Apr 20, 2026

News/Notes for Undergraduate Academic Advisors: Meredith Pecinovsky - New Associate Director in Office of Academic Advising | How to Know if Your Advisees are Registered? | UNIV 3159 Exploring Generative AI Technologies

Meredith Pecinovsky - New Associate Director in Office of Academic Advising
  • The Office of Academic Advising is pleased to announce that Meredith Pecinovsky will be joining the team as Associate Director. Meredith brings a broad range of strengths and experiences within the University of Northern Iowa and the academic advising and student success field.
  • Most recently, Meredith has served as an Academic Advisor in the College of Education Advising and Teacher Education Success (CATS) Office, as well as an Instructional Specialist with TRIO Student Support Services at UNI. Prior to joining the UNI community, she worked as an Academic Advisor at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, supporting students within the College of Business.
  • In her role as Associate Director, Meredith will primarily focus on pre-health advising and leadership of the Health Team. She will also provide leadership for academic advising components of campus-wide new student orientation programs, oversee prospective student recruitment efforts for the office, and support outreach initiatives focused on student persistence and success.\
  • Meredith will begin her position with the Office of Academic Advising on Monday, April 27, 2026. Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Meredith to this new role!
     
How to Know if Your Advisees are Registered?
  • Every advisor has access to queries to view assigned advisees who are not registered for classes for the Fall 2026 semester
  • To view these queries, go to the Reporting tab in MyUniverse and select "Advisor Reports(My Advisees)" from My Workspaces (see the images below)
  • In the "Term Registration "Assigned" folder choose from one of these queries [Reminder: Summer 2026 = 2261 and Fall 2026 - 2262]
    • Not Enrolled - Also shows if the student has an Advisor Hold or Other Hold which would prevent the student from registering for courses for Summer/Fall 2026
    • Not Enrolled w/Appt & Holds - In addition to holds, shows the individual appointment time assigned to the student (Note: All assigned times have now passed for current students)
    • Not Full Time - Identifies assigned advisees who are not enrolled for full time (12 hours minimum) status.
      • This report includes this individual student data: Total: Cumulative Units | Total: Cumulative GPA | Term: Units Enrolled
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UNIV 3159 Exploring Generative AI Technologies
  • UNIV 3159 Exploring Generative AI Technologies | Online Semester Based (eLearning) | 3 credits | Prerequisite: Junior standing
    • This experimental course explores several Generative AI Technologies, including text generation, audio, image, and video generation, as well as open-source models.
    • Emphasis is placed on ethical considerations, prompt design, and the exploration of current features of various systems.
    • Through hands-on activities, students will experience various tools and reflect on their personal and professional applications.
Is Your Student Questioning their Current Major?
  • Help them Pivot with Purpose by referring them to the Office of Academic Advising. Advisors offer personalized support to help students explore:
    • Major, minor, and certificate options | Reasons for changing majors (e.g., lack of interest, career goals, academic challenges) | Self-assessments like FOCUS 2 or Strong Inventory | Goal-setting and decision-making strategies
  • Encourage students to schedule an appointment or complete the Academic Discuss Your Major Options Request Form.
  • As a faculty or staff member, you can complete this referral form to start the outreach to a student considering changing their major.
Institutional Academic Advising Vision & Mission Statement (revised Spring 2016) [See Academic Advising Mission, Vision, Goals & Outcomes webpage]
  • Vision Statement: UNI aspires to create the best possible advising experience for each student.
  • Mission Statement: Academic Advising is a critical component of the teaching and learning environment at UNI. Advising is a personalized educational experience, empowering students to explore, articulate and achieve their academic, career and life goals.