Year One of SIUE’s First-Year and Transitional Advising Builds Strong Foundation for Student Success

Year One of SIUE's First-Year and Transitional Advising Builds Strong Foundation for Student Success

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Office of First-Year and Transitional Advising (OFTA), formerly known as the Office of Academic Advising, is celebrating success and a recent shift in focus. During the spring semester of 2024, OFTA began developing intentional advisor training grounded in NACADA's pillars and philosophies to better prepare first-year and transitional students. This restructuring implemented an advising curriculum supported by clearly defined learning outcomes, structured appointments, proactive touchpoints, and assessments. The result: their office recorded a fall retention rate of 89.1%.

"We are encouraged by these outcomes," said Efrosini Hortis, EdD, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Persistence and Success. "They reflect the intentional, day-to-day praxis of our advisors in cultivating trust, fostering meaningful connections, and supporting students so they feel confident, capable, knowledgeable, and authentically connected."

The advising team's use of a more student-centered advising curriculum identified the basic knowledge every first-year student should learn. Hortis and team defined relationship, trust and meaningful conversation as advising strategies for students to develop clarity in general education and major requirements.

Assessment has also become a vital part of OFTA's practice. Over the past three semesters-Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Fall 2025-approximately 350 students per semester, for a total of over 1,000 students, provided feedback on what they learned and experienced:

• 98.9% felt welcomed at the front desk
• 98.6% felt welcomed by their advisor
• 90.1% felt comfortable reaching out about academic or personal concerns
• 98.6% reported clear explanations of general education and major requirements
• 97.3% expressed overall satisfaction with their advisor
• 91.1% would recommend their advisor to another student

These efforts are reflected in student persistence as well. Students reported feeling welcomed, informed, supported and trusted. "First-year retention remains one of the foundational priorities of our work, particularly as we serve students with diverse needs, pathways, and lived experiences, and we approach this responsibility with care and a strong sense of ethos," Hortis said.

According to Hortis, most OFTA advisors have four or more years of service in the office, providing the department with continuity, shared expertise, meaningful collaboration and trust. The unit advises students across at least 45 different majors, and allows for mentoring, reflection, consistent practice, trust and growth. "I am deeply grateful for our advising team and the meaningful relationships we have built as a team, and most importantly, with students," she said.

One year in, the OFTA model has established a strong foundation for continuous improvement. Hortis added, "While these results are affirming, we remain committed to listening closely to our students' feedback and applying that insight with purpose to continuously improve our services and strengthen the support we provide."

PHOTO: Students on SIUE campus