, Student
The Advising Staff Working Group is focused on reviewing and making recommendations related to the experiences of advising staff, including: their recruitment, training, on-going professional development; well-being; and support structures/avenues for voice and representation.
Community members serving on this working group include:
- Sveta Frunchak, Assistant Registrar, Academic Advising Services, Office of the Registrar
- Monica Seymour, Assistant Director, Human Resources
- Cristina Puha, Assistant Director, International Student Supports, International Education Centre
- Kwame Diko, Manager, Diversity Student Recruitment and Admissions, Office of the Registrar
- Megan Janssen, Undergraduate Advisor, English and Drama
- Sheri Browne, Assistant Director, Career Development Unit, UTM Career Centre
- Truc Tran, Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Institute of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology
- Jane Medeiros, Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Philosophy
The Communications Working Group is focused on reviewing marketing and communication activities related to academic advising at UTM and making recommendations as to how such activities may be enhanced. Examples of questions the group will be seeking to answer include:
- To what extent are current marketing and communication efforts working?
- Do our students know what we want them to know?
- Are best practices in place that support communication effectiveness?
Community members serving on this working group include:
- Sandra Ngan, Senior Project Manager, Project Management Office
- Patricia Lonergan, Interim Director, Marketing and Communications, Office of Communications
- Jeff Espie, Director, Vice-Presidential Communications, Office of the Vice-President & Principal
- Jenny Dahany, Supervisor, Pre-Arrival Engagement, Centre for Student Engagement
- Judy Duff, Registered Nurse and Campus Health Promoter, Health & Counselling Centre
- Michael Gomez, Manager, Student Recruitment Communications, Student Recruitment & Admissions
- Joanna Szurmak, Interim Associate Librarian, Library & Learning Services, UTM Library
- Laura Smith, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre (RGASC)
- Sebastian Santoni Perez De Obanos, Student
The Systems and Technology Working Group is tasked with reviewing and making recommendations related to the systems and technology that support academic advising at UTM. Specifically, the group is exploring:
- Technology availability and use
- User training and access
- Technology integration
- Compliance and security
Community members serving on this working group include:
- Olha Fihol, Assistant Registrar, Registrarial Services, Office of the Registrar
- Anthony Betts, Director, Information & Instructional Technology Services
- Cesar Mejia, Associate Registrar, Systems, Scheduling and Examinations, Office of the Registrar
- Chad Nuttall, Assistant Dean, Students and International Initiatives, Student Affairs and Services
- Lynne Hsueh, Assistant Registrar, Student Records & Registration, Office of the Registrar
- Ferzeen Sammy, Academic Advisor, Department of Geography, Geomatics and Environment
- Jose Chacon, Business and Operations Coordinator, Career Centre
- Yan Tam-Seguin, Project Manager, Student Affairs and Services
- Kate Romanow, Academic Advisor, Office of the Registrar
- Abdirisaq Gedleh, Student
- Safah Asghar, Student
The Space and Environment Working Group is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations related to the locations and spaces in which academic advising occurs . Examples of topics the group will be considering include:
- Accessibility
- Privacy
- Proximity/location
- Signage
Community members serving on this working group include:
- Felicity Morgan, Director, Career Centre
- Monika Farrell, Assistant Director, Planning and Design, Facilities Management & Planning
- Jose Chacon, Business and Operations Coordinator, Career Centre
- Yan Tam-Seguin, Project Manager, Student Affairs and Services
- Stephanie do Rego, Assistant to the Chair/Undergraduate Assistant, Department of Biology
- Melanie Peters, Financial and Academic Advisor, Office of the Registrar
- Bubu Zhao, Student
- Taha Imran, Student
Phase Two - Recommendations Implementation
Advisory Team
Chad Nuttall
Assistant Dean, Students and International Initiatives
Renu Kanga Fonseca
Registrar and Assistant Dean, Enrollment Management
Professor Margarida Duarte
Vice-Dean, Undergraduate
Project Communications
- Project Launch Communication_Nov2023.pdf (155.21 KB)
- 3AP Community Update - March 2024.pdf (587.8 KB)
Related Resources
Community Update
A message from the Executive Steering Committee:
- October 17 Community Update.pdf (168.59 KB)
For more information:
Brian Ingoldsby
Senior Project Manager
utm.pmo@utoronto.ca
Supported strategic priorities:
