Advisor Expectations and Advising Principles

Advisors are academic mentors who build a relationship with their advisees by:

  • Getting to know them
  • Paying attention to their progress
  • Helping them identify, develop and pursue their passions, clarify their plans and goals, and complete their degrees
  • Listening carefully and recommending resources

Full-time tenure-track/tenured faculty and instructors (except during their first year at K), librarians, head coaches, and some senior administrators serve as academic advisors.

Advising Appointments

  • Meet all assigned advisees quarterly during Advising Days – weeks 6-7
    • Submit Advisement Complete (clear them to register) during meeting
  • Meet assigned incoming students during orientation
  • Be available for other appointments or questions as needed during the quarter
  • Suggested topics for advising appointments (depending on individual needs of the student and where they are at in their K career):
    • Academic interests, plans, and goals
    • Current courses, academic successes and/or struggles
    • Degree/major requirements, progress towards graduation
    • Upcoming course selection; importance of breadth & depth
    • Goals for life after K, skills attained so far/need to achieve
    • Involvement outside of classes – service-learning, athletics, employment, student organizations, etc.
    • Transitional/year-specific issues (e.g., first-year adjustment, potential majors, sophomore declaration of major, study abroad, SIPs, etc.)
    • Study abroad/away plans and goals
    • Utilization of CCPD resources, interest in internships/externships, summer plans
    • Course withdrawal or credit/no credit options (if applicable)
  • See Choosing Courses and Designing Your K-Plan for many suggested questions you can discuss with your advisees.

Working with Advisees/Relationship Building

  • Take time to get to know your advisees, be engaged, ask them questions
  • Communicate clearly and listen carefully
  • Be sensitive to cultural issues
  • Encourage them to set goals and to plan ahead
  • Help your advisees frame questions, find answers, and facilitate problem solving
  • Discuss their interests/goals and how that relates to breadth and depth, the open curriculum, and a K education
    • Encourage students to take a variety of courses across the liberal arts to find connections to current interests or new passions
    • Encourage students to take courses they are interested in, so they can explore their deepest interests and be prepared to declare majors as sophomores

Advising Principles

  • Connect students to resources on campus for more detailed information or when situations/questions are outside your area of expertise
  • Never answer a question when you don’t know the answer
  • Abide by FERPA
  • Respond promptly to Early Alert notifications
    • Be direct (but please don’t read or forward alert verbatim to student)
    • Ask what is happening, listen attentively, discuss options, refer to campus resources
    • Document, refer, ask for help, and report further as needed
      • When something seems “off” or extreme
      • When a student seems atypically withdrawn or disengaged
      • When problems go on and on

Training and Development

  • Advisors are strongly encouraged to attend the annual Advising Practicum (held before orientation) and quarterly advising lunches for ongoing training and development.
  • Before officially being assigned advisees, all new advisors must attend a new advisor training workshop. This workshop is held annually in spring term. New advisors also attend additional training sessions during new student orientation and in fall and winter terms once they have started advising.