Please note: This is NOT the most current catalog.
Academic Advising at St. Olaf College
Academic advising at St. Olaf College encourages the integration
of the mind, body and spirit as students pursue academic, career
and lifelong goals. Central to this developmental process is
the partnership between students and their faculty advisers.
This partnership assists students in directing their intellectual
curiosities and overcoming personal or academic barriers to learning and
guides them in attaining their goals.
Advisers
Each student is entitled to a faculty
adviser. Advisers for new students are assigned by the Academic
Advising Center. The student may remain with this faculty member
or change to another faculty adviser at a later date with the permission
of the new faculty adviser. All students have the right to change
to a different faculty adviser at any time during the academic
year.
The Academic Advising Center and the department
chairs and program directors oversee the re-assignment of advisees
for faculty on sabbaticals or other leaves.
The advice of faculty advisers does not constitute
a promise or a contract ensuring a student's graduation on schedule
or the completion of specific requirements. Students and faculty
advisers must refer to the Class and Lab Schedules to determine
which courses fulfill specific graduation requirements. The responsibility
for understanding and meeting degree requirements rests entirely
with the student. Students have access to their academic records
at any time on St. Olaf's World Wide Web pages.
Student/Advisee Responsibilities
The responsibility for understanding and meeting degree requirements
rests entirely with the student. To fulfill this responsibility,
students should follow the guidelines below:
- Develop plans for achieving academic, career and personal
goals;
- Take the initiative to acquire advice and to develop a relationship
with a faculty adviser;
- Become familiar with the General Education
requirements and graduation requirements;
- Schedule appointments
with assigned faculty adviser when requested and prepare for
the meeting;
- Consult with the faculty adviser if making
major changes in the semester class schedule or when dropping
courses during the semester.
Faculty/Adviser Responsibilities
Faculty advisers assist the student in fulfilling
their responsibilities by:
- Being accessible;
- Empowering advisees to explore and make their own decisions regarding
academic, career and
lifelong goals;
- Assisting advisees in long-range planning as well as immediate
problem-solving;
- Assisting advisees in making choices that will
lead to developing a realistic major;
- Providing advice and when
appropriate referring advisees to the relevant office or resource
person;
- Not guessing in response to an advisee question about
policy or requirements and referring advisee to the relevant
office or person for an answer;
- Encouraging advisees to change
advisers if they no longer have an interest in the adviser's
area and/or it is felt that a positive relationship is not developing.
The advice of faculty advisers does not constitute
a promise or a contract ensuring a student's graduation on schedule,
or the completion of specific requirements. The responsibility
for understanding and meeting degree requirements rests entirely
with the student.
Academic Advising Center
The Academic Advising Center (http://www.stolaf.edu/services/aac)
provides administrative and curricular support to all St. Olaf
students and faculty advisers. The center provides high quality,
timely service on routine and general academic curricular questions
and encourages all students to become more knowledgeable and
involved in planning their academic programs.
Academic Peer Advisers (APA)
Academic Peer Advisers are a select group of current St. Olaf
College students who assist the Academic Advising Center in
providing quality, timely service on routine and general academic
curricular questions. With the center, they enable their peers
to become more knowledgeable and involved in planning their
academic programs. Academic Peer Advisers also assist with
academic planning sessions during Week One, set up academic
planning sessions during the year, provide support during registration
times and assist the center as needed.
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