UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Student Handbook

Advising

Advising is a process by which faculty and designated persons assist students in successfully navigating the course options and requirements that lead to the attainment of their academic and career goals.  

Faculty responsibility:  A major part of the teaching responsibility is in the advising of students the faculty has in class or those assigned as advisees. For that purpose, each faculty member should be available at specific times. Early in the semester, faculty members should post near their offices and send to the Dean of the College a schedule of those hours during which they are available for consultation with students. The hours listed should be in sufficient number and varied during the days so that any student has an opportunity for consultation.

Advisor Assignment

Undergraduate Students:

New Students: Students who have not declared an academic major are advised through the Pre-Major Advising Program in the Academic Success Center. Students with a chosen major will be assigned a faculty advisor by the department chair in that major. The faculty advisors in the various academic areas will be appointed by their department chair. Changes of advisor assignments will be made upon request of the student or advisor and will be confirmed by a written notice to the previous advisor from the department chair. The advisor folder containing test reports and other material should be forwarded to the student's new advisor.
Continuing students: The assignment of advisors to continuing students will reflect the request of the student and the approval of the advisor and the department chair. Usually sophomores stay with their freshman advisors. Some departments may assign advanced students to senior staff or to the chair.
Graduate Students:

An advisor in the student's area of specialization will be assigned by the program coordinator of that area during the process of a student's admission to a graduate degree program. It is the advisor's responsibility to help the student formulate a plan of study leading toward the accomplishment of the student's objectives. Most of the information that follows is geared toward undergraduate student advising. Faculty should consult the Graduate Catalog for specific information regarding graduate program policies and regulations.

Advising Information and Procedures

The following factors are worthy of consideration in advising the student on educational goals:

ACT profile information
Aptitudes and abilities
Previous achievement
Motivation and attitudes
Financial resources and employment
Personality
Health
Career Goals
Advisor/Advisee Agreement

At the initial meeting of an advisor and advisee, the advisor should make the advisee aware of an advisor's responsibilities and those of the advisee as stated below.

The advisor's responsibility is to:

Meet with advisees at least once each semester, review their Degree Progress Reports with them, discuss the advisee's academic and career goals, make them aware of their progress at that point in their academic career, acquaint them with any new information and options, and help them interpret requirements and schedule courses.
Keep files with all pertinent information (uniform standards of confidentiality and security regarding files must be maintained).
In necessary, direct advisees experiencing academic difficulties and having specific issues to appropriate sources of assistance.
Encourage advisees to obtain information about extracurricular on-and-off campus activities, organizations, internships, scholarships, as well as about career opportunities and graduate programs.
The student's responsibility is to:

Become familiar with General Education, graduation and program requirements and monitor their progress toward fulfillment of these requirements.
Meet with the advisor in advance of each semester's registration date and come prepared for the meeting with a tentative course schedule.
In special cases, such as academic difficulty, declaring a (new) major or minor, withdrawing from the university, etc., schedule an additional appointment with the advisor.
Seek advisor assistance with academic decisions rather that expecting the advisor to make the decisions.  Students must accept responsibility for the decisions made by them.
Seek information about on-campus activities related to his or her major (e.g. clubs, teams, organizations), as well as internships, scholarships, graduate programs, and other career opportunities.
 
Source:  Faculty and Staff Handbook, Chapter Nine, Sections 9.7 - 9.7.3.2