Advising is one of three pillars of the UT System's student success framework.
Framework for Advising Excellence
To advance the Advising pillar of the UT System’s student success framework, the UT System works hard to recognize and support advisors and advising.
In place since 2017, the Advising pillar is articulated as a commitment to students: All UT students will receive the advising they need to help them discover clear pathways to degree completion and beyond.
Throughout 2017, an Advising Affinity Group developed a set of recommendations that coalesced around the UT System 5E Framework for Advising Excellence, using advising to: Educate and Empower students; Enhance communication between students and advisors; Elevate advisor career pathways and advising as a profession; and Evaluate institutional advising through continuous assessment and data-driven improvement.
The 5E Framework has been the foundation for advising reforms underway at the System’s nine universities, from integration of holistic advising across the colleges at UTEP, to hiring an assistant vice provost of advising at UT Arlington, to hiring additional advisors, salary increases and career ladders put in place at several others UT academic institutions, to on-campus professional development and recognition at UT San Antonio and UT Austin. These are but a few of the many outstanding programs and initiatives in place and under development across the UT System. UT institutions continue to implement and adapt the 5E Framework based on student needs, advisor needs, and institutional cultures and resources.
The 5E Framework has also played a key role in professional development provided for advisors across the UT System, including as the centerpiece of several systemwide advising institutes.
Advising Rubric
The UT System Excellence in Academic Advising Rubric represents the aspirational goal of improving advising across the UT System. It was developed by advising leaders and professionals from across the System and supports the Evaluate component of the 5E Framework for Advising Excellence. The rubric provides direction for evaluating institutional advising through continuous assessment and data-driven improvement. It is designed to reflect the different phases of improvement as programs attempt to reach full execution of the ideals of advising. The rubric is not intended to evaluate or assess individual advisors. Rather, it is intended to support advisors as professionals essential to the success of students as well as institutional effectiveness and responsiveness. This tool is intended to support a deeper understanding of the elements of high quality advising at an organizational level.
UT System Academic Advising Leadership Council
The UT System Academic Advising Leadership Council meeting monthly to address and advance systemwide academic advising issues. Members are listed below.
| Deidra Turner | Assistant Vice Provost for Advising and Engagement | UT Arlington |
| Cassandre Alvarado | Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Teaching Excellence | UT Austin |
| John Jackson | Associate Dean of Undergraduate Advising | UT Dallas |
| Heather Smith | Associate Vice President for Advising & Student Services | UT El Paso |
| Michael Frawley | Dean of Student Success | UT Permian Basin |
| Alicia Espinoza | Associate Director | UT Rio Grande Valley |
| Angelica Barrera | Associate Vice Provost for Student-Athlete Retention and Excellence | UT San Antonio |
| Chay Runnels | Associate Vice Provost for Student Academic Success | Stephen F. Austin State University |
| Sarah Bowdin | Assistant VP for Academic Success | UT Tyler |
| Rebecca Karoff | Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs | UT System |
| Weston Rose | Senior Program Manager | UT System |
Professional Development for Academic Advisors
Since 2018, the UT System has collaboratively planned and delivered a series of advising institutes with campus partners involved in overseeing and delivering advising to undergraduates at the nine academic institutions. The advising institutes serve multiple purposes to:
- Provide professional development for the UT System's professional advisors;
- Engage advisors in collective problem-solving and sharing of best practices; and
- Enable both cross-campus and inter-institutional networking.
Agendas and programs for each of the Advising Institutes may be found here: Professional Development | University of Texas System (utsystem.edu)
Through a partnership with UT San Antonio's Office of Academic Innovation, the UT System Office of Academic Affairs launched the Fundamentals of Excellence in Academic Advising—a series of free, asynchronous, on-demand eLearning modules—in September 2025 to over 700 academic advisors across UT System academic institutions. This foundational training is designed to supplement existing onboarding training for all academic advisors, and as of September 2026 will be made available to new hires. The Fundamentals of Excellence in Academic Advising received the 2026 TEXAAN Award for Outstanding Innovative Advising Technology and was featured on episode 165 of the the Adventures in Advising podcast, entitled "Advising at Scale: Rethinking Advisor Professional Development".
