This award was set up by Wendy McLean (former First Year Centre Academic Advisor) and recognizes exceptional advising with an award of $500 donated to the UM Food Bank in the recipient’s name.

“As an advisor, Wendy’s greatest joy was to see growth; in both the students she advised and in the staff she mentored. In fact, when I was first an academic advisor in University 1 in 2010, Wendy was instrumental in helping me to see the transformational impact academic advising has on students.”, says Ali Wood-Warren, Director, Student Transitions and Success Centre. “Now as a leader in that same academic advising unit, I know that Wendy’s influence on advising at UM is still felt.”

Nomination Process

Nominees must be current UM staff members in continuing roles which provide direct support of students through academic or student advising, within academic or support units. Any member of the UM community (Faculty, Staff or registered UM Student) can nominate an advisor for this award by submitting the following:

• a completed nomination form
• a letter of support detailing the nominee’s contributions and demonstrating how they meet the award’s eligibility criteria (1 page maximum)
• at least two letters of recommendation from staff and/or learners who can attest to the nominee’s contributions and impact as a mentor, coach, or advisor.

Criteria for Consideration

The selection committee will evaluate nominees based on several key criteria, including:

• Improvements to processes and procedures
• Advancements in collaboration and/or teamwork excellence
• Notable creativity and innovation in advising techniques
• Outstanding efforts with individual students
• High levels of student engagement resulting from innovative practices
• Creative programming for advising students
• Productive use of university or community resources

Student Affairs looks forward to celebrating the exceptional work of UM advisors and supporting their impact on students through this award, says Ali Wood-Warren. “We are so grateful to Wendy McLean as the establishment of this award allows us to both celebrate excellence in advising and provides direct support to the students that we, as advisors serve.”

Application deadline for 2025 award: December 23, 2025
Award presentation: February 2, 2026

For more information, please visit the Wendy McLean Advising Excellence Award SharePoint site.

View the full criteria for the Advising Excellence Award and where to submit your candidacy on the Academic Advising SharePoint site.

This award was set up by Wendy McLean and recognizes exceptional advising with one award of $300, to be used for professional development by full or part-time staff employed as UM Academic or Student Advisors.

“As an advisor, Wendy McLean was focused on engaging with students to achieve academic success, right from their first experiences as students at the University of Manitoba,” says Brigitte Wiebe, Advising Services Coordinator.

“She understood the many connections and opportunities that advisors create to empower students and is excited to contribute to advising excellence by providing this award. As advising moved from a face-to-face experience to the virtual world in the last half year, UM advisors made big changes and adapted to the virtual world, incorporating their knowledge base to a new environment. This award offers an opportunity to develop professionally in this time of sometimes overwhelming, but always captivating, change.”

Candidates must submit a letter outlining how they have shown excellence in advising over the past year, with three letters of support also required. 

With Phase 1 complete, the project team has been working to refresh the Aurora Self Service user experience and has continued work to develop a foundation to support new capabilities for an improved student and staff experience. This will include improved usability, mobility, capability and introduction of new features.   

Aurora Self Service Refresh is divided into 4 different stages over the next three years, in order of release to the University community: 

• Aurora for Advisors
• Aurora for Students
• Aurora for Academics
• Aurora for Administrators

The 1st stage– Aurora for Advisors— has been in development for about 12 months and the team includes Advisor working group representatives from faculties/academic units, Student Affairs, Grad Studies, Privacy and Records Management, Change Management and Project Services and IST.  This past fall the technical and functional work was completed and this provided valuable guidelines and feedback to enable Pilot Groups to start working with the new Aurora Self Service for Advisors in March 2021. 

What does this mean to you?  

If you use Aurora Self Service today to perform tasks or access information in students’ records, this refresh will modernize how information is displayed and how you navigate the system. The project team developed Aurora for Advisors, focusing on the Advising Student Profile and Banner Document Management (BDM). This will create the opportunity for digital notes and electronic document storage in BDM for student records. This will also allow increased transparency and efficiency in advising and communications between advisors and students.  

