What exactly do academic advisors do—and how can faculty benefit from understanding that role more clearly? In this episode, four of George Mason University’s professional academic advisors unpack the realities of advising with our host, Dr. Rachel Yoho. They explain where their work begins and ends, how they partner with faculty, and why collaboration matters more than ever for student success. Faculty listeners will gain insight into how advisors’ unique relationships with students can complement how students show up in classrooms and how partnerships between faculty and advisors can strengthen student referral practices, retention, and holistic student support. In a time of growing enrollment pressures and AI‑driven change, this conversation offers practical perspectives on how faculty and advisors can work together to better serve students.

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Find out how the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning at George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence are natural collaborators as we navigate how to support faculty in today’s higher education landscape. In this episode, your host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, explores this dynamic educational partnership with guests Dr. Indigo Eriksen and Hector Revollo from NVCC. These two institutions share a region, many students, resources, and even faculty. Listen in to find out how our guests are supporting faculty to feel empowered in our current, challenging environment, particularly around artificial intelligence.

Resource: ADVANCE: https://advancesuccess.gmu.edu/

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Dive into our discussion with Drs. Stephanie Bluth and Alyssa Bivins from the Graduate Division! The host, Dr. Rachel Yoho, explores how our guests developed their innovative graduate teacher training programs, the importance of strategic unit collaboration across universities, and why everyone could benefit from having teaching skills. Find out how the Graduate Division developed evidence-based solutions to a ubiquitous issue in higher education: how many college instructors do not receive any teacher training before stepping in front of a classroom. Listen in as they share their experiences in creating productive communities of practice not just for graduate instructors, but for anyone who wants to talk about and assess their teaching.

Resources: George Mason University Graduate Division: https://graduate.gmu.edu/, Yoho, Rachel and E. Shelley Reid. Establishing Teaching Centers as Partners in Institution-Wide Initiatives. POD Perspectives, Vol. 1, Iss. 1 (2024), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.15868/socialsector.44761

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