All About Advising
Advising PhilosophyOur mission is to provide collaborative, mentoring relationships which promote your educational, career and professional development. We value a student-centered, holistic and ethical approach based on strong partnerships with students, faculty and staff, and the larger campus community. We are committed to creating a respectful and supportive environment. We encourage you to be self-reliant through informed decisions and choices based upon dissemination of accurate information. We value our own continuous professional development to enhance the quality of your advising experience.
Good academic advising is important in helping to develop a course of study that is appropriate for your academic background and abilities, and is consistent with your educational and career goals. Faculty and academic advisors not only help to ensure you take appropriate courses to satisfy degree requirements, but also serve as mentors and assist in developing the richest degree program possible. Both the advisor and advisee have responsibilities to ensure a successful college experience.
Expectations of Academic Advisors
You can expect your advisor to:
- Be knowledgeable about and effectively communicate degree requirements and university and department policies and procedures
- Provide an open, supportive and respectful place to voice your thoughts, aspirations, concerns and interests
- Provide resources and referrals for achieving your academic goals
- Monitor and accurately document your progress toward meeting your goals
- Be available in person or by phone or email to answer your questions and guide you
- Maintain confidentiality
- Assist you in working closely with your professors and other university staff
- Assist you in making course decisions
Expectations of Students
Your advisor expects you to:
- Schedule regular appointments or make regular contact with your advisor each semester
- Come prepared to each appointment with questions or topics for discussion
- Accept responsibility for your decisions and actions
- Become knowledgeable of programs, policies, procedures and opportunities as appropriate
- Keep a record of your academic progress
- Be respectful - plan ahead by scheduling appointments early, cancelling or rescheduling if necessary, using walk-in advising for questions requiring less than 10 minutes, and honoring other student's confidentiality
Academic advising is a developmental process which assists students in the clarification of their life/career goals and in the development of educational plans for the realization of these goals. It is a decision-making process by which students realize their maximum educational potential through communication and information exchanges with an advisor; it is ongoing, multifaceted, and the responsibility of both student and advisor. The advisor serves as a facilitator of communication, a coordinator of learning experiences through course and career planning and academic progress review, and an agent of referral to other campus agencies as necessary.
- David S. Crockett, Ed. 1987
