Overview
Advising is one of the hallmarks of an Allegheny education and a tangible demonstration of the close interactions we celebrate as an institution. Allegheny students have an evolving advising team during their time on campus, from the “entrance advisor” who welcomes them to the community and helps them schedule their first-semester courses, to their “exploratory advisor” who teaches their first-year advising lab and advises them until they declare a major, to their “major advisor(s)” who will help them navigate their academic programs, to their “senior project advisor”, who works with students to complete their Senior Comprehensive Project. Along the path from Matriculation to Commencement, students will benefit from great relationships with other faculty and staff who will offer advice – their instructors, coaches, and staff from the Student Success, Institutional Advancement, the Class Deans, and an array of other offices.
This handbook is a small effort at helping advisors meet some of those goals. It brings together, in a single document, information on major and minor program requirements as well as other details of the academic program at Allegheny. It also includes a wealth of information on resources and opportunities available to your student advisees. If you have questions that are not covered in this handbook, please ask!
We view this document as a work in progress, one that should evolve and change to best meet the needs of advisors at Allegheny. As such, we welcome your feedback and advice on how to make this a more useful resource.
Co-directors of Academic Advising
Ian Binnington
Dean for the Student Experience
Professor of History
Jennifer Dearden
Associate Provost
Professor of Music
Faculty Advising at Allegheny College
Advising is a multi-faceted, professional activity based on research, standards, and best practices. Effective advising reinforces and extends the education students acquire in the classroom, helping them to take advantage of curricular and co-curricular opportunities, to understand academic requirements and college policies, and to prepare for career planning and lifelong learning. Research has also demonstrated that successful advising can significantly improve student achievement, retention, and satisfaction. While students are responsible for all decisions that they make at Allegheny, and should understand that not all things are possible, and that choices carry with them consequences; advisors are responsible for encouraging students to be responsible for their own education and for providing them with the guidance and structure to do so. Put simply, advising is a vitally important professional responsibility for all full-time faculty at Allegheny College
Allegheny College Advising Mission Statement:
Advising at Allegheny College holistically empowers students to seek coherence and meaning in their liberal arts educational experience, to develop agency in their individual educational journeys, and to build lasting connections to support their growth and success.
Student Learning Outcomes
Allegheny students should:
Know: Program requirements; graduation requirements and intent of the FS program (NB: or its successor program, if approved) and the Distribution Requirements (DR) in helping students achieve outcomes of College mission statement; availability of resources
Do: Articulate educational and early career goals; use campus resources; develop a social/support network
Value: Liberal arts education; multiple ways of knowing; importance of lifelong learning; role of advising in shaping educational plans; relationships with advisors
As a result of advising, students will:
- Articulate educational and early career goals through the iterative formation of an educational plan that integrates curricular and co-curricular experiences
- Use campus resources to support achievement of educational goals
- Assume responsibility for meeting academic requirements
- Develop the skills for lifelong learning, growth, and resilience in the face of challenges
- Recognize how engagement with multiple ways of knowing contributes to a liberal arts education
- Demonstrate personal and civic responsibility in local and/or global contexts
- Develop a social network and support system that includes peers, faculty, staff, and/or community members as advisors
Advisor Learning Outcomes
Allegheny advisors should:
Know: Accurate information about college requirements, policies, procedures, and resources
Do: Build students’ understanding of curriculum; practice ethical/legal standards by respecting student confidentiality and diversity; regularly participate in development opportunities to remain current in advising practices and college policies/procedures
Value: Liberal arts education; multiple ways of knowing; importance of lifelong learning; role of advising in shaping educational plans; relationships with students
Advisors will:
- Provide accurate information about academic requirements, policies, and procedures to facilitate advisees’ decision-making and goal-setting
- Connect students with campus resources relevant to their individual needs and goals
- Articulate the value of a liberal arts education
- Establish respectful and inclusive communications as part of coaching/mentoring advising relationships
- Encourage academic, personal, and civic responsibility
- Maintain and expand their knowledge and skills related to advising
Navigating Advising Situations
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