About Us

The Advising Administration Community of Practice (AACoP) fulfills an unmet need for community, data-sharing, and scholarship around advising administration (as distinct from advising practice). Transforming the advising enterprise across the whole university is a systems-level change with potential to impact all students -- and especially those who, research shows, benefit disproportionately from quality advising such as low-income, first-generation, and minoritized students.



How AACoP Leads Change

  • More than 300 advising leaders from research universities across the country convene for regular monthly meetings and working groups on assessment, advising roles, and advisor training and development.
  • Advising leaders advance structure and systems change on campus, through influencing decisions around allocation of resources and institution-wide data collection.
  • Advising leaders contribute toward research and scholarship to build the evidence base.
  • AACoP promotes an agenda for change at the annual Mentoring and Advising Summit, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh.



Consulting Services

The Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU) Advising Administration Community of Practice (AACoP) Steering Committee provides a myriad of exceptional services to higher education institutions. Our consultants, facilitators, and speakers are experts in student success, advising redesign, and change management, specifically for the research (R1/R2) institutional context.

We will work with you on a customized plan for your specific goals. Please complete the following interest form and we will follow up to schedule a meeting to learn more. If you have any questions, reach out to April Belback at abelback@pitt.edu.



Consultation Interest Form

                           

Join UERU

Institutions with active UERU memberships are eligible to join the AACoP community. Learn more about joining UERU here.

                           

Join AACoP

If your institution is already an active UERU member, request to join the AACoP community here.

                           

Resource Library

MyUERU members can access the AACoP content library for more resources and supports.

                           

AACoP Events

  • December 6: AACoP Monthly Meeting
  • January 3: AACoP Monthly Meeting
  • February 7: AACoP Monthly Meeting
  • March 7: AACoP Monthly Meeting
  • April 4: AACoP Monthly Meeting
  • May 2: AACoP Monthly Meeting

Leadership Team

April Belback

Steering Committee Chair

Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Advising, University of Pittsburgh

April E. Belback is the Associate Vice Provost of Student Success and Advising at the University of Pittsburgh. She leads and implements an institutional collaborative vision for holistic advising, mentoring and student success by connecting campus innovators, advisors, faculty, and students. As Associate Vice Provost of Student Success and Advising, she leads professional development and training opportunities across the University and administers programs to support exceptional students who are at-promise. In 2022, she launched the opening of the inaugural "Student Success Hub" at the University of Pittsburgh, which aims to reduce equity gaps for first-generation, limited-income and underrepresented minority college students and build a campus where every student can feel they belong.  These include the Kessler Scholars Program, Provost Scholars Program, and TRIO McNair Scholars Program. Dr. Belback also leads initiatives such as the University Undergraduate Advising Committee (UUAC), Pitt ACT Program, the annual Mentoring and Advising Summit, the Program Impact Project, and the Pitt Transition Study.  

Prior to joining Pitt, Dr. Belback served as the Director of Advising and Division of Undergraduate Studies Coordinator at The Pennsylvania State University, Greater Allegheny Campus. Under her direction, the Advising Office launched a host of new campus-wide initiatives including the rollout of new training curricula and professional development experiences for academic advisers, orientation programming, and the formation of a campus-wide student success and support collaborative. Additionally, Belback served the campus as the Program Director for TRIO Student Support Services. Earlier in her career, Belback taught high school English, and was awarded “Educator of the Year” for Secondary Schools by the Fayette Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Belback leads a national community of practice of academic advising leaders for the Association of Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU). She serves on the advisory team for the American Talent Initiative’s Academic Equity Community of Practice. She also serves on NACADA’s Advising Administrator Community steering committee.

A proud first-generation college student, Belback earned her DEd in Administration and Leadership Studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a MSEd in Secondary English Education and a BA in English from Duquesne University. Her research is focused on advising, retention, student success, and leadership.

