Get to know your advisees; contact your new advisees early in the first semester

• Attend the advisor/advisee meeting during New Student Orientation to welcome new advisees to Nazareth University
• Send a welcome e-mail to new advisees and invite them to come for an individual appointment early in the first semester
• Learn advisees names and something about them (home town, interests)
• Review new advisees' first semester schedules with them
• Ask advisees about their interests and goals – personal, academic, professional, life; suggest related courses, minors, etc.
• Remind students to check their Nazareth e-mail account regularly, as this is one of the university's official methods for contacting students
• Send greetings/cards to advisees for special occasions/successes
• Host advisees for coffee, lunch, tours, etc. to help them get to know you, Nazareth, the Rochester area, and/or the major

Post and keep office hours and inform advisees of the best way to contact you

• Post your office hours and inform advisees of them
• Tell advisees the best way for you to be contacted and how best to set up an appointment with you
• Allow adequate time for appointments
• Post a sign-up sheet during the course selection period for appointments (or provide some other easy method for scheduling appointments)
• Send a reminder to advisees about course selection; instruct them on how to prepare for the appointment
• Check your voicemail and e-mail regularly
• Respond to advisees' questions in a timely way
• Develop and distribute an advising syllabus for your advisees; be clear about your expectations

Know and understand core, academic program and professional requirements, as well as Nazareth policies and procedures; help advisees to understand all of these elements

• Know where to find and how to utilize academic and college resources (on-line catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures section of the catalog, NazNet, program evaluations, dept. resources, AAC website, etc.)
• Provide accurate information to advisees
• Teach/show new advisees how to find and utilize academic and college resources
• Explain academic requirements and college policies and procedures, especially to new advisees
• Call the Academic Advisement Center (or schedule an appointment) for questions about academic requirements and/or policies
• Attend Academic Advisement Center workshops
• Pay attention to changes in curriculum, academic policies and new programs
• Know and follow the chain of command for approvals
• Know about and adhere to Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) policies

Assist advisees in reflecting upon their interests and abilities and clarifying educational, professional and life goals through active listening

• Ask advisees about their interests and goals – personal, academic, professional, life
• Refer students to appropriate resources (dept. chairs, faculty with special interests, Career Services, etc.)
• Discuss coursework, programs or other opportunities (minors, study abroad, internships, research, etc.) that relate to interests and goals
• Encourage students to take responsibility for their academic planning and decision making
• Ask open-ended questions and use active listening techniques – clarifying, summarizing, reflecting back, etc.
• Communicate face-to-face as much as possible, especially for complicated issues or difficult conversations

Monitor advisees’ academic progress and assist them in planning their programs to achieve their academic, professional and life goals

• Follow up with students about Starfish flags, probation, and/or poor grades as appropriate – discuss alternatives/ramifications (drop courses, delayed graduation, need for summer course work, etc.)
• Find out if students have concerns about particular courses and then follow up during the semester to see how they are doing (create a "tickler" on your calendar)
• Map out a student's plan to graduation (term by term) when appropriate – be sure they can fit in everything; keep a copy in the file and give the student a copy
• Assign "homework" when appropriate and follow up to see how advisees are progressing
• Communicate with second major advisor if necessary

Inform advisees of appropriate campus resources, support services and educational opportunities

• Refer appropriately during appointments; give specific information on how to contact another person/resource (office name and building/room number, person name and contact information)
• Forward information to advisees about programs that might be of interest
• Recommend educational opportunities that support/enhance advisees' goals/interests (minors, study abroad, internships, research, service learning, etc.)
• If you are unsure of a referral, contact that office to determine if that is the right resource before sending an advisee there
• When appropriate, refer a student with an issue/concern to another student (with permission) who has successfully navigated that same issue/concern.

Encourage advisees to meet with you before problems arise

• Clearly convey expectations to advisees
• Encourage students to contact you if they are concerned about something related to their academic progress or program
• Encourage students to take responsibility for their academic planning and decision making

Learn advising procedures, tools and technology by reviewing advising materials and/or attending advisor training opportunities

• Attend Academic Advisement Center and Information Technology Services workshops
• Call the Academic Advisement Center as needed
• Utilize the advising resources posted on the Academic Advisement Center's website
• Use the on-line catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures section of the catalog, and NazNet

• Review advising folder before meeting with a student
• Keep memory jogger notes in folder – “tell me something about yourself”
• Map out a student’s plan to graduation (term by term) when appropriate and keep a copy in the file; update each semester; give the student a copy
• Keep a copy of the course selection worksheet with “approved” courses each term
• Document anything that you advised; write it down and date it!!!
• If passing a folder to another advisor, please remove anything that is not needed (old degree audits). Memory jogger notes should be removed, but advising notes should stay.

Support advisees’ applications for educational opportunities when appropriate

• Be honest with students about whether or not you are willing and/or able to write a recommendation within the timeframe required; offer suggestions on where to go for other recommendations
• If you agree to write a recommendation letter, be sure to meet the deadline
• Help students find appropriate opportunities based on their strengths
• Help students to plan ahead for these opportunities (study abroad, internships, etc.)

• Be prompt in processing or denying approvals
• Keep a small file of forms in your office that advisees might need (Declaration/Change of Major, Transfer Credit Approval, Drop/Add, Student Petition, etc.)

• Be friendly, courteous, and welcoming
• Model professional and ethical standards of conduct