Academic Resource Office

Advisors Guide

What Do I need to Advise? Advisor & Advisee Responsibilties

What Can I do to Improve my advising?

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Advising is the art of discovery and connection.

George Bennett, NACADA

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What is Advising?

Advising is a process.

The process for each student is uniqueAdvising is a partnership.

Advisors & advisees work together.

Advising is concerned with educational development.

Advising is part of teaching.

Advisors are role models.

Advising is a collaborative effort between academic & student affairs.

Advising is not handing out an advisor access code.

Advising is not a judgmental process.

Advising is not personal counseling.

Advising is not tangential to the college mission.

Advising is not easy.

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What Do I Need To Advise?

This guide, the two most recent MSUM Bulletins, a campus directory, the most recent Dragon Core brochure, and a recent Student Handbook.

You will also receive a copy of each advisee’s PDF (personal data form) and one copy of an advising transcript prior to pre-registration advising. If an advisee file is not forwarded to you, you should make a file for each advisee. The file can contain academic information -- PDFs, copies of transcripts, copies of notifications pertaining to honors, probation or other academic concerns, academic planning guides, and advising notes. Advising notes may include anything pertaining to possible career or major choices, notes about using campus resources or other referrals made, and advice or recommendations given at each advising session. DO NOT include subjective comments or notes of a personal nature that you would not normally share with the student. Under FERPA all students may request access to their academic records and that includes advising folders.

Advisor & Advisee Responsibilities

Advisees can expect their advisors to:

Maintain regular office hours.

Post and maintain office hours during pre-registration advising.

Stay up to date on changes within their major department.

Refer them to the appropriate campus resources.

Advisors can expect their advisees to:

Make appointments and keep them.

Come to advising appointments prepared. This may mean coming with questions regarding graduate schools, or it may mean giving thought to next semester’s classes before asking for an advisor access code.

Keep copies of their own academic records.

What Can I Do To Improve My Advising?

Listen carefully to hear all of your advisee’s expressed problems.

Try to understand student concerns from the student’s point of view.

Stay up-to-date on college policies and procedures, and on changes in your major department.

Learn to refer students to other resources when referral is in their best interest. No advisor knows everything – know when to refer.

Attend advisor workshops, when possible. Even if you feel you have nothing new to learn, you can share your experiences with new advisors.

Join the National ACademic ADvising Association (NACADA)