The Cliffe College Academic Advising Office strives to develop ongoing, working relationships with their advisees based on mutual respect, in order to help their students achieve academic and future career success. Our services consist of:

• Individual academic advisement sessions with professional advisors
• Updated, Online Curriculum Guidance
• Updated Admissions and Transfer Requirements Ongoing Graduation Guidance

Advising as Mentoring

Advisors are most helpful when they mentor students in ways that enhance academic experiences at the University. Strategies for mentoring students include the following:

1. Advisors serve as an essential point of contact for communicating the expectations and rationale of the curriculum. In this capacity, advisors can be helpful in expectations and rationale of the curriculum. In this capacity, advisors can be helpful in explaining the rationale behind major requirements, the University's General Education requirements, and specific college requirements.
2. Students are ultimately responsible for understanding and meeting the requirements of their respective academic programs, advisors can provide helpful feedback by monitoring academic progress, helping to clarify requirements, policies, and procedures, and directing students to appropriate sources of information.
3. Advisors help students to make sure that their schedules are thoughtfully constructed consistent with their goals, abilities, and aspirations.
4. Every student brings a unique combination of strengths, resources, barriers, challenges, and responsibilities. Advisors can help to identify potential difficulties that a student may face and recommend appropriate assistance.
5. Advisors can be particularly helpful when they encourage students to take advantage of options and opportunities they may not have considered, such as special courses, campus activities, leadership opportunities, internships, study abroad, special scholarships, additional majors or minors, and graduate study.

Responsibilities of the Advisee

The advisor-advisee relationship is organic and will vary from student to student. In regard to their officially assigned advisors, students are ultimately responsible for making sure they understand the following:

• Daily class attendance directly correlates to increased academic performance. In other words, going to class = higher grades! Every student must own his or her education and learn his or her curriculum.
• Students are ultimately responsible for understanding and meeting the requirements of their respective academic programs, advisors can provide helpful feedback by monitoring academic progress, helping to clarify requirements, policies, and procedures, and directing students to appropriate sources of information.
• Freshmen, transfer students, and new advisees are required to meet with his or her advisor and should arrive at advising meetings on-time and with awareness of academic requirements, questions they would like to have addressed, and any relevant documents.
• Continuing advisees should arrive at pre-registration advising meetings on-time and with a good sense of the requirements, a preliminary course schedule, and any questions or concerns they have regarding their requirements and/or schedule.
• Advisees are responsible for scheduling a meeting with their advisor during the advising and pre-registration period.
• Advisees should visit their advisors outside of the advising and registration periods to discuss items beyond scheduling and academic requirements. Conversation topics could include assistance with filling in relevant forms (i.e. change of major form, repetition form, etc.), to review academic regulations, senior evaluation, or referrals to other campus resources.

Responsibility of the Adviser

Advisors are responsible for the following:

• Advisors will be responsive to student inquiries through email, via phone, and in person within a reasonable period of time. Advisees will be notified of any periods of extended unavailability and provided with alternative points of contact.
• Advisors will meet in person with in person with every advisee during the pre-registration period, and ideally, at least one additional time each semester thereafter.
• Advisors will collect copies of the registration forms generated during the pre-registration advising meeting, keep a copy for their own records, and forward the other copies to the appropriate administrative office.
• Advisors will document any decisions notified by negotiated during the advising process.
• Advisors will inquire about academic problems and special challenges being experienced by their advisees and, if necessary, provide referrals to appropriate resources.
• Advisors will either provide accurate responses to inquiries about academic requirement or direct student to resources for acquiring that information. The advisor will ensure that the student has an advocate in getting information.