Joe Seiaman has accepted a position as the interim executive director of academic advising and student success (commonly known as the “dean of completion”), which will report to Sue Day-Perroots, the associate provost of undergraduate education.

“A long-time champion of collaboration, Joe will continue to forge partnerships across campus to support the initiatives of undergraduate education,” says Day-Perroots. “This new position is geared toward ensuring that students have the support and foundation they need to move forward with their career goals.”

Seiaman is currently the assistant dean of undergraduate programs and advising for the College of Business and Economics. He has worked at WVU within B&E for nearly 24 years, and he has been involved in student advising almost all that time. Early into his career, he realized that working with students is incredibly rewarding. While serving undergraduate B&E students, he moved up through the advising ranks to now lead and mentor other advisers.

As the interim executive director of academic advising and student success, Seiaman will helm a critical overhaul of the University’s advising structure, starting with the students who are advised within what is now University College. These student populations include exploratory students, students who have not yet been admitted into their programs of choice, and specialized populations, such as veterans, adult learners, high school ACCESS and international students.

Seiaman will also manage student success programming, which includes First-Year Experience, First-Year Seminar, Mountaineer Success Academy, Project 168, summer programs, Living-Learning communities and the Resident Faculty Leader program.

“Student success is our top priority in undergraduate education,” says Seiaman. “It is imperative that all of us work collaboratively to ensure students have access to adequate support resources that allow them to remain at WVU and persist to degree completion.”

According to Day-Perroots, as WVU continues to shift its focus to a more student-centered campus, the reorganization within University College’s advising and academic success departments will create more coordination and efficiency within the organization itself and with campus partners. This leads to a higher level of customer service for the student populations served.

Seiaman also is working closely with ITS and enrollment management to implement the Education Advisory Board’s Student Success Collaborative, which will facilitate data-driven communications to help students stay on track to meet academic and career goals.

“We are very fortunate to have someone uniquely suited to this new role already here at West Virginia University,” said Provost Joyce McConnell. “Joe has tremendous experience advising students and is passionately committed to finding better, more effective ways to serve our students.”

Seiaman began his role as interim executive director on September 9, 2015.

-WVU-

aw/10/02/15

CONTACT: Adrianne Wyatt / Undergraduate Education
304.293.6876 adwyatt@mail.wvu.edu

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