Advisor Competencies and Responsibilities
Advising knowledge competencies
- Linfield Curriculum requirements.
- General academic policies.
- Graduation/degree requirements.
- When to refer a student to another resource.
- Who department chairs are and/or who are point people in a student’s major of interest.
- Where to find advising information.
- Majors/minors offered at Linfield.
- Campus resources available to students.
- Co-curricular opportunities to enhance a student’s experience.
- Introductory courses to explore majors.
- How to/when to utilize Self-Service and Etrieve for advising purposes.
- Relevant student development theory.
- Their own advising philosophy, aligned with the institutional advising mission.
Advising skill competencies
- Establish rapport with advisees.
- Build respectful, professional relationships so that students feel valued.
- Actively listen to advisees.
- Communicate effectively with advisees.
- Facilitate students’ goal-setting, educational planning, and decision-making.
- Utilize advisees’ Progress Reports for course planning.
- Assist students in creating and updating an academic plan.
- Make effective referrals.
- Maintain advising notes for each advisee.
- Explain to students the value of the Linfield Curriculum and/or the liberal arts.
- Help students select intro courses in academic areas of interest.
- Engage in Linfield Advising related meetings (All Advisors), trainings, and with the advising community.
Advising values
- Academic and professional exploration through the liberal arts.
- Intentional process of major discernment.
- Empowering students to make their own decisions.
- Advising as a teaching and learning process.
The Advisor's Responsibilities in the Academic Advising Relationship are to:
- Be accessible to advisees through posted office hours, scheduled appointments, telephone calls, and emails.
- Assist advisees in developing long-range academic goals and plans and to address immediate problems or issues.
- Assist advisees in making choices that will lead to the development of a successful academic plan and educational experience.
- Provide advisees with up-to-date and accurate information about selecting courses and developing an academic plan that satisfies degree requirements.
- Clarify Linfield policies, requirements, programs, and procedures.
- Be a responsive listener and refer advisees to a support office or person when appropriate.
- Discuss with advisees their academic performance and the implications of their performance for their academic and career goals.
- Discuss career opportunities with advisees and make referrals to Career Development, when appropriate.
- Empower advisees to explore their interests and make their own decisions regarding academic, career, and life goals.
- Encourage advisees to change advisors if they no longer have an interest in the advisor’s area and/or a positive relationship is not developing.
- Understand and comply with the mandates of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 as amended.