PRELIMINARY TOPIC MEMO

TO: Karen Angeline
FROM: Elizabeth Anderson, Undergraduate Student, University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business
DATE: September 28, 2014
SUBJECT: Establish a student organized advising program within the Smith Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA) for potential Smith school applicants

Description
The majority of University of Maryland College Park undergraduate students intending to pursue degrees from the Robert H. Smith School of Business apply for admittance to the school sometime during their sophomore or junior year. Before acceptance into the program, students are faced with the difficultly of not having access to business specific advisors as well as other resources that could dramatically assist in the process of applying to the school.

The Smith School is one of the University of Maryland’s Limited Enrollment Programs, (LEP), where admission to the program is highly competitive. In order to be eligible for review, applicants are required to take a series of eight gateway courses that are each related to the basic fundamentals of business. In addition to ensuring that all of these courses are adequately satisfied, students must also fulfill the additional admission requirements that are each very specific in manner.

The entirety of this process, that takes approximately three to four semesters, all must occur without the assistance of an advisor whose expertise is of the Smith school’s standards and procedures. Prospective student’s quest for guidance is left to the advising staff of whichever college they are in prior to applying to the school. This poses a problem for many students who are troubled or overburdened with the application process, as their manifested questions cannot be answered by a knowledgeable source.

Because of this system, many discouraged students choose to not follow through with the application process that consequently leads to many giving up beforehand. Another potential problem created by this current situation is that students can often be misguided after receiving erroneous information based off what the advising staff of the other college believes is the correct procedure. A common consequence of such an occurrence can ultimately result in a student’s application not being eligible for review due to an error in technicality.

The solution I am proposing is that a student-organized, faculty assisted organization is to be formed that can assist potential Smith students in their endeavors to apply to the school. This would include the organization creating an informative web page that includes a thoroughly detailed description of the entire process, a discussion forum, FAQ page, as well as contact information to further speak or set up an appointment with a member. In addition, “walk-in” hours in which a knowledgeable Smith school upperclassman, (who has been trained by the actual advising staff of the Smith school), could communicate directly in person with potential applicants. The organization would also host several “networking” events where students that intend to apply can have the opportunity to converse with current Smith students in a casual environment.

The Smith Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA) serves as the student government association of the Smith school. They act as an “umbrella” organization to the other 24 business oriented clubs and committees by coordinating and monitoring their activity. SUSA also has the authority to recognize new organizations through a voting process that commences at the General Assembly meetings.

The first step in forming this organization would be to fulfill all the criteria required for “Organization Recognition” that is listed in the 2014 SUSA Handbook (page 3): * “Have a faculty or staff advisor with knowledge or professional experience that applies to the organization’s mission or focus.”
This would require proposing the concept of this organization to current Smith undergraduate advisors and finding at least one that would volunteer to be the faculty advisor. * “Have a copy of the organization’s bylaws, signed and dated by the organization’s active President and advisor, which include: the organization’s purpose/mission, what constitutes membership, how elections will be held and who is eligible to run, officer duties, and meeting guidelines”
This would require a drafting of the organization’s bylaws that would be approved by the advisor, stating our mission, how to become a member, how the election process would occur, what the various officer positions would entail, as well as the frequency and content of our meetings. Each of these points would be further determined after finding the organization’s faculty advisor.

After the “Organization Recognition” criteria has been met, the next step would require a proposal for the organization to be drafted then sent to the Vice President of Administration, Mimi Verdonk, who would then present the proposal to the executive board. If approved by the Executive Board, the proposal will then be presented at the SUSA President’s meeting where the presidents of SUSA’s member organizations ultimately vote whether or not to recognize the club as a member organization.

Pending approval, further aspects of the club would be established. For instance, contacting the SUSA New Student Involvement Committee to provide membership opportunities to potential Smith upperclassmen that would want to join the organization. Other aspects would include setting a date and finding a location for general meetings, creating a “training module” for the future walk-in student advisors, as well as planning events.

Audience
The main audience for this proposal would have two components: the SUSA Executive Board and the academic advising staff of the Smith School. The SUSA Executive Board, chaired by President Khalil Pettus, has the authority to recognize the organization as an entity of the Smith school. The Smith academic advising staff is crucial in that without their assistance or support, the organization would not be legitimate among the Smith community.

Beneficiaries
The most notable beneficiaries would be the Smith school undergraduate community, the University of Maryland undergraduate community, the academic advising staff of the Smith school, as well as SUSA.

Benefit to the Organization
Assisting students by guiding them in the direction of their futures and helping them fulfill their potential would be an accomplishment in itself. Members of the organization can further build their interpersonal communication skills and critical thinking abilities, two beneficial qualities that can be carried with them in their future endeavors.

Benefit to the People
The Smith undergraduate community as a whole will benefit from having the assistance of students with first hand experience guiding the future of the school through the process while providing personal, customized advice for each student that utilizes the organizations assistance. The University of Maryland undergraduate community would benefit from such an organization as it could help students potentially realize they don’t want to apply to the school or head into the field of business, and set them on the right path sooner rather than later. The academic advising staff of the Smith school would be relieved from having to turn away students seeking advising that are not already in the business school, an occurrence that frequently happens. SUSA as an organization would be fulfilling their mission statement by enabling another organization to reach their mission and goals and providing undergraduate students “a sense of community.”

Credibility
I am currently an undergraduate junior finance and marketing double major in the Smith school, as well as a new member of the SUSA. My direct communication with many leaders of the organization, as well as my knowledge of the procedures and current events, will enable me to pursue this proposal in the appropriate manner.

In addition, throughout my own personal experience as an underclassman applying to the school, I recognize the need for such an organization and value the benefits that would be provided. I spent my freshman year believing acceptance to the school was unreachable based off the impression my advisor in the College of Arts and Humanities provided me. In the beginning of sophomore year, the same advisor informed me that a course I had taken at another institution would be accepted as the gateway requirement needed in order to apply to the school. This resulted in my own personal discovery, a week before the application was due, that the course I had taken was actually not accepted and I therefore was not eligible to apply to the LEP until I took the correct course. This nearly inhibited my acceptance to the school and delayed my application months behind.

Expected Reception
I believe that many undergraduate students will recognize the need for such an organization and can relate their personal experience of not having knowledgeable advisors and resources to see the value of such an entity. This will reflect when SUSA puts the proposal to a vote. The only contingency would be getting the Smith school academic advising staff on board. While I do not foresee a negative reaction on their part, it will definitely take a clear, concise and logical proposal to get their support and find an individual to serve as the faculty advisor.

Questions to Answer * What percentage of potential Smith undergraduates would actually use these services if provided? * What percentage of SUSA members, or Smith undergraduate upperclassmen, would want to join such an organization? * How will the advising office be persuaded into collaborating with SUSA on this initiative? * Where can meetings, “walk in” hours, and events be held? * How much funding would SUSA provide?