Training & Upcoming Advisors Meeting 

Advisors will receive an invitation to an upcoming meeting this spring that will share information about development done by the working groups, and feedback from the Pilot Group experiences. Information about access to training materials and Q&A training sessions will follow. This meeting will be a follow up to the Town Hall meeting held in June of last year where advisors were shown a look/view of the new features. You can view the previous town hall notes on the website. Aurora for Advisors is expected to go live in late spring 2021. 

How will this Refresh improve Aurora for Advisors?   

• A new look and feel that is intuitive and modern  
• Greater flexibility to run Aurora for Advisors on any browser, tablet or mobile device  
• Integrated Student information with a “view at a glance” capability, including a picture
• Digital advisor notes capability with electronic document storage through BDM allowing transparency of information
• A solid foundation to deliver additional capabilities that can be utilized in the future
    

Please note this first stage will only affect Academic Advisors and other frontline staff providing services to students; all other users will continue to use Aurora Self Service as they do today.   

Using Aurora Self Service is something that many of us do on a regular basis. You will need to prepare – and we can help you. 

HOW TO GET READY? 

We are working to minimize the impact of this shutdown, but you may need to take some actions beforehand, like ordering transcripts, ordering enrolment verifications,  running a degree audit, downloading class lists or uploading grades. 

Students, we recommend you speak to your academic advisor if you have any academic-related issues.

If your account is on hold, do your best to pay your fees before the shutdown, otherwise payments received during the shutdown will be processed in the order received once the system is back in service. If you foresee any issues with this, please contact your academic advisor.  

HERE’S A RECAP OF WHAT SYSTEMS WILL BE WORKING AND WHAT WON’T DURING THE SHUTDOWN:   

Not Available: 

• Banner Admin Pages and Aurora Self Service 
• No transcript ordering 
• No Enrolment Verification ordering 
• No Winter registration activities
• UM Achieve 
• Argos Reports   

Available Services: 

• UMLearn
• Admissions
• Library services
• Active Living Centre
• Jump/Webmail 

Banner Administration Pages will be upgraded to the latest version of the system from Friday, January 8 from 4:30 pm CST to –11 at 9:00 am CST, 2021. This upgrade will focus on enhancing the quality of the administration pages. It also includes changes to support the tax year 2020 and updates to the infrastructure to support the introduction of Aurora Self Service 9.

This upgrade will include several enhancements:

• Better-quality log in and page printing experience with a focus on minimizing errors
• New sortable search results in the search bar
• Quick add option to update Favorite pages & build your personal My Banner menu
• System patches to address known issues with Administration pages & security protocols
• Annual tax compliance updates
• Foundational updates to support future deliverables of Aurora Self Service 9 and integrations.

What does this mean to you?

Do you use Banner Administration Pages to view, create, or update records and transactions such as students’ records or journal entries?

This update will provide you with improvements to the overall system and align the university to regulatory requirements. Your key data, general functions and the business rules you follow to perform functions in Banner Administration Pages will remain unchanged.

How does this impact you?

Banner Administration Pages and Aurora Self Service will be temporarily unavailable January 8 from 4:30 pm CST to –11 at 9:00 am CST, 2021 as the system upgrades. Other processes and systems that connect to Banner Administration Pages and Aurora Self Service (e.g. FAST, UM Achieve, EPIC, ODS, FlexReg) could be inaccessible or have limited functionality during this time. More information will be provided to users of these systems.

We chatted with three different academic advisors about how they’re helping students in the new online world.

Carla Loewen is a student advisor at the Indigenous Student Centre. She primarily works with first year Indigenous students through the Qualico Bridge to Success program.

Chiedza Chando is an academic advisor in the First Year Centre (University 1). Her role is to assist students in the transition from high school to university and to support student success throughout the first year of university studies and beyond.

Rebecca Irving is an international student advisor at the International Centre (IC) and works exclusively with international students on matters outside of program and course planning.

How has advising changed from in-person to doing so by distance?

Rebecca Irving

Rebecca: The Advising services at the IC are typically limited to in-person individual and group sessions, so it was a big move for us transition these services to Zoom! We’ve also seen a huge increase in the number of emails that we exchange with students each day. We’re finding that international students have a lot of very valid and important questions during this weird and uncertain time, so it’s been really good to still be able to help and support our students holistically, despite the move to virtual advising, which can seem a little impersonal at first. And, with everyone working and studying from home, it’s just nice to be able to connect with another human each day! Also, our International Transitions Coordinator, Crystal, has been offering weekly Zoom sessions to any international student, regardless of global location, to come together and just casually chat and connect. These happen every Thursday at 2:00 pm (CST) and the information can be found here.

