The Future of General Studies Advising

When the School of General Studies’ Dean of Students Mary McGee steps down at the end of this semester after 7 1/2 years as dean of students and 13 years at Columbia in general, the school’s leadership and identity will be left in question. During the transition, the GS Advising office should be expanded to compensate for a shortage of advisers. As administrators choose Dean McGee’s successor, it is imperative that they find a replacement who understands GS’ institutional mission so that the school remains attractive to future nontraditional students.

As it stands, the Office of the Dean of Students suffers from budget constraints, limited space, and sparse staff that leave it ill-equipped to provide adequate guidance, particularly during registration periods. Divvying 1,200 degree students—not including postbaccalaureate and Jewish Theological Seminary students—among just five advisers makes it difficult for GS students to get the attention they need. To make matters worse, the GS advisers divide their time between advising and outside responsibilities that range from working in career services or alumni affairs to overseeing study-abroad programs. Dean McGee herself, in addition to her role as dean of students, serves as associate dean of faculty, dean of the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, and chair of the Committee on Academic Standing. However dedicated the GS deans are, their arduous workloads exacerbate the personnel shortages within the advising office.

Dean Peter Awn should expand the GS advising staff to reduce the number of students assigned to each advisor. Though understaffed, GS advising is generally well-regarded and is widely used compared to advising in Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Compared to traditional undergraduate students, GS students are granted more freedom in determining their courses of study, but less protection from financially burdensome mistakes. They are therefore more in need of academic guidance. Moreover, students are beholden to their advisors for notices regarding all academic policies, tuition and fees, deadlines, and health and insurance requirements. GS students who do not receive adequate informational support risk missed deadlines or even delayed graduation.

GS continues to face serious budgetary, academic, and social challenges. While Dean McGee implemented programs that have brought about greater cohesion within GS, including annual student-faculty dinners, monthly GS teas, and the NYCares project, the next dean of students should focus on integrating nontraditional students into the broader undergraduate community. The modest improvements recently made to GS’ financial-aid package are a step in the right direction, but GS still suffers from administrative neglect.

Whoever is chosen, the new GS dean of students should work to bring attention to students who have traditionally been sidelined by the greater University. The time is ripe for substantive change. Only with sufficient advising, increased financial aid, and better housing options will the School of General Studies reach its potential to become the premier liberal-arts college in the country for nontraditional students.