We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Katrina Higgins has been appointed as the Director of Advising at UConn, effective late this summer for the next academic year. Katrina is an outstanding and experienced advisor, administrator, and educator, and we are confident that she will lead the University’s advising initiatives with passion and dedication. She will also continue her work as Director of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Academic Services Center (ASC) while she serves as the Director of Advising.
Katrina, who has a Ph.D. in Aboriginal History from the University of Tasmania, became an academic advisor in the ASC in 2004. In 2006, she was named interim director of the ASC and then permanent director in 2007. During her time as director of the ASC, Katrina has worked closely with faculty and staff across the University to improve advising. With the support of Dean Teitelbaum, CLAS has focused on improving advising in the college, most notably by increasing the number of departmental staff advisors. In her time as ASC director, Katrina has helped to improve advising across the college, establishing training and support programs for faculty and staff advisors, implementing a program of proactive outreach to academically at-risk students, developing procedures to improve the administrative efficiencies, and working with a range of University offices and programs to ensure that our students are well supported.
Katrina has served on various Senate committees including the Senate Executive Committee, Scholastic Standards, Diversity, Enrollment, and Growth and Development. She has also worked with faculty and staff across all of the schools, colleges and campuses to develop policies and practices that support student development and success. Katrina's goal in her new position as University Advising Director is to continue to work closely with staff and faculty to improve advising, assess current practices, develop outstanding policies, and implement programs that serve our undergraduate population.
We wish to express our appreciation to the faculty and staff members who served on the Academic Advising Task Force led by Associate Deans Davita Silfen Glasberg and Cameron Faustman. The Advising Task Force recommended the creation of this position and worked diligently over the course of the last academic year to make suggestions about best practices in advising on our campus. Their dedication and service to the University are greatly appreciated.
Please join us in congratulating Katrina!
Best,
Mun Y. Choi, Provost
Sally M. Reis, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
For more information, contact: Sally Reis at provost@uconn.edu