Y’15 completed our first year utilizing “upper level” academic advisors. Eighteen (18) professional academic advisors now provide advising for all undergraduates.
Academic departments encourage faculty members, now free from the administrative aspects of academic advising, to serve instead as academic mentors to students in their departmental major(s), to shepherd them through their upper-level courses, conduct undergraduate research with students, and help to develop the students’ plans for graduate school, professional school, or the career world.
A stronger working relationship between student and advisor is expected to positively impact retention. For example, our academic advisors place a special emphasis on monitoring advisees’ credit hour registration, to encourage students to target 30 earned credit hours a year.
