September 11, 2019

Mason Advisor Certificate Program

The Mason Advisor Certificate Program is no longer active.

For new Mason Advisors, please see Academic Advisor Onboarding.
For existing Academic Advisors, learn more about the Developing Advising Practice Certificate

About the MAC Program

In Fall 2013, the Mason Advisor Certificate (MAC) program became available to the campus community. This six-module training series is designed for new and existing advisors alike and provides a cohesive curriculum centered around topics related to advising approaches, Mason policies and procedures, advising tools, university resources, and developing your advising philosophy.


“Underpinning the core competencies for academic advising and serving as the foundational elements for effective advisor training programs and advising practice are three content categories – the conceptualinformational, and relational.  An understanding of these three major areas provides advisors the knowledge and skills to be effective guides for their students.”

NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. (2017). NACADA academic advising core competencies model. Retrieved from https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Pillars/CoreCompetencies.aspx.

Requirements

To complete the MAC Program, you need to attend all of the modules listed below as well as three additional elective training sessions.

Participants will receive a MAC binder in their first session, which contains a welcome letter and “Passbook.” The Passbook tracks completion of the six modules and three elective trainings. Completed Passbooks may be submitted to MAAN, at maan@gmu.edu. Completed Passbooks will be reviewed once per semester and should be submitted by the date below to ensure that the MAC Certificate is awarded the following month. CEU certificates for the previous year are awarded each August.

Questions?

MAC Co-Chairs: Erika Marquina, Lori Yi
Committee Members: Carrie D Grabo, Brendan Scott, Jason King, Matt Green, Rick Holt, Terri Vanderberg, Michael Hurley, Smriti Patwardhan, Assad Khan, Erin McSherry, Tahmina Rahman, Cheryl A Howe, Wayne Adams, Amira Al-Khulaidy, Jaclyn Beasley, Liz Bartles, Diana Keay, Malerie Gamblin, Minji Kwon, Michelle Seki, Yena Kim, Lauren Wagner, Martin Abruzzo,

Course Descriptions

Advising 101: Academic Advising Foundations NACADA Core Competency: Conceptual 1 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 1 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 4 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 7 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 1

In this session advisors will learn about the role of advising in student learning, success and retention, the different approaches to academic advising, the importance of communicating advisor/advisee roles and expectations to students, and the value in and tools for developing an individual advising philosophy.

Advising 102: Academics and Undergraduate Policy NACADA Core Competency: Conceptual 2 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 3 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 4 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 5 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 6

In this session advisors will gain an understanding of Mason specific academic requirements, policies and procedures. This includes university general education (Mason Core), degree components, and university academic policies and procedures.

Advising 103: Advising Tools and Resources NACADA Core Competency: Conceptual 2 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 4 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 6 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 7 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 4 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 7

In this session advisors will discuss the common resources and tools used in advising practice at Mason. This includes note taking strategies, campus referrals, co and extra-curricular opportunities, systems such as Patriot Web, Degree Works, Banner, NavigateMason, and the University Catalog.

Advising 104: Building Rapport with Students NACADA Core Competency: Conceptual 2  NACADA Core Competency: Relational 2 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 3 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 4 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 6

In this session advisors will understand and practice the communication skills necessary to become a successful advisor. Topics discussed will include questioning and listening skills, body language, difficult conversations and student decision-making skills.

Advising 105: Working with Special Populations NACADA Core Competency: Conceptual 2 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 5 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 6 NACADA Core Competency: Informational 7 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 2 NACADA Core Competency: Relational 3

In this panel-format session advisors will learn the consideration and skills necessary to work with special populations. The panel will consist of representatives from multiple on campus unites, such as International Programs and Services, Military Services, Student Conduct, and Disability Services.

Advising 106: Transfer Admissions Policies and Procedures   NACADA Core Competency: Informational 5 

In this session advisors will develop a thorough understanding of the policies and procedures that guide transfer student admission, including the Guaranteed Admission Agreement, the transfer credit evaluation process, common issues with transfer admissions, and more.

Elective Trainings/Workshops

Participants select three additional trainings to attend from among the multiple offerings at Mason and within the advising profession (NACADA conferences, for example). Participants are only allowed to count one type of program as one elective. For example, you cannot satisfy the entirety of the elective requirement by attending 3 LOL sessions or completing the 3 components of the Career Influencers Program. These experiences would each count as one elective only. For additional information about electives, please see the MAC Elective Options and Instructions document. Contact Lori Yi or Erika Marquina if you would like other courses to be considered for this requirement. To complete the MAC Program you need to attend all of the above modules as well as three (3) elective training sessions.