Behind the scenes of the University of North Florida’s Office of Student Success, a major effort is underway to overhaul academic advising to better serve a growing and increasingly complex student population.

Appointed in 2024 to oversee all academic advising delivery, Senior Director of Student Success Initiatives Kellie Woodle is implementing “next-level training” for advisors and exploring new advising formats to address student frustrations, reduce wait times, and ensure every student is on an efficient academic track.

Advisor Training and Collaboration

Woodle’s strategy focuses on accuracy and efficiency, not just within the advising department but across the entire Office of Student Success.

“We bring in folks from financial aid to have an understanding so that when we’re meeting with a student, we’re giving them the accurate information as we know it, or we know a resource to put them to,” Woodle said. “The One Stop director attends, and we update and share information.”

The push for consistency includes a standardized training approach for new hires.

“When we onboard a new academic advisor, we break it down into universal training,” Woodle explained. “I have built all of the universal items that an advisor would need to know to be able to perform their job.”

Senior associate registrar for Student Success Systems, Jacqueline Piazza, helps provide technical training for advisors to navigate students’ educational plans, according to Woodle.

The complexity of the job is a key driver for the increased training. Woodle noted the role’s difficulty, with a single advisor serving 400 students. 

According to UNF, Fall 2025 enrollment was 17,662 students, including both graduate and undergraduate students. 

Across the First-Year, College of Arts and Sciences, Brooks College of Health, College of Business, College of Computing, Engineering & Construction, and the Silverfield College of Education and Human Services advising offices, 51 staff members advised the student body. 

Until recently, an advisor earned approximately $35k a year at UNF, according to Woodle. The salary of a current advisor at UNF is approximately $40k, according to Woodle.

“I’m not sure that students or even anybody really understands all the intricacy and the layers and the amount of information that a person has to know while serving 400 students,” she said.

Appointment Traffic

Woodle acknowledged a common frustration for students who struggle to book appointments, particularly around peak times. She offered a clear recommendation: plan ahead.

“I know sometimes students are like ‘Well, I couldn’t get an appointment.’ Well, because you waited to do it a week before registration. I know it can get frustrating, and I get it,” Woodle said.

To alleviate the stress of one-on-one sessions, advising offices have been using alternative methods. These include virtual Zoom sessions, in-person meetings, or “group advising” for students who already have a robust educational plan.

“We can have a group advising where we bring in faculty from the department that can talk about expectations and opportunities, and then they get to meet other students, you know,” Woodle said.

Ensuring Degree Track Accuracy

While the oversight of all academic advising falls under the Office of Student Success, individual advising units are assigned to specific colleges. To keep up with constantly shifting degree requirements, these units employ liaisons, according to Woodle.

“[Each team’s liaison] will go to faculty department meetings to make sure that we’re getting updated curriculum information because there can be changes in terms of what the department has implemented and in terms of the degree requirements,” Woodle said.

Ultimately, Woodle believes improving the advising experience depends on student engagement with the new systems.

“I think with the new degree evaluation tool, the new advising appointment system, and the drop-in hours, I think those are things that are helping; we’ve just got to get students aware of them and taking advantage of them,” Woodle concluded.

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