The Academic Advising Plan
East Georgia State College
Approved by Academic Policies and Curriculum Committee 6/29/20
Approved by the Faculty Senate:6/29/20
Approved by the President: 6/30/20
EGSC carries out the job of academic advising as a team, with each member of that team having a clear understanding of his or her role in advising students. The team members include students, who have a responsibility to define their academic goals; professional academic advisement staff, whose training and expertise will guide students through the variety of programs that are available to them; full-time faculty, whose experience in their disciplines is an invaluable resource to students. Each member of the team will work in harmony with others in order to assist students as they select from the courses and programs of study offered at EGSC.
In accordance with revised BOR policy (see Appendix A), EGSC adopts the following framework for academic advising on all campuses:
1. EGSC academic advisement staff advise students with learning support requirements and aid the students in following their designated guided academic pathway (GAPs) and graduation plans.
2. Dual Enrollment students will be advised by the Dual Enrollment Coordinator.
3. Student athletes will be advised by the Assistant Director of the Learning Commons for Military Resource Center and Athletic Advisement. ·
Please refer to the Academic Advisement Plan for Athletes for details.
4. Faculty Advisors will advise students without learning support requirements.
Students should be strongly encouraged to choose a major during their first thirty credit hours and will be assigned to faculty advisors during their first term of attendance at EGSC, this is, if a student does not have learning support requirements and is not assigned to professional academic advising staff. Students who declare a major supported by EGSC should request a transfer to a faculty advisor for that program, if eligible. Students who do not declare a major supported by EGSC will be advised as General Studies majors. Students in the General Studies program who know what their major will be at another institution should be advised by a faculty member whose subject area most closely relates to the student's intended major.
5. Advisor Holds will remain on for all students regardless of credit hours earned.
All students are required to meet with their assigned academic or faculty advisor prior to registering for classes. The benefits of this requirement are twofold: first, it will reduce the number of mistakes that result from student "self-advising"; and second, the college can use advisor holds to ensure that students comply with federal student aid regulations that prevent federal aid from being used for courses that do not correspond to a student's degree program.
6. Each academic year, should the need arise, EGSC will offer updated training for all academic/faculty advisors.
Section 2.7 of the USG Academic and Student Affairs Handbook, states "Each institution shall establish training sessions associated with academic advising such that faculty advisors are aware of the rules and regulations associated with the core curriculum, academic transfer, student status, and grading policies."
Training sessions will be performed by those who can give the most up-to-date information regarding academic advising practices, implementation of USG academic advising initiatives (e.g. mathematics pathways), changes to advisement policies and procedures, and revisions to advising documents (e.g. GAPs). These updates will ensure that advisors provide students with accurate and helpful information.
Additional training sessions for special groups of students (such as Correll Scholars and student-athletes) will be scheduled as needed.
7. Students will be assigned to full-time faculty advisors in a manner that ensures parity of distribution.
It is important that no faculty advisor is overloaded with advisees while others have too few, so the Deans from each School will ensure parity in the distribution of advisees among faculty.
8. Faculty advisors have full discretion in the use of their weekly office hours for their advising duties.
Appendix 1: Guiding Statements for Academic Advisement
Board of Regents Policies on Academic Advising
Section 3.9 of the Regents' Policy Manual: "Each USG institution shall maintain an academic advising framework to develop cognitive and non-cognitive skills in each student that promote a productive academic mindset and result in a clear understanding of educational, professional, and personal goals and a plan to achieve those goals."
Section 2.7 of the Academic and Student Affairs Handbook: "Each institution shall follow these general guidelines in establishing their academic advising program:
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- Each institution shall establish academic advising procedures within the academic units that comprise the college or university.
- These academic advising procedures shall have baseline minimal uniformity in application and simultaneously be tailored to the specific needs of individual students.
- Each institution shall establish training sessions associated with academic advising such that faculty advisors are aware of the rules and regulations associated with the core curriculum, academic transfer, student status, and grading policies.
- Institutions that have advising units outside of academic units will be responsible for keeping abreast of changes in academic curricula and requirements as stipulated by the institution and individual academic units.
- Student appeals concerning academic advising will follow the institutional appeals process.”
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Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
Section 12.1: “The institution provides appropriate academic and student support programs, services, and activities consistent with its mission (Academic & Student Support Services).”
Council for Advancement (CAS) in Standards in Higher Education
From the CAS: "Academic advising personnel may be full-time or part-time professionals for whom advising is a primary or secondary function; they also may be faculty members whose responsibilities include advising. Paraprofessionals (e.g., graduate students, interns, or assistants) and peer advisors may assist advisors."
National Academic Advising Association (NACADA)
From NACADA: "The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) is comprised of professional and faculty advisors, administrators, students, and others with a primary interest in the practice of academic advising. With diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, NACADA members advise in a variety of settings and work to promote quality academic advising within their institutions. NACADA recognizes and celebrates the contributions of professional, faculty, para-professional, and peer advisors to the advising profession. NACADA acknowledges the complex nature of higher education institutions and the role academic advising plays within them, the wide variety of settings and responsibilities of academic advisors, and advisors' diverse backgrounds and experiences. NACADA provides a Statement of Core Values to affirm the importance of advising within the academy and acknowledge the impact that advising interactions can have on individuals, institutions and society... The Statement of Core Values does not attempt to dictate the manner in or process through which academic advising takes place, nor does it advocate one particular advising philosophy or model over another."
