The Bowdoin Advising program in Support of academic Excellence (BASE) is a targeted advising program for students who may be less prepared for the challenges of rigorous college-level academic work at a highly selective and academically challenging liberal arts college.
Format
- Audience: 30 first-year students, selected based on possible challenges in transition to college, including factors such as: lower socio-economic status, first-generation college students, coming from under-resourced high schools and racial/ethnic minority groups.
- When: Yearly commitment for selected first-year students
- Frequency: Faculty advisors participate in a two day summer workshop to learn how to work with students in the BASE cohort; they also meet 3x/semester to support to one another in the area of advising. Students meet with advisors on a regular basis (weekly or bi-monthly), attend workshops and journal on reflective prompts that are used by advisors for discussion purposes.
- Approximate Number of Participants: 30 students
- Focus of Program: This program attempts to support student transition to college and enhance pre-major academic advising by working with 10 faculty each year (a new cohort is selected each year) to offer training and support on creating strong and intentional advising relationships.
Funding and Operations
The approximate cost of the program is $15,000.
- Operations: The $15,000 operations includes primarily additional compensation faculty receive for participating in this program ($1400). This program is run through the joint efforts of the Dean of First-Year Student (located in Student Affairs) and the Faculty Liaison for Advising (located in Academic Affairs). A student liaison is a key connector for students and how they begin to think about their sense of belonging at Bowdoin.