Carla: Having to move so quickly from in-person advising to phone or email advising has shown me how much I value face-to-face interactions! My work has a strong focus on relationship and community building and so not being to have personal interactions has been the biggest change. Also, when talking to students in person it is easier to gauge if a student understands what is being shared. Email advising also takes longer as I always carefully prepare each email to share enough information without being overwhelming.

Chiedza: Connecting with students face-to-face is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an academic advisor. I enjoy meeting with students and the energy they bring to the office, so naturally virtual advising has changed that experience. However, this has been a great opportunity for students to connect with us through emails and phone calls and we also can offer students to connect with us using software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc.  Even though we can’t connect in person, we still want to meet students face-to-face!  It has also been a great opportunity for us to introduce online resources of which students may not have been aware.

What are some tips you can share for students studying in this new environment?

Carla Loewen

Carla: Time management will be more important than ever. Top organization tips from my peer mentors are: 1) Use a day timer and write down all your assignment deadlines and test dates. 2) Buy an erasable wall calendar and write your important dates on there too. A visual reminder will help keep you on task. 3) Do not procrastinate. Study a bit every day even when you do not feel like it so you can keep on top of your readings. 4) Be kind to yourself. You will have hard days, but you will also get through it.

Rebecca: Uh-oh, I may not be the best Advisor to answer this question, as I don’t advise students on academic matters! There are so many awesome professionals on campus like academic advisors and the staff at the Academic Learning Centre that can give way better study tips than me. However, I’m also studying at the moment (almost done my M.Ed.!) and one thing I’ve found especially helpful since I’m both working full-time and studying part-time at home is to intentionally take a little break every 30 minutes while researching and writing papers to stretch and cuddle with my cat J I also try to get outside and either walk or run each day, and I find that the fresh air helps with my energy and concentration levels.

Chiedza: My tips are: Have a dedicated study space and minimize distractions. Create an effective study timetable and stick to it, right from the beginning of term. We will be offering virtual workshops on creating a timetable which also considers other commitments students might have outside of school.  If you live with other people, maybe you have roommates, talk to them about your school schedule and when you will need some quiet time to focus on studying. Don’t treat remote learning any differently than in person learning…take notes on course content, do your assigned readings and stay on top of assignments. Reliable internet connection is also critical to academic success when you are taking your courses online. We recommend hardwire internet connections as it is more reliable, especially during exam time.

When and how can students get in touch with you?

Chiedza Chando

Chiedza: At the First Year Centre we are here to provide support to all learning first-year students regardless of their faculty. If you have questions about your course planning, please contact an academic advisor. Additionally, you can connect with us if you have questions about developing good study habits, time management, figuring out which academic path is right for you, or anything else that’s on your mind.  If we don’t know the answer, we’ll definitely be able to point you in the right direction. You can also get information about upcoming events and workshops through our Instagram @umfirstyearcentre.

Carla: Due to the high demand for course planning help at this time of year, we are asking students to contact our main line to request an advising appointment. Indigenous students can phone 204-474-8850 or email isc@umanitoba.ca. We do our best to get back to students within 1-2 business days. Indigenous Student Centre Advisors are available during regular office hours, Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Indigenous Student Centre wants to be a part of your academic journey and will do what we can to support your goals! In addition to advising, we have programs for new students, leadership development, Metis inclusion, graduate student success, and back-on-track programming. To see all programs visit our website.

Rebecca: If you have questions, it never hurts to ask, so don’t hesitate to send us an email, and our awesome receptionist can connect international students directly with one of the IC Advisors. We’ve been keeping up-to-date on information that’s released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), as well as other student support offices on campus, to ensure that when international students send us an e-mail or set-up a Zoom appointment, we have the most up-to-date and comprehensive information to share.

If you want to reach out to an academic advisor, you can find the right one here.

