Good afternoon,
This month, OE is highlighting Cliff Jones ‘11 in our campus partner spotlight. Cliff serves as senior assistant dean with UNC Advising, guiding students in discovering connections between their interests and their educational or professional journeys. He recently partnered with OE as a design team member, playing an integral role in the new student registration experience project. Read below about Cliff’s time at Carolina and his involvement with OE.
1. Share with us a little more about your background, career journey and/or time at UNC.
I was born and raised in Durham, N.C. I spent the most transformative years of my life as an undergraduate student at Carolina, where I earned a BA in exercise & sport science in 2011. After graduation, I served as a Carolina College Advising Corps adviser at Hillside High School and Southern School of Energy and Sustainability in Durham. From this experience, which taught me a lot about myself and what I wanted out of life, I knew there were two things I needed: 1) to support students as they navigate the challenges of college life, and 2) to find my way back to UNC. After spending valuable time at NC State for graduate school and UNC Greensboro in academic advising, I found my way home. I started as an academic advisor for the College of Arts and Sciences in 2017 and have served in several roles within UNC Advising. I’m proud to be in a position to affect real change for students whose shoes I was once in and at a place I care so deeply about.
2. How has Operational Excellence partnered with you and/or your office?
Over the last few years, we’ve observed challenges many incoming first-year students faced during registration for classes following new student orientation. Students reported that they felt unprepared to register for fall classes and described their first registration experience as extremely confusing and stressful. At the direction of UNC Advising’s Associate Dean Chloē Russell, a small project team within our department set out to address this problem. At around the same time (perfect timing!), Operational Excellence convened a group of representatives from campus groups connected to first-year registration. We met weekly for several months to clarify challenges, brainstorm solutions and create a dynamic plan to increase student preparedness and decrease confusion and stress. At every step of the way, Operational Excellence sought to clarify, challenge, support, create, offer feedback and facilitate discussion among the group. In the end, our office, with the support of the Operational Excellence and campus partners, created a new, interactive pre-orientation module and established one-on-one advising appointments for incoming students prior to attending orientation. (We met with nearly 2,700 first-year students this summer!) Following our new interventions, students overwhelmingly reported that they felt prepared and confident for fall registration.
3. What do you see as Operational Excellence’s impact on your work and/or the operations of the university?
Operational Excellence had a significant impact on UNC Advising’s transformation of support for incoming first-year students. First and foremost, their ability to facilitate meaningful and lasting collaboration between Advising and campus units such as New Student & Family Programs, the Office of the University Registrar, Undergraduate Curricula, Honors Carolina, and ITS, made all the difference. Operational Excellence also affirmed the importance of measuring outcomes and helped review and interpret the assessment data. I feel confident in saying that the positive impact UNC Advising had on incoming first-year students this summer was due, at least in part, to the guidance of Operational Excellence.
4. What do you do in your spare time outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my amazing family—from my lovely wife of 7 years (Ashley) to my two little ones: Carter (3) and Aubrey (3 months). Lots of fun in the Jones household these days! Additionally, I love watching UNC athletics, reading, grilling steaks and burgers, playing fantasy football, and spending an embarrassing amount of time watching the Game Show Network.
Please feel free to share this email with your colleagues. You can also visit our website to learn more about Operational Excellence, request to meet with a member of the team during , read my previous updates, and submit feedback. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at wernoski@email.unc.edu. I read every email.
Best,
Rick