New student advising model launched at college

By Violet Gonzales
Pulse Staff Reporter

SEED Adviser Nidia C. Lopez explains a degree plan to Education major, Roger Onofre. Photo by Violet Gonzales

Advising for majors is now split into three different centers: SEED (Service, Education, Empowerment and Diversity); BOLD (Business, Opportunities, Leadership and Demand occupations); and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).

Each center is made up of certified advisers who will assist students on their college pathway. Advisers will each serve approximately 350 students, which is the lowest national average of students per adviser.

Ultimately, the goal of these advising centers is to prevent students from taking and paying for classes that are not required for their major. In the end, students will save time and money. The SEED Advising Center is located in the Student Center, Room 101, and has been active since the beginning of this Fall 2014 semester.

The Center for Academic Transitions, which was previously housed in the Student Center, Room 101, was known for assisting students who were transitioning to a university or to a career. However, the CAT is no longer in existence at Palo Alto.

As the Advising Team Leader in the SEED Advising Center Arianna Lay said, “The Center for Academic Transitions has transitioned.”

Now students will have to go through one less person on their journey as an Alamo College student. The SEED, BOLD and STEAM advisers will be able to find students the correct transfer plan, degree plan and/or certificate program. Although this way of advising is new throughout the district, each college has their centers structured differently, as well as the names for the centers.

“These certified advisers, their sole purpose is to advise students from the time they get enrolled until they graduate from Palo Alto College,” said Leandro Esparza, student success coordinator.

Previously, new student advising was offered in the Welcome Advising Center, located in the Palomino Center. Advising has been taken out of the title, because three places of advising now exist on campus. The Welcome Center now assists all first-time college students with the registration process.

SEED stands for Service, Education, Empowerment and Diversity. Therefore, the advisers located in the SEED Advising Center will assist students interested in Public Service and Kinesiology.

BOLD, located in Counseling & Support services, Room 200, consists of majors such as Entrepreneurship and Business Administration. Those majoring in Engineering, and Marketing will receive advising from STEAM, located in Palomino Center, Room 114.

As of this semester, all first-time college students have been placed with an adviser according to their choice of a major. Future students will learn this information when they attend a New Student Orientation. This information can also be accessed through ACES.

    1. Log into ACES
    2. Click on the “My Page” tab
    3. Go to the “Academic Profile” box on the left, and select term.

Your adviser will be listed on the left column.If for some reason you are unable to find your adviser through ACES, head over to The Welcome Center, and they will inform you.

A large amount of hard work, thought and time has been and currently is being put into these new advising centers.

“My hopes and dreams are that the advisers feel comfortable and confident in working with our students, and they have faith in themselves and they know they have so much knowledge and so much ability to help and support our students,” said Katherine Beaumont-Doss, director of Advising. “I also hope that the students feel comfortable in going to the advisers and going to the advising centers.”