Blue Raider Academic Advising Network

Advisor Mastery Program (AMP) – Professional Development

What is AMP?

AMP (Advisor Mastery Program) is MTSU’s professional learning community that was created, implemented, and is sustained by advisors in order to help foster a more cohesive and collaborative advising culture ate MTSU. The charge of this volunteer based committee is to foster communication, collaboration, commitment, comradery, and continued growth for the benefit of students, the university, and the professional advisor. AMP offers programs and interactive workshops that bring together university advisors to engage critically with advising scholarship, and with the relationship between both its theory and practice. AMP is sustained by extremely dedicated, volunteer advisors representing all MTSU colleges.

Mission Statement

The Advisor Mastery Program (AMP) will build a collaborative social and intellectual community to nurture the professional growth of MTSU advisors. Through intentional program development, we will provide tangible resources and strategies for staff to support themselves and students through their intellectual, professional, and personal development. We believe strongly that quality advising enhances student learning and empowerment.

Vision Statement

The Advisor Mastery Program (AMP) will enable academic advisors at Middle Tennessee State University to build an inclusive community on campus intended to foster advising excellence. Through interactive programs designed to facilitate advisor training and development, AMP will create a space for advisors to connect and to collaborate. Together, advisors will explore the relationship between theory and practice in order to build supportive learning communities, and to create a shared language of both academic advising and student support within the campus community. AMP aspires to contribute to the advising profession by articulating our innovative advising practices, engaging in conferences, and developing publication opportunities. AMP aims to cultivate a more intentional academic advising philosophy that will foster staff and student growth by promoting lifelong learning.

Objectives

Motivated by core values of integrity, accountability, compassion, respect, and social responsibility, we are committed to the following:

building ourselves as advisors through professional enrichment, personal development, and self-care
learning, growing from, and teaching our advising community through collaboration
exploring, questioning, creating, and reexamining advising scholarship and practice
contributing to and advancing the field of academic advising
implementing a holistic advising approach that integrates students’ academic, social and personal lives
fostering the intellectual, professional, and personal development of students
empowering students to become active agents of their learning experience
promoting a culture of life-long learning in a diverse and ever-changing world

Purpose of AMP

“At their core, advisors are focused on the successes of their students. They do the work of advising not for money or fame but because advising is meaningful work, ensuring that students get the support needed to reach their goals. However, advisors cannot do the work alone. They rely on their own supports to ensure that they serve their students well.

Perhaps the best way to ensure that students are successful is to support the development and training of the advisors to affirm that those who serve students have the knowledge, skills, abilities, and encouragement to do their work. By investing time, energy, and resources in both training and development, institutions of higher education and individual advising units increase the likelihood that the students in their care will find success” (Archambault, K.L., & Hapes, R.L., 2022, p. 1).

Training vs Development

“’Training’ refers to anything an advisor does when they are either new to a position/institution or when something gets introduced to their position (e.g., new advising technology or new job duties). Training is, by its nature, task or job specific and time limited.

‘Professional development’ refers to any activity designed to advance an advisor’s competencies and provide greater depth of knowledge and breadth of understanding (e.g., leadership training)” (Archambault, K.L., & Hapes, R.L., 2022, p. 1-2).

Advisor Mentor Program: Calling all mentors and mentees!

Interested in participating in our Advisor Mentor Program? Read about this opportunity and find mentor and mentee applications under the Forms dropdown menu.

Current AMP Committee Members

Reach out to your college representative or the chairperson with any AMP-related questions.

Tiffany Fantine, Chair (and Advising Fellow for Training and Professional Development)
Erin Arnold, Advising Fellow for Student Success Technologies
Bailey Shults, Advising Fellow for Social Media
Grace Groeger, CME
Jessica Lance, CBAS
Leann McBride, CME
Shannon O’Malley, CLA