Elly Brenner

Steering Committee

Assistant Provost for Academic Advising, University of Notre Dame

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Laura Johnson

Steering Committee

Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Affairs,

Boston University

Laura Johnson works with University stakeholders to develop academic policy and to expand educational opportunities for undergraduate students.  Laura collaborates with the Associate Provost of Undergraduate Affairs to support undergraduate curricular review, to increase student engagement in high-impact educational practices, and to launch new initiatives for undergraduates that foster high quality interactions with faculty and peers.  In addition, she oversees efforts in academic advising, fellowships, and the first-year experience, and she works closely with the BU Hub Office, in support of BU’s first University-wide general education program.

Previously at BU, Laura served as Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Advising and as Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Prior to her time at BU, Laura was a faculty member in History & Literature and in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Harvard University, where she also held a variety of positions in academic affairs and student affairs, including Assistant Dean of Advising Programs, Resident Dean of Currier House, and Senior Resident Dean.

Laura holds a doctorate in American Studies from Boston University, with a specialization in gender studies. She also holds a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she focused her studies on student development.

Claire Robinson

Steering Committee

Assistant Provost, Undergraduate Advisement,

University of South Carolina

Dr. Claire Robinson serves as Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Advisement and Director of the University Advising Center at the University of South Carolina. In her role, Dr. Robinson oversees campus-wide first-year advising, transfer advising, exploratory advising, academic coaching, four-year curriculum mapping, advising technology, and advisor training and certification. In addition, several special initiatives fall within the purview of the Advising Center including Faculty/Student mentorship, the University Advisors Network, and academic recovery initiatives. Dr. Robinson has authored several publications evaluating academic advising and coaching and co-authored a book on Appreciative College Instruction. Claire has trained and consulted dozens colleges and universities and served as the Lead SACS Quality Enhancement Plan Evaluator for multiple institutions seeking to enhance their advising practices.

Julia M. Spears, Ph.D., is the Assistant Provost of Online Education and Certification. She has oversight for online education, the Design Center, microcredentials and certification. She is the campus coordinator for Quality Matters (QM), State Authorization Network (SAN) and the WV Higher Education Policy Commission Virtual Learning Network (WVVLN). She also serves on the Strategic Enrollment Management committee. As a Certified Practitioner of Human-Centered Design, she will use design thinking strategies to shape the future direction of Marshall’s online programs.

Dr. Spears came to Marshall in 2022 from the University of Pittsburgh where she was the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation. In this role, she was responsible for developing and executing the Personalized Education Initiative in the Office of the Provost which focused on building infrastructure to connect students with the tools, information and resources they need to “forge their own path.” Working with the Office of the Chancellor, she redesigned the Pitt Seed program to strengthen collaboration and innovation across the institution. She also leads a national community of practice of academic advisors for the Association of Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU). From 2015-2017, Dr. Spears served as associate director of the Barger Leadership Institute at the University of Michigan focused on developing leaders through real-world projects. She also launched the Michigan Leadership Collaborative to connect leadership resources and programs. Prior to that, Dr. Spears held the position of associate vice provost for engaged learning at Northern Illinois University, a position she was promoted to after serving as the founding director of the Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning. She had broad oversight of undergraduate research, community engagement and learning community programs. She also served as the NSSE campus coordinator. From 2003-2009, Dr. Spears served in various roles at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She launched the Research Rookies program, directed the McNair Scholars and SUIC Illinois Louise Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.

Dr. Spears has published in the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, Education Research International, and Learning Communities Research and Practice. Dr. Spears has a PhD in educational administration and higher education from Southern Illinois University; a Master of Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach; and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and speech communication from the University of Washington.

Julia Spears

Steering Committee

Assistant Provost of Online Education and Certification, Marshall University

Kimberly Smith

Membership Chair

Associate Vice Provost for Student Success Initiatives, Virginia Tech

Dr. Kimberly Smith currently serves as Associate Vice Provost for Student Success Initiatives at Virginia Tech where she provides leadership for university-wide initiatives related to enhancing student learning and also serves as an affiliate assistant faculty member with the Higher Education program. Dr. Smith is responsible for developing, implementing, and assessing initiatives throughout the institution in collaboration with various university stakeholders. Dr. Smith has served in various leadership capacities for the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) for over 7 years including as a board member, secretary of the association, and annual conference chair. These leadership activities have been in support of AABHE’s involvement in numerous initiatives such as addressing the pipeline of Black faculty and staff in higher education, bringing issues pertinent to Black faculty and staff to the attention of the larger academic community and recognizing Black American achievements and accomplishments to higher education. Dr. Smith is the President of the AABHE.

