Advising Team Updates

September 2023

Hello MSW students!

The Advising Team is so excited to get things started for a new academic year! We will be sending monthly Advisor Updates (through Constant Contact) like this one - Please read carefully! We will share important information about the upcoming month, opportunities, and reminders!

Class Start Date

Fall semester is right around the corner!

Classes start on Monday 8/28 – per a normal week schedule (not the alternate Monday = Wednesday schedule as we have done in the past). Therefore, if you have a Monday class, you need to attend on Monday! Tuesday = Tuesday. Wednesday = Wednesday!

If you saw that it still stated to attend classes on alternate days in SIS, please disregard.

It has been changed now (was copied over from last year.)

Quick Advisor Reminders

For on-line or hybrid formatted classes, courses will open in D2L on Monday 8/28 by the end of business day.

If you don’t see a class there by 5pm in which you are enrolled, you can reach out to the Instructor to check-in on status.

Your Advisor has/will be checking class lists to make sure everyone is in the correct courses and sections, per their program option schedule. Be looking out for communication from them to make necessary changes. It will help to also double check the “current courses” list

Link to Current Courses

General Tips for Success

Getting a good start and being in the know at the beginning of the semester is critical to success in the class! Be sure to:

Read/review the syllabus for each class. This will let you “get to know” the class, Instructor, expectations, etc.

Get required texts in a timely manner. These will be listed in SIS, or will be shared with you in the syllabus.

Know drop dates. We know things come up that may get in the way of continuing as planned. If you need to drop, please connect with your Advisor to discuss programming, and develop a plan.

Attend class as scheduled and/or check D2L regularly!

Check your MSU email daily (if possible). You will get communication from faculty, School of SW and the University sharing about what is happening!

For those who are starting Field Education Fall semester, make sure you have a solid plan regarding days/times and details (where and to whom to report, dress expectations, etc.) If you have questions and/or need support with this, please connect with your Field Education Coordinator.

Meet our Advisors

JOIN US!

The Advising Team is excited to connect with you throughout the semester!

We have set up several different opportunities to do so - You are welcome to attend any/all!

Advisor drop-ins via Zoom (all program options) – 1^st Wed of the month @ 12-1pm - Zoom link is: 88 1102 7639/Passcode:ADVISING
Monthly Coffee with MSW Advisors – 9/11 @ 9:30-10:30 - Room 155, Baker Hall
Flint. Fall. Fun. – 9/25 @ 5:30pm – Lobby of Curtice Mott building, Mott CC campus, Flint
Raul will be checking in during the first F2F classes - Weekend program option – 9/16 @ Henry Center
Zoom Jamboree – Statewide Blended program option – 9/20 @ 7pm-8pm - Meeting ID: 973 3127 9266/Passcode: JAMBOREE
Ichabod (therapy dog) visits – 2^nd Tues of the month @ 1-2pm – Room 155, Baker Hall

SPOTLIGHT OF THE MONTH

We are going to include this section in each Advisor Update so that you are in the know about various policies, program details, systems related information, etc. We hope that the more you know, the better your experience in the program will be! 😊

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

As stated in the MSW Manual

Link to Manual

The standard established by the College of Social Science is that “the accumulation of grades below 3.0 (including N grades in the P–N grading system) in more than two courses of three or more credits each removes the student from the degree program”. Additionally, students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher to maintain acceptable academic standing.

In addition, the School of Social Work MSW Program requires that a student achieve a P-Pass in field education (SW 893B, SW 894A, SW 894B, SW 894D, SW 894E, SW 894G, SW 894I) and a 3.0 in practice methods courses (SW 840, SW 841, SW 894A, SW 850, SW 851, SW 865, SW 866). A student who earns a final grade below 3.0 in any of these classes may be required to register for the class again, re-take it, and earn a 3.0 or better.

In Closing

If there are barriers to your success (meeting academic standards), please connect with your Instructor and Advisor as soon as possible. The sooner issues are known, the higher the likelihood that there are solutions/accommodations that can be made. We want to help, and want you to be successful!

Have a great start to the semester!

Your Academic Advising Team,

Kelly Fornwalt – Assistant Program Director & Flint Advisor - fornwalt@msu.edu

Jen Scholes – East Lansing Advisor - warrenj7@msu.edu

Jenn Benway – Statewide Blended Advisor - benwayje@msu.edu

Raul Vargas – Weekend Advisor & Student Support Coordinator - vargasra@msu.edu

Michigan State University

655 Auditorium Road

East Lansing, MI 48824

(517) 355-1855