Aurora Refresh is the second phase of the Banner Enhancement Program. The first phase updated the Banner Administration pages in 2018. Aurora Refresh will be divided in 4 different stages over the next three years, in order of release to the University community: 

• Aurora for Advisors
• Aurora for Students
• Aurora for Academics
• Aurora for Administrators

What does this mean to you? 

If you use Aurora today to perform tasks or access information in students’ records, this refresh will modernize how information is displayed and how you navigate the system. A project team has been established to develop Aurora for Advisors, focusing on the Advising Student Profile. This refresh will allow creation of digital (paperless) notes and files for students, with an increased transparency and efficiency in advising and communications between advisors and students. This first stage will also create the ability for students to be able to view information and advice Advisors provide regarding their academic progress.

Training materials will be provided to help familiarize you with the refresh, as new features are released to the community. The project team will develop and provide training materials that advisors may access to familiarize themselves with the updated features. Advisors will be invited to a Town Hall meeting in late April to get a look/view of the new features. Aurora for Advisors is expected to go live in late Fall 2020.

How will this Refresh improve Aurora for Advisors?  

• A new look and feel that is intuitive and modern
• Greater flexibility to run Aurora Self Service on any browser, tablet or mobile device
• Integrated Student information with a “view at a glance” capability
• Advisor Notes capability with electronic document storage.
• A solid foundation to deliver additional capabilities that can be utilized in the future 

Please note this first stage will only affect Academic Advisors and other frontline staff providing services to students; all other users will continue to use Aurora as they do today.  

If you would like to provide feedback or have any questions, please contact Aurora-Refresh@umanitoba.ca

We’ve broken down some of the most asked questions about UM Achieve. 

Why would I use UM Achieve?

It’s basically a snapshot of the courses you’ve done so far, and where you can go from here. It can help you answer questions like:

• How far along am I in my degree?
• What else do I need for my degree?
• Can I use my courses for other degrees?
• Did I register correctly?
• Am I ready to graduate?
• What minor/concentrations/options can I take?

What exactly can I do on UM Achieve?

• Run a degree audit – A degree audit is a great first step, which can show you your current state of affairs in the program you’re registered in. In order to review your own audit, click on ‘Run Declared Program’. This will generate an audit for the program you’re currently registered in. Students who began their programs prior to Fall 2015 should work with an Academic Advisor to determine whether or not degree requirements are being met.
• Explore programs – You can also explore your options within UM Achieve. To do that, click on ‘Run a What-if Audit’. This will generate an audit for any degree program you might be interested in exploring. After running a ‘What-if audit’, you should meet with an Academic Advisor to review the audit to be sure you are interpreting the results correctly.

For help reading your audit, watch the video tutorials.

When should I run a degree audit?

Any time! UM Achieve is live, which means it has the most up-to-date information from your student record. Some important times to run your audit are:

• Before you register for courses to see what you still need
• After you register to see how the courses fit in your program
• Whenever you change anything with your program/degree, major, minor, and/or concentration
• Before the VW deadline or when you plan to make a change to your registration
• If you’re planning to graduate, use an audit to check if everything is blue and green
• If you’re trying to make a choice between programs.

What’s a Catalog Year?  

Every year, changes to degree programs can happen. The Catalog Year identifies the set of degree regulations that apply to a specific year. You are subject to the requirements of the program for the Catalog Year in which you begin.

When you’re using UM Achieve, if you’re looking to get into a program choose the newest available Catalog Year.  If you’re thinking about adding a minor or concentration, use your own Catalog Year. Your own Catalog Year is listed when you log into UM Achieve.

What do all of these codes mean?

• IP = In progress
• LPIP = Letter of Permission in Progress
• LPDN = Letter of Permission Denied
• VW = Voluntary Withdrawal
• VWS = Voluntary Withdrawal Strike
• AW = Authorized Withdrawal
• CR = Block transfer course (only used in designated programs with transfer credit agreements)
• DW = Deferred Writing in progress
• DX = Deferred Writing Complete
• W 15 = Winter Term 2015
• F 15 = Fall Term 2015
• S 15 = Summer Term 2015
• Audit = A report that shows how far along you are in a program
• Program = all of the requirements needed to get a degree
• Exception = any change to a requirement in a program

Why does my course have zero credit hours?