Dr. Smith has presented at the regional, national, and international level at various professional conferences on topics related to assessment of advising, advising undecided students, utilization of technology in advising, and developing an effective advising program for orientation. She’s the co-author of a chapter in Student Academic Services: An integrated approach entitled “Applying Quality Educational Principles to Academic Advising.” She is also the author of a chapter in Research Studies in Higher Education: Educating Multicultural College Students entitled “Factors Impacting the Academic Achievement of Undecided College Students” based on her research and experience. In addition, she serves as a Board Member for the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and is a faculty member for the NACADA Consultant and Speakers Bureau. Dr. Smith served as a fellow with the Excellence in Academic Advising (EAA) collaborative between NACADA and the Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education to advance student learning, success, persistence, retention, and degree completion through a comprehensive, standards-based assessment process to promote excellence in academic advising.

Dr. Smith earned her B.A. degree (1993) in Psychology from the University of Richmond, M.A. degree (1996) in Counselor Education from Radford University, and Ph.D. degree (2009) from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

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Michael Stokes

Meetings Chair

Executive Director, Academic Success Analytics & Operations, University of Miami

Sharon A. Aiken-Wisniewski

Webinar Chair

Assistant Vice Provost, Academic Advising, University of Arizona

Sharon A. Aiken-Wisniewski (she, her), Ph.D., is the Asst. Vice Provost for Academic Advising and Affiliate Faculty in the Center for the Study of Higher Education.  She has held a variety of advising focused positions during her 30-year career that range from primary role advisor and faculty advisor to advising director and Associate Dean.  In a previous AVP role, she focused on quality and accountability of campus-wide academic advising for supporting the institutional mission of student retention and completion. She is an active member in professional organizations with leadership roles in NACADA and NASPA, a reviewer for the NACADA Journal, Journal of College Student Retention, Research, Theory & Practice, and Journal of Appreciative Education, a Fellow for the Excellence in Academic Advising Initiative, and a research affiliate for the Collaborative for Higher Education Research & Policy at the University of Utah.

Her research focuses on the scholar-practitioner identity in higher education.  Through rich narratives from students and colleagues as well as her advising and administrative roles, she has developed an understanding of the importance of this identity within the realm of empowering students for success. Her research agenda centers on questions that emerge from interactions with scholar-practitioners, administrators, and students as they design programs, policies, and processes for student success. During her tenure as a clinical professor at the University of Utah, she facilitated classes for future academic advisors and student affairs practitioners, participated on campus-wide committees such as Academic Senate and published multiple journal articles, book chapters, and a book.

Sharon grew up in rural Vermont and is a first-generation college student, practitioner, and faculty.  She attended the University of Maine at Presque Isle for a B.A. in Political Science. An early adopter of distance education, she completed an M.S. in International Studies from Troy State University while living in the United Kingdom and a certificate in enrollment management from the University of Florida as she shuttled between Utah and Vermont.  Next, she returned to the traditional classroom for a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah. She has lived in the United Kingdom, Germany, and a variety of U.S. locations; never misses an opportunity to try a new recipe, and values time to read and hike with Alan and her Boston Terrier.

AACoP Resources

Driving Toward a Degree

View the results of the latest Driving Toward a Degree survey conducted by Tyton Partners.

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AACoP Content Library

MyUERU members can access the AACoP content library for more resources and supports.

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2025 Mentoring and Advising Summit

Inclusive Excellence in Mentoring and Advising

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Book Chapter -- Coming Soon

How Shifting Towards Shared Advising Models Positively Impacts Student Success