At the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine), there are several units dedicated to supporting the academic empowerment and overall success of undergraduate students. One of these units is the UCI Undergraduate/Undeclared Advising Office (U/U) which plays an important role in many students’ journeys by connecting those who have not yet declared a major or who are transitioning between majors with advising and learning opportunities to foster their engagement, success, and the attainment of key learning outcomes. The aim of the U/U is to help students make well-informed choices about their major that align with who they are and who they want to be.
To further their mission, the U/U recently relocated their offices from Aldrich Hall to Undergraduate Education Buildings A and B (building #231 on the UCI Campus Map), the former home of UCI Summer Session. This move was prompted by Michael Dennin, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and Dean of Undergraduate Education, whose office oversees the U/U. The U/U’s new location not only places them closer to student housing, making them more accessible to students but also positions them to make strategic collaborations with other campus units.
“As we are now next door to the UCI ANTrepreneur Center, it will enable us to better connect students exploring majors and careers to the Center and the programs provided there, including but not limited to Micro-Internships,” says U/U Director David Spight. He adds, “We also have new collaborations underway. For example, we are working on plans to support the UCI Disability Services Center with testing space for the upcoming finals week.”
In addition to strategic collaborations, the U/U’s new location offers many other benefits—the most notable being increased space. Some of the features in the new location include a common study lounge space, a classroom, a multipurpose room, and additional offices for academic advisors and advising interns. Each of these new features is already being put to good use, with the study lounge being used by U/U students for both individual and group study, and the classroom and multi-purpose room being used for UNI STU 1 discussion sections and UNI STU 192 classes as well as workshops and other programming.
According to Director Spight:
“The best part about our move is having space that allows us to better support students. The individual offices and the reception area provide a wonderful, welcoming environment for students. The classroom and study lounge enable us to provide more programming, a place for U/U students to study, and a better workspace for our peer academic advisors and undergraduate advising interns. Our programs now have a place to meet. All of this leads to us being able to support our students and those considering a change of major more effectively.”
The new space also offers the opportunity for the U/U to expand upon its services. For example, the U/U Mentoring Program now has a space they can use for training, mentoring, and more. Moving forward, the U/U has plans to introduce new workshops, programs, and events hosted in their office. The U/U team is also looking forward to offering training and professional development opportunities for academic advising staff across the campus.
The U/U’s new offices are open and operational. Director Spight and his team are excited to welcome students into their new space. He explains, “If you find you have a student who is uncertain about their educational path, don’t hesitate to send them our way. That’s probably the best way for the campus and greater community to support our office.” He adds, “Feel free to remind students that ‘a decision about a major isn’t a major decision,’ and that we’re always here to help them make a solid choice.”
The new U/U office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. In addition to scheduling appointments with academic advisors, students can always stop by the U/U front desk, email uuadvise@uci.edu, or call 949-824-6987 for assistance.