Advising Policy Document; Replaces EM 79-021
From: Robin S. Wilson, President
Subject: Advising Policy Document; Replaces EM 79-21
ADVISING POLICY DOCUMENT
The responsibilities for student advising are distributed as follows:
- Each student is responsible to know and meet graduation and other requirements contained in the Catalog, Class Schedule, and other publications, and to make every reasonable effort to obtain adequate academic advising. Frequent adviser contact will help ensure the student has current academic information and is making adequate progress toward educational and career goals.
- Undeclared students will receive their primary academic advising from the Advising and Orientation Office.
- Declared majors will receive their primary academic advising from their major department. Each department may organize its advising program in a manner best suited to its unique requirements and in conformity with the policies stated in this document.
- Career-oriented advising will be the primary responsibility of the Placement and Career Planning Offices and an ancillary responsibility of departmental advisers and the Advising and Orientation Office.
- Providing students with information on policies, procedures, and programs of the university;
- Assisting students in choosing educational and career objectives commensurate with their interests and abilities;
- Assisting students in exploring the possible short-and long-range consequences of their choices; and
- Informing students of the wide range of services and educational opportunities that may be pertinent to their educational objectives at this university.
- Coordinating the many components of the academic advising program, including each academic school and division or department, Credentials Office, and the Advising and Orientation Office;
- Review and evaluation of the academic advising program;
- Development of appropriate procedures for the academic advising program.
Each academic school and department, along with the Advising and Orientation Office, will provide:
- A clear delineation of responsibility for academic advising;
- A high degree of visibility of the program to majors, minors, and prospective majors;
- Yearly orientation for all faculty participating as advisers;
- Orientation for appropriate support services, staff, and students involved in academic advising;
- A continuity of academic advising services from year to year, as well as throughout the calendar year;
- Distribution of faculty academic adviser office hours and assurance that office hours are observed.
The Advising and Orientation Office, among its duties, will:
- Gather and disseminate appropriate academic advising material to assist school, department, and program advising coordinators;
- Act as a reference service and respond to questions from the school, department, and program advising coordinators, as well as from faculty and students;
- Be familiar with campuswide advising problems and formulate and make suggestions for the improvement of the advising program;
- Provide academic advising orientation an in-service training and development for faculty members and advising coordinators;
- Be responsible for and coordinate the academic advising program for undeclared majors;
- In cooperation with academic units, coordinate advising and counseling services for students on academic probation or subject to disqualification.
Each academic department, or school in the case of interdisciplinary programs, will designate at least one advising coordinator and one for each credential and pre-professional program generally associated with the department, school, or program. Assigned time, commensurate with duties, shall be determined by the academic unit with the approval of the President or designee.
Individual departments will continue to maintain the advising files of students majoring in their programs.
The advising coordinators for each major and minor will:
- Be responsible for, but not necessarily perform, all the activities associated with developing and maintaining an effective and visible advising program for current and prospective majors and minors, including those in the credential program.
- Serve as liaison and consult with the Advising and Orientation Office, Placement and Career Planning Offices, Counseling Office, and Credentials Office when appropriate.
All departments shall set up a required program of academic advising for new and readmitted students. New and readmitted students are required to see their academic adviser either prior to their initial registration or during the first semester they are enrolled. Continuing students may be required, at the discretion of their departments or schools, to see their academic adviser at a time deemed necessary by those departments or schools. Students who participate in the class reservation process may be required to see their advisers prior to reserving classes, again at the discretion of their departments.
Academic advising is a primary responsibility of faculty and should be integrally related to the education process. Departments and divisions should designate for academic advising those faculty who are informed and motivated as academic advisers. Effective academic advising shall be credited toward retention, tenure, or promotion. It should be a specific topic of review in appropriate cases.
Students shall have the opportunity to evaluate academic advising programs in which they have participated under procedures established by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Deans of the Schools, Department Chairs, and the Associated Students Director of Academic Affairs. Individual students who wish to evaluate their academic advisers may do so by sending their signed evaluations to the appropriate department.
The General Policies Committee of the Faculty Senate shall review, report, and make recommendations on the academic advising program of the university to the Faculty Senate every two years beginning in the academic year of 1978-79.