Academic Advising

1. Preamble
   Sonoma State University recognizes effective and meaningful academic advising as an ongoing, multifaceted, developmental process which is integrally related to the rest of the educational experience. Academic advising is designed to provide the necessary tools, information, and support to enable students to take responsibility for: developing educational plans compatible with their personal, academic, and professional goals; meeting institutional and degree requirements; and preparing for a life of change, challenge, individual fulfillment, active citizenship, and public service.
   
   Sonoma State University takes a shared, collaborative, and student-centered approach to academic advising. Through a complementary partnership between Faculty Advisors and Professional Academic Advisors, with holistic support from our Student Support Network, our campus entities work together to promote students’ academic excellence, personal achievement, and persistence toward on-time graduation.
2. Purpose
   The structure and delivery of academic advising may vary slightly across campus to account for the distinctiveness of particular programs, departments, or schools. The purpose of this policy is to acknowledge that distinctiveness, while establishing a common framework for providing effective and meaningful academic advising to students.
3. Objectives
   1. Academic advising shall be made available and accessible throughout students’ college career. Specifically:
      1. Incoming students shall be offered academic advising at least once prior to enrolling in their first semester.
      2. Current students shall have access to academic advising at regular, reasonable intervals.
      3. Current students seeking to declare or change majors/minors, as well as credentials and certificates, shall have access to academic advising from their intended academic department at least once each semester.
      4. Current students who are part of designated equity- or identity-based programs shall be offered asset-based academic advising from their professional academic advisor each semester to address opportunity gaps.
      5. Current students who have applied for graduation shall be offered academic advising from their academic department during each remaining semester.
      6. Current students not in good academic standing or those flagged for an academic advising intervention shall be offered academic advising from their professional academic advisor each semester.
      7. Academically disqualified students seeking reinstatement shall have access to academic advising each semester throughout the reinstatement process.
   2. Incoming students shall be informed of the academic advising policy during new student orientation.
   3. Departments and programs shall clearly identify and publish how, and from whom, their students access academic advising.
   4. Documentation of academic advising interactions and communications shall be sufficiently maintained to facilitate continuity of support, student development, and assessment.
   5. Academic advisors shall be provided training on academic advising tools and resources, as well as on relevant policy or curriculum changes.
   6. The effectiveness of academic advising, including the student experience, will be regularly assessed.
4. Roles and Responsibilities
   1. Students - Take Ownership
      Students are expected to accept ultimate responsibility for their decisions, academic performance, course selection, educational pathway, and graduation timeline. This includes taking ownership of exploring and clarifying their values, skills, and abilities, as well as their personal, academic, and professional goals. Students should seek opportunities to get involved, enrich their educational experience, and build connections within our campus community.
   2. Professional Academic Advisors - General Advising
      Professional Academic Advisors predominantly support students with general advising. This includes, but is not limited to, empowering decision-making, goal-setting, and self-authorship; course registration; academic advising tools and resources; graduation requirements within General Education; academic standing and academic probation; and university policies, processes, and related forms.
   3. Faculty Advisors - Major/Minor Advising
      Academic advising is part of the additional professional responsibilities of faculty. Faculty Advisors predominantly support students with academic advising for majors/minors, as well as credentials and certificates. This includes, but is not limited to, overall graduation requirements; internships, research, and field experience; relevant co-curricular opportunities; and career and graduate school mentorship.
   4. Academic programs, departments, and schools - Support
      Academic programs, departments, and schools predominantly support Faculty Advisors and students with academic advising for majors/minors, as well as credentials and certificates. This includes but is not limited to, updating curriculum and resources (e.g., Academic Requirements Report; What-If Report; University Catalog; websites; articulation agreements; etc.); assigning appropriate academic advisor(s) or advising committee(s); partnering with university administration to support training on academic advising tools and resources, as well as on relevant policy or curriculum changes; and developing consistent and transparent guidelines for workload and compensation for Faculty Advisors.
   5. University administration - Coordination
      Overall responsibility for coordination and training for academic advising rests with the university administration. The Provost, in collaboration with Deans, the Office of Faculty Affairs, the Academic Advising Subcommittee, and the Division of Student Affairs, shall provide funding, resources, incentives, and recognition necessary for effective and meaningful academic advising. This includes, but is not limited to, periodic and thorough reviews of academic advising culminating in a report to the Academic Senate; maintaining the Advising Central website; and partnering with academic programs, departments, and schools, as well as campus resources (e.g., the Learning and Academic Resource Center; the Center for Teaching & Educational Technology; Student Success & Retention; the CARE Team; etc.) to coordinate training on academic advising tools and resources, as well as on relevant policy or curriculum changes.
5. Assessment
   The effectiveness of academic advising, including the student experience, will be regularly assessed. Depending on the resources available, assessment may include, but is not limited to, administrative audits of written procedures; formal or informal interviews with staff, faculty, or students; and statistically designed studies based on questionnaires or systematic interviews. The Provost will collaborate with academic advising units and programs to communicate assessment plans and results-based improvements, as well as share a report of the results to the Academic Senate.
   1. The assessment of academic advising within academic programs, departments, and schools shall be a part of the regular program review process and will fall under the purview of the Provost; the Deans; and the Academic Planning, Assessment, and Resources Committee; including the University Program Review Subcommittee.
   2. The assessment of academic advising not within academic programs, departments, and schools will fall under the purview of the Provost; the Division of Student Affairs; and the Student Affairs Committee, including the Academic Advising Subcommittee.
      
       

Updated March 7, 2024 by policies@sonoma.edu