Jayne Rohlfing

Connection Seeker

Email:

besweetlight@gmail.com

Location

Muncie, Indiana

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Education

MA Executive Development for Public Service

Minor: Adult and Community Education

Graduate Certificate: Community College Leadership

Ball State University

BA Journalism Graphics

Ball State University

Guiding Principles

Perhaps the first question to answer is why am pursued a career in academic advising and coaching? At first glance, a career shift from photographer to advisor seems vastly different. However, the similarities lie in the reason I am drawn to both. LaPorte’s Model of Core Desired Feelings essentially states that “feelings and inner desires create the compass that leads to a meaningful life” (La Porte 2012, 2014 as cited in Santoro & Steward, 2015, p. 84). I resonated with the same reasons Santoro and Steward (2015) had as they reflected on their motives for being drawn to higher education and coaching. Those motives are a “desire to help others, extend generosity, exert influence, and create connections” (p.84). Santoro and Steward believe that their future career paths will be satisfying if these desires continue to serve as their compass. For me, while I resonate with all four of those reasons and think they all relate to why I’ve enjoyed my job as a photographer for so many years, the aspiration to create connections would probably be at the top of my guiding principles. Advising and coaching have given me more opportunities to build upon all of these compass points and build trust and connections with students to better help them succeed.

Santoro, J., & Steward, M.D. (2015). Voices from the field: Career advising: A new paradigm. In P. Folsom, F. Yoder, & J. E. Joslin (Eds.), The new advisor guidebook: Mastering the art of academic advising (pp. 83-89). Kindle.

Academic Advising Philosophy

Overall, my goal is to humanize the college experience for my students. My personality is naturally drawn to three advising theories and philosophies: The theory of Mattering and Marginality, Appreciative Advising, and Proactive Advising. Simply put, Nancy Schlossberg’s theory of mattering and marginality asserts that people matter. She acknowledges that students must believe that someone—an individual or group—finds them important at the educational institution for students to achieve academic success. If students feel marginalized or insignificant, one of the best ways to replace that feeling with confidence is for the advisor to show that the advisee matters to her. Excellent relational skills such as active listening, remaining calm, and a welcoming environment for the advisee are great ways to apply Schlossberg’s theory (Roufs, 2015). Appreciative Advising focuses on six different phases to help the student accomplish goals: Disarm, Discover, Dream, Design, Deliver, Don’t Settle. I’ve found myself naturally implementing these phases in many of my student appointments. After each appointment, I send the student an email about what we talked about with a proactive plan. The last phase, Don’t Settle, resonates deeply with me and ties in nicely with Proactive Advising. It’s in my nature to reach out and follow up. I've been greatly inspired by Georgia State University's student success initiatives. Feel free to check out my mini-research paper for an overview of the great work they've accomplished.

Roufs, K. (2015). Theory matters. In P. Folsom, F. Yoder, & J. E. Joslin (Eds.), The new advisor guidebook: Mastering the art of academic advising (pp. 67-81). Kindle.

Work Experience

Aug 2021 - Present

Jan 2023 - May 2023

Aug 2020 - Dec 2021

2002 - Jan 2023

Academic Advisor - Ball State University

Full-Time Academic Advisor: May 2023-present & Jan 2022–Dec 2022

Part-Time Academic Advisor: Aug 2021–Dec 2021

Relational & Strengths-Based Advising: Cultivate an empathetic, approachable, and dynamic interactive partnership with a caseload of 275+ students, blending Appreciative, Developmental, and Proactive Advising theories to foster self-awareness, academic goal-setting, and holistic major exploration.
Proactive Retention & Early Intervention: Utilize Navigate360 campaign tools and custom tracking spreadsheets to execute targeted outreach for students in the 2.0–2.6 GPA range, intervening early to build academic resilience and prevent academic warning.
Academic Recovery & Documentation: Guide students on academic warning through active self-reflection, co-creating individualized recovery plans and maintaining detailed appointment documentation to track progress over time; conduct multi-channel outreach (phone, email, SMS) to guide stopped-out students back to degree completion.
Empowering Self-Advocacy & Process Navigation: Act as a teacher and trusted guide, breaking down multi-step registration (Stellic), late withdrawals, and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeals while connecting students with timely campus resources (tutoring, career counseling, faculty communication).
Degree Audits & FERPA Compliance: Audit student files, degree progress, and transcripts against strict university standards, ensuring complete accuracy while upholding privacy regulations under FERPA.
Cross-Departmental & Institutional Leadership: Serve as advising liaison on the College Curriculum Committee to identify prerequisite and policy roadblocks, while acting as a peer mentor and department "super-user" for software tracking tools.

Skills: Rapid problem-solving, creative workflows, proactive and clear communication with students and staff, self-motivator, project-starter, initiator, observation, active listening, interviewing, design and presentation skills,

time management

Student Success Coach - Ball State University

Instruction & Skill Development: Taught a 16-week course and co-facilitated campus workshops for students on academic warning, empowering them as self-aware problem-solvers in time management, study skills, and motivation.
Problem-Solving & Self-Advocacy Coaching: Guided students through root-cause analysis of their academic roadblocks, empowering them to build self-efficacy and communicate assertively with faculty and administration.
Mindset & Goal Alignment: Facilitated 1-on-1 coaching sessions focused on reframing academic mindsets, setting SMART goals, and developing sustainable habits to transition students from academic warning back into good standing.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnered with campus departments to align student success initiatives and streamline referral networks for high-support learners.

Skills: Active listening, positive psychology, presentation,

proactive communication

Graduate Assistant – First Year Advising Center

(Part-time)

Media Production & Departmental Outreach: Led project management and content creation for departmental outreach channels, producing promotional videos, managing Instagram engagement, and editing an interactive academic probation panel resource.
Academic Success Programming: Designed and delivered the "How NOT to Fail at Finals" virtual workshop and executed targeted phone outreach to incoming freshmen to boost engagement and retention.
Theory & Foundational Training: Completed graduate coursework in the Foundations of Academic Advising (Kansas State University), building core expertise in student development theory, advising ethics, and supporting diverse student populations.

Skills: Active listening, workflow efficiency, interviewing, observation, research, relationship building, creating rapid connections

Business owner for jayne ellen creative, llc.

Freelance graphic designer and photographer.

Design Portfolio

Photography

Skills: Photography, design, project management, content management, content editor, client communications, active listening, customer service, workflow efficiency