Purpose – The University provides support and works in partnership with advisors and students to develop thoughtful strategies that result in effective academic plans.
Vision – Academic advising at Ferris State University provides students with coordinated and comprehensive strategies so that they may gain lifelong skills in planning, decision-making, and setting and attaining goals. More than a series of business transactions, advising at FSU is a thoughtful, rigorous learning experience that inspires and educates students to take the lead in their paths to success.
Roles and Responsibilities – To this end the University will provide resources, professional development, and a reflective learning model for advising commensurate with its mission; advisors will work with students to balance support with challenge, ensure student access to existing resources, and advocate for and engage in innovative advising practices; students will be provided educational strategies so that they may be active partners in the advising experience and use University resources to their advantage as they seek to accomplish their educational and career goals.
Strategies to Accomplish the Purpose –
The University will:
- provide an advising infrastructure including educational counselors, support services, and transition classes and other resources as needed
- develop and maintain advising materials
- provide training and encourage professional development for faculty, staff, and peer mentors
- conduct periodic program assessment, adopt best practices, and utilize emerging technologies
- seek continuous improvement
- recognize and reward excellent advising
Advisors will be encouraged to:
- be available and responsive to students
- provide current academic information to students
- assist students in developing education and career goals
- refer students to support services as needed
- participate in training and professional development
Students will:
- contact (meet with) assigned advisor(s) regularly
- seek support resources when needed and when referred
- seek academic and career information
- maintain advising material related to education and career goals
Source: Report and Recommendations of the Ferris State University Academic Advising Team, March 2010
Advisors are responsible:
- to the students and individuals they serve.
- for involving others, when appropriate, in the advising process.
- to the college in which they work, higher education in general, the Ferris community, their professional role as advisors, and to themselves personally.
Advisors should:
- be available and responsive to students.
- meet with assigned advisors regularly.
- become well acquainted with each advisee's academic and educational needs.
- actively obtain/maintain current information on each assigned advisee.
- provide current academic information to students.
- direct advisees to available campus resources according to their individual needs.
- assist students in developing course schedules and offer advice on student choices of general education courses and electives.
- study, discuss, verify, and sign advisees' early registration form.
- encourage advisees to review their academic progress regularly searching for possible conflicts or omissions.
- assist students in developing educational and career goals
- assist advisees in an effort to expedite the evaluation of their transfer credits, if necessary.
- participate in training and professional development
- make an appointment with their advisor when required or when in need of assistance.
- prepare for the advising sessions and bring appropriate resources or materials
- be knowledgeable about current academic program requirements.
- follow through on actions identified during each advising session.
- seek academic and/or personal support services as needed.
- clarify their personal values, abilities, interests, and goals.
- become knowledgeable about and adhere to institutional policies, procedures, and requirements as explained at the new student orientation and outlined in the student handbook and/or catalog.
- evaluate the advising system, when requested, in order to strengthen the advising process.
- request re-assignment to a different advisor if necessary.
- be proactive in the decision-making process and accept final responsibility fo all decisions.