Our Mission
Welcome to the College of Natural and Social Sciences Advisement Center (NSSAC)! We believe that “academic advising is a crucial component of all students’ experiences in higher education.” It is our mission through advisement to help you:
· find meaning in your life,
· make significant decisions about your future,
· achieve your maximum potential,
· access all that higher education has to offer. (CAS, 2008.)
Assistance Provided by NSSAC
· One-on-one and group academic advisement including general education and major
academic requirements.
· Academic plans to monitor progress toward meeting academic, leadership, professional, and personal goals.
· Goal-setting and identifying strategies for academic success.
· Personal advisement and referrals to appropriate campus resources.
· Quarterly course schedule planning.
· Assistance completing appropriate department and campus forms.
· Academic intervention, probation, and disqualification advisement.
· University policies procedures, deadlines, forms, and campus resources.
· Self-efficacy and personal development workshops.
· Academic overview and advisement during Freshmen Orientations.
· Information about degree options in the College of NSS.
· Information about Admission Requirements.
Seeing an Advisor
Appointments
To guarantee an advisement session, appointments are strongly encouraged. Appointments are scheduled for 30 minutes and must be scheduled in advance. Students may make appointments in any of the following ways:
· Call the NSSAC front desk at 323-343-5284.
· Send an email to NSSAC@calstatela.edu Students must make sure to include their First
Name, Last Name, CIN, Major, and Class Level (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior) in their email.
· Drop by the Advisement Center in person and request an appointment location KHD1050..
Appointment Cancellation
· If you are not able to keep you appointment you must call the office (323) 343-5284 as soon as possible to cancel or reschedule your appointment.
· Students may have their appointments cancelled if they are 10 minutes late.
Drop In/Walk In Advisement
· Walk-in advisement appointments are available on a first-come-first-serve basis,
provided an advisor’s schedule permits it.
· During busy times (first two weeks of every quarter and registration periods), wait
times may vary widely. To avoid long waits, students are encouraged to
schedule an appointment.
· If students need assistance with only quick questions (“where do I…how do I…where
is…) or a referral, they may drop in to the NSSAC without an appointment. If the staff believes that a student’s question or inquiry cannot be quickly addressed, then an appointment will be necessary.
Student and Advisor Responsibilities
You, the student, are ultimately responsible for the choices you make in college. However, the University realizes that in order to make informed decisions, students need the mentoring and advice of academic advisors and others in the University community. Your academic advisor is your primary resource regarding academic issues, opportunities, and programs and can be thought of as the coordinator of your educational experiences. The relationship between advisor and advisee is one of shared responsibility.
STUDENT Responsibilities
Advisors can help you understand fully all of your options and avoid needless mistakes, but only if you take the initiative to seek their advice. Your responsibilities in the advising relationship are:
1. To take the initiative to contact your advisor. Be mindful of the need to work with advisors during posted office hours or take the initiative to make other arrangements when necessary.
2. To prepare a list of questions or concerns before each meeting with your advisor. Have a tentative, written schedule prepared if you are preparing to register.
3. To gather all relevant decision-making information.
4. To seek sources of information that will assist you in making academic/career decisions.
5. To ask questions! If you don't understand a policy or a procedure, ask questions until you do understand. Be knowledgeable about policies, procedures, and requirements.
6. To be familiar with the requirements of the major(s) that you are pursuing, and to register for courses each quarter in accordance with those requirements.
7. To be aware of the prerequisites for each course that you include in your quarter schedule and to discuss with your advisor how prerequisites will affect the sequencing of your courses.
8. To follow university procedures for registering for courses and for making adjustments to your class schedule.
9. To observe academic deadlines. Don't miss deadlines. Know when to register and when to drop or add classes. Set up appointments with your advisor well in advance of these deadlines.
10. To keep your advisor informed about changes in your academic progress, course selection, and academic/career goals.
11. To keep a personal record of your progress towards your degree. Organize official university documents (Undergraduate Catalog, Schedule of Classes, Academic Program Form, etc.) in a way that enables you to access them when needed.
12. To participate fully in the courses for which you are registered by completing assignments on time and attending class.
13. To understand academic performance standards, academic probation, academic dismissal, and GPA requirements.
14. To notify the university if your address or phone number changes and to read your university mail, including e-mail.
15. To inform your advisor and department immediately whenever a serious problem (medical, financial, personal) disrupts your ability to attend classes or interferes with your ability to focus on your education and to perform your best work.
ADVISOR Responsibilities:
1. To clarify university policies, regulations, programs, and procedures.
2. To be available to meet with students each quarter.
3. To keep regular office hours and be adequately available to meet with students.
4. To offer advice on selecting courses and to assist in developing an academic plan that satisfies degree requirements.
5. To be a responsive listener and to refer to appropriate support services within the university when needed.
6. To discuss academic performance and the implications of that performance for the undergraduate programs, graduate programs, and professional programs students desire to pursue.
7. To help students explore their interests, abilities, and goals and to relate them to academic majors.
8. To be knowledgeable about career opportunities and to refer to Career Services as needed.
9. To offer students the opportunity to participate in a mentoring relationship that will help them to become more independent and self-directed. [Source: Concordia University Wisconsin, http://www.cuw.edu/Departments/advising/responsibilities.html (adapted, August 2011)].
Expected Student Learning Outcomes
Through the academic advisement experience in the NSSAC, students will be able to do the
following:
1. Actively participate in the advisement process.
2. Demonstrate the ability to make effective decisions regarding their degree and career goals.
3. Build rapport with their advisor(s).
4. Develop educational plans for achieving their goals and quarterly course schedules.
5. Gain knowledge of university policies, procedures, and campus resources.
6. Utilize campus resources and services to enhance educational and personal success.
7. Understand graduation requirements and how they impact the choice of courses.
8. Select courses each quarter to make progress toward completion of general education and major program requirements.
9. Effectively utilize GET for class registration, verify and accept financial aid awards, review
unofficial transcripts, check for holds and pending “to do list” items, and update personal
information.
Our Obligations to You
To provide an integrated approach to academic advising that is delivered through a collaboration among you, faculty, and student affairs professionals. Proven to be highly effective in maximizing student college success, in this approach:
· faculty advisors bring to students their “expertise in curricular matters, particularly as they concern helping students integrate their overall academic, career, and life goals; connect those goals to choices in the major; and access resources to overcome academic barriers to learning;”
· student affairs professionals “assist with aspects of the curriculum outside the student's major, including co-curricular matters; connect students to resources that address non-academic problems; and, most crucially, help students understand how things work at the university.” (Journal of College Student Development, 49:6 (November/December 2008): 609-24.)
Your Obligations to Yourself
To become a responsible, informed, and active participant in the decision making process related to all aspects of your educational career. This means that you will
- recognize that advising is a shared responsibility and accept final responsibility for all decisions;
- clarify personal values, abilities and goals;
- prepare for advising sessions and bring relevant materials when contacting the advisor;
- contact and make appointments with the advisor when required or when in need of assistance;
- become knowledgeable about policies, procedures, and requirements, for example, add/drop deadlines, graduation policies, and general education policies.