Recommendations for Faculty Advisors

• Get to know your advisees as individuals.  Studies show that the students who develop a mentoring relationship with their advisors are more academically successful, feel more connected to the college, and overcome personal and academic challenges.
• Get to know your advisees by asking open-ended questions and listening carefully.  Provide advice or commentary that is appropriate and realistic. 
• Keep up-to-date on basic graduation requirements, college policies, and important campus resources for students through ongoing advisor training and utilizing the following resources as appropriate: 
  • Academic Advising Handbook
  • Linfield Catalog
  • Academic Advising website http://www.linfield.edu/advising.html 
  • The Office of Academic Advising materials and staff in Walker 104.

  Access these resources in front of your advisees, demonstrating to them how to locate pertinent information. Refer students as needed to the proper place, person, or resource on campus as needed.

• Keep accurate records for yourself and subsequent academic advisors who may work with this student by maintaining student advising files.  Include the following in the files:  
  • a copy of the most recent registration form or current term schedule
  • a copy of the most recent transcript
  • an up-to-date Linfield Curriculum checklist of requirements 
  • Colloquium written assignments
  • concise written notes about your meetings with the student

  Assist your advisees in developing, and periodically reviewing, long-range academic plans and goals. Students’ plans and ideas often change rapidly so ask probing questions that will help students evaluate their plans and expectations.

• Post and keep regular office hours so that your advisees know when you are available and how to reach you.  Successful advisors are frequently available, but also know how to set limits for advisees regarding their own time and privacy.
• Contact your students often! To contact your students send an email to my advisees@linfield.edu. This will send an email only to your advisees. Remind your students to meet with you before registration each semester and notify your advisees of changes to your office hours or other reminders.
• When you will be on sabbatical leave (or for another reason will not be on campus for a semester or longer), please contact your advisees.  Encourage undecided advisees consider declaring a major and changing advisors; advisees in your major should be directed to a designated member of your department.  The temporary advisor will then need to have access to your files in your absence.  Please notify Academic Advising of the arrangements you’ve made and/or if you need assistance with this process.
• Encourage your students to change advisors if they decide to major in another department.  Talk with them about different faculty in that department and refer them to the Office of Academic Advising to complete the appropriate paperwork.  Also encourage your students to change advisors if you feel a successful, working relationship is not present between you and your advisee.  Acknowledging the difficulty and addressing it with your advisee may help them to understand the complexities of the advising relationship and reinforces that you want them to have the best educational experience possible. 
• Conform to FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) by sharing a student's records only with those individuals with a legitimate need to know, shredding private documents before discarding them, not discussing confidential matters in front of a third party, and not leaving academic records unattended or in a position to be viewed by unauthorized individuals.  This pertains to printed as well as electronic records.  A legitimate need to know is defined as needing information in order to fulfill one’s professional responsibility.
• Contact students immediately upon receiving academic alert notifications.  Invite the student to schedule an appointment with you and encourage the students to meet with the professor issuing the alert.
• Encourage and help your advisees to get involved in campus organizations and activities.  A student’s social involvement in academic and co-curricular activities helps them to feel connected to Linfield and remain in higher education.