Welcome to Arkansas State University!

Goals of Advising

  • Advisors ensure that students understand and meet degree requirements.  
  • Advisors help students develop a perception of themselves and their relationship with the future.  
  • Advisors encourage self‐reliance by helping students make informed and responsible decisions and set realistic goals.  
  • Advisors see the goal of higher education as an introduction to the world of ideas, professional development and lifetime critical thinking skills.  
  • Advisors help students identify and build on their strengths to increase motivation and connectedness with the institution  
  • Advisors identify student expectations and goals and provide a framework in which students can develop appropriate academic and career decision‐making.  
  • Advisors see advocacy as a teachable moment in their relationship with an advisee.  
Suggested Activity:
  • Research your departmental goals for advising  
  • Review the NACADA homepage advising goals  
  • How do these goals compare to your own goals and experiences with advising?

  • College Suggestions

    College Suggestions

    • Work with individual departments to develop advising plans.  
    • Send "Dean’s Welcome" letter to new students with basic survival information to assist students in navigating the system.  
    • Provide resources to help ensure that adequate advising is received by all students within the college. This could include:  
      • Interdepartmental reassignment of academic advisors to provide assistance to departments with especially heavy advising loads.  
      • Make resources available as appropriate to provide advising through graduate students.  
      • Provide a professional advisor to funnel general questions and concerns.  
    Suggested Activity
    • Create college‐wide survey (faculty) to review areas to enhance. 
  • Departmental Suggestions

    Departmental Suggestions 

    • Develop a specific advising plan which specifies the different levels of advising sought for new, transfer, and upper level students, and distribute to all faculty.  
    • Provide a statement upholding the role of advising within the department.  
    • Establish a coordinator of advising position within the department.  
    • Articulate a clear delineation of responsibility for academic advising.  
    • Provide an orientation to advising for new faculty.  
    • Support or provide ongoing advisor training.  
    • Develop procedures for intrusive practices such as identifying and contacting students in academic distress.  
    • Reward advising efforts with meaningful and relevant means.  
    • Evaluate departmental advising plan periodically and revise it as needed to ensure the program meets the evolving needs of students.  
    • Provide material to students to communicate program policy and curriculum.  
    • Offer a backup advising plan in case advisors are unavailable. Particularly when a student is new or needs a petition or other document signed.
    Suggested Activity
    • Review department advising plan to determine if updating is imminent. If advising topics are not discussed in your department, initiate a process to review periodically.