Academic Advising
Faculty advisers are assigned to each student based on academic major. Students are notified of this assignment by the dean's assistant in the appropriate college. Advisers may be consulted for major and career choices and concerns, course sequencing and selection, and a variety of other issues. Students should schedule a minimum on one conference per semester with their advisers. Frequently this is done when planning next semester's class schedule.
Other advising resources include the Academic Advising Center, Career Services Office, and the Counseling and Testing Center, all located in Wilder Hall. The staff in these offices provide academic, career and personal counseling, and make referrals when appropriate. These resources, particularly the Academic Advising Center are useful for students who have not declared an academic major or are uncertain about a major or career.
Academic assistants to the deans are knowledgeable about university policies and procedures. They assign faculty advisers and notify students of their academic status. They determine whether students have completed all General Education, college core, major, minor and university requirements for graduation. Students should schedule an appointment with the assistant in their college dean's office one semester prior to graduation to confirm that all requirements will be met.
The Student Notice of Academic Progress (SNAP) report is an important advising tool. Each semester a report is generated and sent to students via email as well as to each adviser. The report identifies requirements that have been completed and those that remain. Using your SNAP is the best way to ensure that you are taking exactly the courses you need for graduation. SNAP search allows a student to get a SNAP report for any major. This provides an opportunity to determine how one's courses fit into a different major, and what requirements would need to be met. SNAP reports are available on TALON and SNAP searches are available through the Academic Advising Center.