CHAPTER 5 POLICIES PERTAINING TO CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

SECTION 3 ADVISING

(To see who has authority to approve changes to this section, please see the Approval of Changes page).

ADVISING POLICY

OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY

The Academic Affairs Committee shall retain oversight authority for academic advising.

RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE ADVISING PROCESS.

Students’ Responsibilities.

Students are responsible for

• determining a course of study that satisfies the requirements defined for the appropriate degree in the UWSP catalog;

• scheduling and appearing promptly for appointments with the adviser when necessary (at least once each semester);

• preparing for an advising session by having the necessary forms available and a list of questions and courses (and alternatives) needed;

• being knowledgeable about policies, procedures, and requirements as published;

• being prepared to discuss personal values and goals as they relate to academic and career-related needs;

• following through with appropriate action after the advising meeting; and

• accepting responsibility for the academic decisions to be made.

Advisers’ Responsibilities.

Faculty and academic staff who serve as advisers are responsible for

• providing timely and accurate advising on academic and career matters;

• making advising readily available;

• maintaining necessary files on advisees for monitoring progress toward advisee’s educational goals;

• conveying information on academic requirements, policies, and procedures;

• assisting the student in identifying and pursuing educational goals and objectives and in securing information about career opportunities;

• helping the student to examine course offerings in the major, and relate these to courses in the student’s broader field of study; and understand the graduation requirements for the chosen curriculum.

• tailoring the advising approach to individual students and making referrals appropriate to their needs and interests;

• being responsive to discussions of students’ personal values and goals as they relate to academic and career-related needs; and

• being sensitive to issues relating to the student’s retention at UWSP, and making appropriate referrals when necessary/possible.

DELIVERING ADVISING SERVICES.

Academic and Career Advising Center

The Academic and Career Advising Center (ACAC) will advise all incoming freshmen for three semesters and all incoming transfer students for one semester. Each student will be assigned a professional academic and career adviser to assist the student in the student’s transition to the university, and to help the student identify educational and professional goals and to offer guidance to the student on ways to reach those individualized goals. Students will be transitioned to a professional or faculty adviser within their program of study after the third semester for freshmen and after one semester for transfer students.

Students are encouraged at any time to seek guidance and mentorship from multiple sources on campus.

Assists Departments.

The ACAC shall assist departments and other functional equivalent units in establishing and maintaining effective advising programs and in the assessment of academic advising.

Distribution of New Information.

The Director of Academic and Career Advising shall have responsibility for distributing information to faculty advisers about changes in academic policies and procedures related to advising that do not yet appear in the UWSP Catalog.

Career Advising.

Career advising shall be the joint responsibility of the academic departments and the Career Specialists in the ACAC.

Departments.

Autonomy.

Departments shall have autonomy in structuring their advising procedures within the limits set by these guidelines. (For example, a department may choose to have only a part of its faculty, or part of the faculty and academic staff, assigned to advising.)

Responsibility.

Individual departments shall have primary responsibility for providing timely and accurate advising to their majors and minors, and to students in related disciplines assigned to that department for advising once the student has been transitioned to the department from the Academic and Career Advising Center. While peer advising may be provided in units where it is appropriate and workable, it shall not replace faculty or academic staff advising.

Policies.

Departments and functional equivalent units, in consultation with appropriate students, shall establish policies and procedures to support commitment to and assessment of individual advising. Where appropriate, departments shall specifically include advising as a component of departmental and university service in merit considerations.

New Student Orientation.

Individual departments may offer specific orientation programs to their majors and minors.

TRAINING ACADEMIC ADVISERS.

Training Required.

All faculty and academic staff who serve as advisers shall complete an appropriate training and counseling program provided by ACAC in collaboration with Advising Council, a campus advisory body to the ACAC.

ACAC Peer Adviser Training.

Individual departments electing to use peer advisers shall provide program specific training for peer advisers and shall establish policies and procedures for the use of peer advisers. ACAC peer advisers will provide support to all students served by the ACAC.

ACAC peer adviser training shall, at a minimum, include discussion of the responsibilities of advisers, effective advising techniques, materials and sources for advising information and procedures for referral of advisees.

ACAC training shall include information on the importance of the General Education Program for the liberal arts education of the students.

REVIEWING THE ADVISING PROCESS.

Review Process.

The ACAC, in consultation with the Academic Affairs Committee, shall develop and establish a review process which includes measurement of the effectiveness of the overall advising program.

Additionally, because differential tuition funds Academic and Career Advisers in ACAC, the Student Government Association (SGA) will be actively involved in assessment of advising services.