A course will have 0 credit hours because:

• The course is 6 credit hours and the credit hours are attached to the other half of the course
• You’re repeating the course
• You’ve registered for or completed an equivalent course
• You’ve registered for or completed a mutually exclusive course
• The course is Pass/Fail with no credit given
• If none of the above applies to you, and you have questions, please contact your home faculty Academic Advisor.

What should I do if my UM Achieve audit doesn’t match with the regulations in the Academic Calendar?

The online University of Manitoba Academic Calendar is the official document.  Please consult with an Academic Advisor in your home faculty for assistance in interpreting your audit and degree requirements.

UM Achieve is available 24/7 and is designed to make your life easier. If you want help reading your degree audit, contact an Academic Advisor.  For further information on how to use UM Achieve, click here.

An on-campus course gives students the ability to have face-to-face interactions with their instructors and classmates. On-campus courses have set times and days that students attend classes. Regular attendance allows students to ask questions and interact with the course material on a regular basis. In the class, the instructor will cover a variety of topics and support students as they connect different concepts and expand their understanding. It is expected that students will review content before and after classes to enhance their own understanding of the course material.

Alternatively, Distance and Online Education courses are a good option for students who are looking for a more flexible approach to their learning. Distance and Online Education courses allow students the flexibility of studying from anywhere and anytime, while still receiving the ongoing support of their instructor and classmates. It’s important to note that strong time management skills are crucial to being successful in a Distance and Online Education course as there are not set times to attend classes. Students are able to participate in discussions, web conferences, and submit assignments online through an online platform, such as UMLearn.

Ultimately, whether you decide to take an on-campus course or Distance and Online Education course, it will depend on what your strengths and weaknesses are as a student. Students who have strong time management and organizational skills, but due to other commitments are unable to take an on-campus course, may greatly benefit from a Distance and Online Education course. On the other hand, students who strive in environments where they can interact with their instructor and peers in person may benefit from an on-campus course.

So, what will your Fall and Winter term look like this year? Visit an Academic Advisor to discuss your options and help you with course planning.

1. Changing your goals or being undecided is okay!

Academic advisors see many students who change their minds about what career they want to pursue or are undecided about what program they want to target. We recognize that this is a major life decision and students can feel a lot of pressure. It’s important to reflect on the past year and to dedicate time to explore your career and degree options. The answers will not magically appear, but there are resources that can help you make these decisions. For starters, we recommend visiting Career Services and meeting with a Career Consultant to discuss your interests, volunteer opportunities, career pathways, and various experiential learning opportunities. Your instructors are another excellent resource. We encourage you to ask your professors questions about their field of expertise, and to build on these relationships throughout your studies. They just might have some interesting opportunities for you to get involved and get some hands on experience. All of these things can help you explore your options. 

2. Needing to enhance your study skills and grades is very normal 

Maybe you didn’t achieve the grades you wanted to, or maybe you didn’t take the right courses. Academic advisors recognize that as a first year student, you have likely been dealing with many adjustments and it is common for students to hit some speedbumps along the way. This is an excellent time to reflect on what worked (or didn’t work). Academic advisors are available to guide you through your specific situation and make recommendations on your study habits, course planning and explain the potential outcomes of some of your choices.

An academic advisor can also connect you to dozens of free resources on campus and refer you to workshops, tutors and Student Help Centres that can help you to achieve your goals in your second year. Contact an academic advisor in your program when planning your courses to learn more about what resources might help you succeed!

3. You may need to make some decisions this Summer Term, and we’re here to help.

Depending on how many credit hours you have completed and what program you are in or targeting, there may be some decisions you need to make this summer. For example, if you are in University 1 with at least 24 credit hours, you may have options to Transit to the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Science beginning June 10. Or you might already be in a faculty and thinking about declaring a major. Regardless of your situation, academic advisors can help you figure out what might be best for you. We strongly encourage you to meet with an advisor in May or June to discuss your options. 

Remember that every student’s situation and experiences are different, and that academic advisors are here to guide you along the way. We know how much hard work and dedication it takes to get through your first year. We would love to talk to you more about your plan as you transition to your second year.

Have a great summer!

Tina Riggs & Chiedza Chando, Academic Advisors, First Year Centre