In a newly added director’s role, Michelle Franklin is leading an expanded team of academic advisors to proactively support TCU Neeley’s growing undergraduate student population.
July 29, 2022
The TCU Neeley Academic Advising Center is growing to match the increasing number of undergraduates interested in the value of a Neeley business degree, and those advisement changes start with leadership.
In June, Michelle Franklin ’12 MEd was named Director of the TCU Neeley Academic Advising Center after almost seven years as an academic advisor in the Neeley School of Business, bringing a decade of advising experience overall.
“The Neeley School of Business student population grew to approximately 3,000 undergraduates this fall semester, the highest enrollment in school history,” said Hettie Richardson, associate dean of undergraduate programs at TCU Neeley. “With this unprecedented student growth and eight majors, including two certificate programs, we needed someone who could step into a strategic leadership role. Michelle will take advising to the next level by reducing advisor caseloads and supporting students through their academic journey — which is critical to our student experience.”
With continuous undergraduate enrollment increases, Richardson said, the conventional student advising model must be reimagined.
“Through Michelle’s history of being here and seeing how advising has changed over the past few years, she has a very good understanding of what the unit needs and also what our students need. She’s very creative and will have a lot of new ideas for making our advising even better,” Richardson said.
As director, Franklin oversees the Neeley Academic Advising Center and is responsible for the strategic plan of the office. She also ensures the staff is equipped to assist students with their degree progress and fulfilling graduation requirements. To keep pace, Franklin has hired and trained new staff members. To start the fall semester, the Neeley Academic Advising Center has a total staff of 10, including a director of degree certification and an academic program specialist.
“My goal is to ensure we are meeting students where they are and help them progress to where they want to be,” Franklin said. “I also want our students to gain confidence in their ability to make informed decisions. We want to be here to help guide students through that process, while also allowing them to take ownership of their academic progression and success.”
One change Franklin is reviewing involves the way students are assigned to advisors. She is seeking ways for advisors to play key roles with different student populations.
“My hope is to have some advisors who are specialized in different areas, such as ensuring our transfer students are set up for success, as well as some other populations of students that we know need more help. We want to make sure we have an inclusive environment that will allow students to reach their greatest potential,” Franklin said.
Franklin also plans to continue growing Neeley Navigators, the peer-to-peer advising program launched in 2017. Led by students with oversight from an academic advisor, the program includes 30 volunteer student advisors each year.
“Students love to talk to our Neeley Navigators because they have firsthand experience with the Neeley application process and have successfully progressed into their desired major,” Franklin said. “We also want to make sure the Neeley Navigators are getting professional development from the program themselves. My hope is to connect with departments to have some departmental mentorship with those students as they are mentoring younger students.”
Earlier this year, Poets&Quants ranked the TCU Neeley School of Business among the top four in the country for academic advising based upon alumni responses from the class of 2019.
“We are doing the work through the Neeley Academic Advising Center staff to support currently enrolled students and those who will join Neeley in the coming years,” Richardson said. “With Michelle in this strategic leadership role and with the extra resources we have now, I’m confident advising is just going to skyrocket.”
Neeley Academic Advising Staff:
Michelle Franklin – Director, Neeley Academic Advising Center
Olivia Cartwright – Academic Advisor
Jordan Doyle – Academic Advisor
Hailey Hodson – Academic Advisor
Daisha Story – Academic Advisor
Ashley Tully – Academic Advisor
Amanda Wasemiller – Academic Advisor
Monica Rodriguez – Director of Degree Certification
Shane Anderson – Academic Program Specialist
