Benjamin M. Forche

Ben is very passionate about the role Appreciative Advising plays in the relationship between a student and advisor. He is an advocate of technology in advising and the positive relationship effects, specifically the use of virtual advising, mass communication, social media, and automated systems. Combining these two practices has enabled Ben to connect with his students in a deeper, more meaningful and intentional method. His incorporation of technology stems from his undergraduate work in Visual Communication Technology. Further, most technology innovations typically require a certain level of expertise and funding. Ben possesses the ability to find inexpensive and simple ways to implement technology, that you can start implementing immediately on your campus.

Ben currently serves as the Director of Student Affairs for The Patton College of Education at Ohio University. In this role, he supervises six professional academic advisors, who utilize Appreciative Advising as their advising philosophy. He is responsible for many college initiatives, rooted in Appreciative Advising, which focus on recruitment and retention. He began furthering his education in fall 2017, in the higher education doctoral program at Ohio University. Early research interests include social media, Appreciative Advising, first-generation students, and student-athletes, to name a few. Ben previously served at The Ohio State University as the Coordinator for Advising Communication in the College of Education and Human Ecology.
Ben serves as a member of a national task force aimed at advancing the concept of Appreciative Advising. In addition to teaching the Appreciative model at the annual summer institute since 2012, Ben has provided multiple training workshops and retreats to teach the model. Ben has the capacity to adapt the framework to all offices within student affairs, including student involvement, orientation, registration, residence life, athletic success, academic coaching, to name a few.

In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking, photography, and spending time with his wife, Mandy, and their beautiful children, Charlotte, Sadie, and Milo.