Policy with regard to Academic Advising is established by the University Senate and published in its By-laws, Rules and Regulations. The following statement was approved in 1988 and appears in Article 11 Section B of the By-Laws. The statement describes the general nature of the relationship between advisor and advisee, clarifying the responsibilities of both. Since it provides the basic framework for all that follows, it is reprinted here in its entirety.
Academic Advising and Registration
Academic advising is a service provided to assist students' progress toward meeting their academic objectives and completing their degree requirements. Each student will be assigned an academic advisor by the dean of his/her school or college. Although students are assigned to advisors, it is the responsibility of the student to know and to follow the regulations of the University and to plan and carry out a program of study consistent with his/her academic and career goals and the degree requirements of the University.
The function of advising is recognized as an integral part of the University's educational mission. Contact on an individual basis with an academic advisor is an important means of identifying the needs of individual students. The advising program, essentially consultative and designed to assist students in making intelligent decisions, includes the following aspects:
- Communicating the meaning of higher education, the goals of a land grant institution, the aims of disciplinary and interdisciplinary study, and the rationale for academic requirements including minimum scholastic standards.
- Describing registration procedures, course offerings, areas of faculty interest and expertise, educational opportunities, degree programs and academic policies.
- Planning semester by semester registration including selection of courses and course load adjustment.
- Discussing educational and professional objectives based upon demonstrated abilities and interests and clarification of the relations among courses, programs, and careers.
- Developing tentative and final plans of study.
- Referring to appropriate sources for information and specialized services complementary to the knowledge and skills of the advisor.
The advising relationship is both consultative and mutually respectful: the advisee should respect the advisor's suggestions; the advisor should be considerate of decisions made by the advisee. Advisors are responsible for informing students of appropriate courses of action. Students should expect advisors to have reasonable knowledge of the rules and regulations of the School or College and the University but must recognize that no individual can be fully informed on all areas.
Although the advisor is responsible for making appropriate academic recommendations and indicates that this has been done by signing the appropriate registration forms, the student is responsible for his/her own academic progress. Students must, therefore, assume ultimate responsibility for their decisions related to course selection and program planning, particularly when those individual decisions are inconsistent with program requirements. Academic requirements, legislated by the University Senate, are published in the Undergraduate Catalog, departmental plans of study, and other documents with which students and advisors are expected to be familiar.
