Designing the Future of Undergraduate Advising at UC Santa Cruz 

Transforming Advising Report and Recommendations

The Transforming Advising Workgroup has completed its report and recommendations for undergraduate advising at UC Santa Cruz. Visit the Transforming Advising report and recommendations page to read the sponsor overview and summary, read the full report, and share feedback.

Transforming Advising Workgroup

Undergraduate advising touches nearly every student, every year. The Undergraduate Advising Transformation Workgroup was charged with designing and recommending a single, coherent, student-centered advising system that provides clear points of contact, accountable case ownership, and continuity from entry through graduation. Our goal is to strengthen belonging, equity, and timely degree completion for all undergraduates. 

This site shares the purpose of the work, the timeline and process, and ways for students, advisors, departmental & college staff, and faculty to engage with and stay informed about our collective work. 

Our Goals for Transforming Undergraduate Advising 

A more coherent experience for students
Right now, students often navigate multiple advising offices with different structures and practices. The workgroup is designing an integrated advising structure that brings college and major advising together so that students experience clear pathways, fewer confusing handoffs, and consistent support from entry through graduation.

Clear points of contact and case ownership
Students should always know who to go to for help. The new model aims to clarify roles, so that advisors can focus on student support and academic planning, while administrative and program tasks are handled through the right channels. Defined handoffs and feedback loops will support continuity when students change majors, face difficulty, or pursue interdisciplinary options.

Stronger connection to disciplines and faculty
Advising is most powerful when it is closely connected to curriculum, research, and experiential opportunities. The workgroup will recommend structured, recurring partnerships among advisors, departments, and faculty, so that students receive accurate, timely guidance and earlier connection to their majors and fields of interest.

Aligned oversight and shared standards
The structure will be discipline-aligned under the functional oversight of the Office of Campus Advising Coordination (OCAC), which will oversee training, standards, goals, metrics, accountability, and advising personnel decisions.  Academic divisions will be stewarding budgets and partnering in two-way discipline-based feedback.

Commitment to equity, belonging, and timely graduation
Throughout this work, the group will keep student retention and time to degree at the center, with attention to proactive outreach, streamlined student processes that remove barriers, and clear curricular pathways supported by degree-progress tools.