Advising policies and expectations

The mission of the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Student Center is to provide a professional and meaningful academic advising experience for our undergraduate students, assisting them in navigating university and program requirements to achieve their educational goals and earn a bachelor’s degree.

Advising expectations

The academic advising process is a collaborative relationship between students and advisors. As such, both students and advisors should uphold the following expectations to ensure a positive advising experience:

As a student, you can expect your advisor to:

  • Be knowledgeable about the curriculum requirements for the program(s) for which they advise
  • Assist you in selecting appropriate classes and developing an academic plan that meets degree requirements
  • Be familiar with campus resources and make appropriate referrals when necessary
  • Provide accurate and timely information about university policies, regulations and procedures
  • Be reasonably available for advising appointments or to assist in answering occasional advising questions via email.
  • Provide information and guidance to assist you in your decision-making processes

As your advisors, we expect you (our student advisee) to:

  • Seek advising assistance in a timely manner, well in advance of enrollment dates and/or as soon as academic issues arise
  • Come to advising appointments prepared, including any academic questions you wish to ask
  • Become knowledgeable about university, college, and departmental program requirements associated with your major(s) or minor(s), as well as relevant policies and procedures
  • Take the initiative to become familiar with and utilize available campus resources
  • Keep your advisor informed of any changes that might impact or interfere with satisfactory academic progress
  • Take responsibility for your academic actions and decisions

Advising office policies

It is our goal to serve all students at the CLA Student Center in a respectful, equitable and timely manner. To ensure our ability to provide productive appointments and efficiently take care of your advising needs, as well as maintain a professional office environment, we ask for your understanding of and adherence to our office’s general policies.