Welcome to February! We’ve made it through the Monday of the year (January), and for that I’m grateful.
I’m excited to share an update on the University’s Undergraduate Academic Advising Initiative launched this past August. As background, the current campus undergraduate academic advising model dating back decades consisted of an Office of First Year Advising for first-year students. The office operated separately from the academic advising and administration that the colleges and schools provide to sophomores, juniors and seniors.
Rising demands on college and school advisors and changes in advising philosophies made this long-standing model unsustainable. In summer 2024, the Office of the Provost advanced a two-year plan to transition all undergraduate academic advising on campus to a four-year model.
To this end, the Mendoza Office of Undergraduate Studies advising team will consist of nine academic advisors and two administrative support staff devoted to advising all Mendoza students from matriculation to graduation. An immediate benefit to our current Mendoza first-year advisors will be that their 500-plus summer introductory Zoom meetings with incoming Mendoza students will be shared between nine advisors instead of four. Likewise, an immediate benefit to our current staff of four Mendoza college advisors will be a reduction of their student cohorts from approximately 475 to about 260 — only 10 more than the national standard. The new model will also allow all advisors to cultivate relationships with students across four years.
Though their duties will not change until this summer, as of February 1, the following first-year advisors have become official staff members of the Mendoza College of Business. My current team and I couldn’t be happier that our suitemates Drew Espeseth, Kevin McNulty, Kristy Patterson and Sarah Priebe are now full members of our Mendoza advising team. Robyn Centilli will be joining us in person from the Keough School and School of Architecture in May. Their bios can be found below or feel free to stop by 101 Mendoza to greet them in person!
In closing, Dean Martijn Cremers and I have advocated for this change since I became assistant dean in 2022. We are grateful that the University is now providing what Vice President and Associate Provost Rev. Dan Groody, C.S.C., has called much-needed “deferred maintenance” for academic advising. I am also grateful for the ongoing collaboration with my advising dean peers in the other colleges and schools and with Elly Brenner, the assistant provost for advising.
And last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my now 11 undergraduate advising team colleagues — Robyn Centilli, Drew Espeseth, Laura Glassford, Lisa Heming, Kevin McNulty, Jessica Noffsinger, Kristy Patterson, Sarah Priebe, Amy Radvansky, Gina Shropshire and Taylor Thomas — for undertaking a lot of extra work (and countless committee meetings!) this academic year in preparation for a smooth transition this summer and beyond. Their efforts will lay a solid foundation on which to add many enhancements to the educational experience of our future Mendoza undergraduates.
Cordially,
Andrew Wendelborn
Assistant Advising Professor
Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies
Robyn has a background in student support and previously served in roles at the Center for Career Development focusing on discernment, and in the Office of Student Enrichment, where she worked with first-generation and/or low-income (FGLI) students. As a first-generation college graduate, she understands the unique challenges these students face and remains dedicated to their success through academic advising and campus collaborations. Robyn earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a master’s in education in clinical mental health counseling.
Prior to joining Notre Dame's Office of First Year Advising, Drew served as the honors program coordinator at the University of South Dakota, an academic advisor and lecturer at North Dakota State University and assistant director of the Academic Support Center at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He earned a B.S. in journalism and public relations (2010) and a master’s degree in educational leadership (2012) from North Dakota State University.
Kevin previously taught English and mass communication classes at Penn High School and managed the school’s television studio. His professional interests include best practices in writing instruction, exploring and managing educational technology, and helping students develop showcase portfolios. He graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in English and earned his master’s in English at Middlebury College.
Kristy previously served for eight years as the tutorial services administrator at IU South Bend. She earned her B.A. in psychology from Indiana University in 2013 and her master of professional studies in publishing with a concentration in editing from George Washington University in 2019. Her interests include promoting confidence, passion and reflection in students so they may continually find enrichment in and out of the classroom.
Prior to starting with First Year Advising, Sarah worked as a care and wellness consultant at Notre Dame from 2016-2019. In this role, she provided support and resources to students in what was previously the College of the First Year of Studies and the Graduate School. As a care and wellness consultant, Sarah co-chaired the Care Team, which was awarded the Presidential Team Irish Award in November 2017. She has worked in higher education in various capacities such as admissions, academic advising, counseling and consulting for more than 15 years. She earned a B.A. in communications from the University of Dayton (2004) and a master’s in counseling and human services from Indiana University (2015).