Roles and Responsibilities of Advisors

The advisor’s role is an active rather than a passive one and the process of advising requires the following objectives to be met for each student assigned as an advisee:

• Help students define and develop realistic educational career plans through schedule planning for each semester and summer school, if appropriate. Each student should have an up-to-date academic schedule plan through to graduation.
• (Freshmen advisees) Meet with advisee during orientation to assist student with initial adjustment to university academic life.  Special sessions should be scheduled throughout the first academic year.
• (For continuing advisees) Meet at least once each semester with continuing students to plan for the coming semester (or summer) and to review/revise long range academic program schedules.
• Assist students in planning a program consistent with their abilities and interests.
• Monitor progress toward educational/career goals and meet at least once each semester to review the progress toward completing the proposed academic program and to discuss grades and other performance indicators.
• Discuss and reinforce linkages and relationships between instructional program and occupation/career.
• Interpret and provide rationale for institutional policies, procedures, and requirements.
• Follow-up with the advisee on any report of unsatisfactory work (notice of class probation for poor attendance, notice of FA and/or failing grades, incomplete grades from past semester(s), etc.).  Special attention should be paid to students who are placed on academic probation.
• Approve all designated educational transactions (e.g., pre-registration/registration schedule, drops/adds, withdrawals, change of major and advisor, waivers, graduation requirements, etc.).
• Try to make informal out-of-class/office contacts to underscore personal interest in the student as an individual.
• Maintain an up-to-date Advising Portfolio, with a summary record of performance to date (grade reports, transcript, requirements completed, etc.), dates of conferences, notation of special circumstances, up-to-date MyStuff information and details, etc.
• Inform and, if necessary, refer students to other institutional resources when academic, attitudinal, attendance, or other personal problems require intervention by other professionals. (e.g., Office of Academic Development, Academic Services, Personal Counseling, etc.)
• Proactively contact and be available for student advisees on a regular basis. Office hours should be posted on the advisor’s office door and preferably given to the advisee early in the semester. Advisors should plan for extended hours during pre-registration advising.
• Consult regularly with faculty colleagues in order to have up-to-date information. For career and graduate school options, advisors should refer advisees to the Alumni affairs and employment committe when more information is needed.