Contact

Office of Undergraduate Advising

University of Connecticut
Rowe Center for Undergraduate Education
Room 424, Unit 4281
368 Fairfield Way
Storrs, CT 06269-4281
advising@uconn.edu

Erin Ciarimboli, Ph.D., Director of Undergraduate Advising

In her role as director of undergraduate advising, Dr. Ciarimboli collaborates with faculty and staff across UConn's campuses to enhance undergraduate advising efforts and promote student success through equitable and inclusive practices, collaborative partnerships, innovative problem solving, and data-driven decision making. She joined UConn in May 2020, first as the Director of University Advising and Pre-Professional Advising, after working in student affairs for the University of Georgia and Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio).

Erin enjoys working with students to encourage exploration, critical reflection, and value-driven engagement in their academic journeys. She is passionate about social justice and access to higher education; during her time in Georgia, she was a proud leader of U-Lead Athens, a nonprofit dedicated to equal access to higher education for un(der)documented and first-generation students of immigrant families. Dr. Ciarimboli received her BA in Psychology from the University of Kentucky, her MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University, and her PhD in Higher Education from the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.

Kelly Gilbert, Assistant Director for Engagement, Learning, and Development

In her role as Assistant Director for Engagement, Learning, and Development, Kelly provides educational services, programming, and advocacy for elevating undergraduate advising practices and program development. These include the development and implementation of advisor onboarding, training, and professional development. Kelly leads in the strategic planning and implementation of the university's scholastic standing process, which includes specializing in identifying students at risk and ways to support students of color and other marginalized populations. Kelly also works collaboratively with advising leaders and senior administration to identify gaps and eliminate barriers to advisor and student success in areas such as data, technology, and communication.

Kelly has served in several roles at UConn since 2006 and joined the Office of Undergraduate Advising in 2018. Kelly earned her BS at the University of Connecticut in Diagnostic Genetic Sciences with a concentration in molecular techniques, where her clinical research focus was on aneusomic patterns in breast cancer tumors.

 

Office of Undergraduate Advising Mission

The Office of Undergraduate Advising supports the University of Connecticut’s mission to help every undergraduate student grow intellectually and become a contributing member of the state, national, and world communities.​ 

The Office of Undergraduate Advising supports this mission by:​ 

  • providing leadership, advocacy, and strategic planning for UConn’s undergraduate advising community,​ 
  • ensuring effective, equitable, and culturally competent advising practices, 
  • sharing critical communications, resources, and support with undergraduates as well as the academic advising community, 
  • delivering robust advisor onboarding, training, and professional development, and​ 
  • facilitating connections and collaboration between academic advisors and campus partners.​ 

The Office of Undergraduate Advising actively promotes and enhances holistic undergraduate student success, retention, and graduation. Through innovative and inclusive advising, a culture of collaboration, and data-driven decision making, we are transforming UConn’s campus climate and building a welcoming and anti-racist community. 

Values

  • We are student-centered in all we do, seeking to remove barriers and regularly reevaluate policies and practices that do not serve the best interest of students or promote student success, retention, and/or graduation. 
  • We seek to remove all barriers to success for both students and advisors, providing them the tools, education, and connections they need to be successful in their work. 
  • We embrace regular communication and collaboration in our work with the advising community and campus partners. We will constantly encourage information and data sharing across UConn. 
  • We seek to be a strategic and essential partner at UConn, allowing us to collaborate across the institution as we seek to achieve our goals. 
  • We are data-driven in our approach, but balance this with a holistic approach to decision-making. We will use data to educate the advising community, as well as to challenge and support policies and decisions that advocate for the success of our students and advisors. 
  • We engage in regular benchmarking and research regarding best practices in the advising community, in order to stay abreast of advances in our field. 
  • We exhibit professionalism in all we do, setting the bar for professional, collaborative relationships. 
  • We commit to creating an equitable and inclusive advising experience for all undergraduate students. 

Goals

  • Providing new and transfer students with the foundational academic information and resources to help them transition successfully to UConn. 
  • Connecting students with the necessary offices, support systems, and resources for academic exploration, planning, and goal attainment throughout their UConn journey.  
  • Empowering students to take ownership of their academic, personal, and career success. 
  • Providing education to students and advisors surrounding UConn’s academic policies and procedures relevant to advising. 
  • Delivering regular and robust training, communications, resources, and community building opportunities for faculty and professional staff advisors across UConn, enabling them to successfully support and empower students in their work. 
  • Serving as a central office to connect academic advising to core university initiatives and student success initiatives, providing leadership, advocacy, and voice for UConn’s advising community. 
  • Supporting student and advisor success initiatives through meaningful data collection, analysis, and communications. 
  • Embracing and advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout UConn’s advising community as we recognize and acknowledge the unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of each student.