Building an Advising Relationship


Hiram College recognizes and values the importance of quality advising. Academic advising helps students develop a course of study both in and out of the classroom that is appropriate for their academic background and intellectual abilities. Advisors also help the student develop and achieve their educational and career goals. As advisors, faculty plays a central role in the advisement process at Hiram. They help to ensure that students take appropriate courses to satisfy degree requirements and serve as mentors helping the student through difficult periods in the process of social, intellectual and ethical development.

An individual faculty member does not, however, always possess the time, knowledge and skill to help the student. Good advising is a partnership between the student and the college. Advisor knowledge of the variety of support services provided by the college is important to assure each student's success. Faculty advisors have the responsibility to be familiar with the material in this Faculty Advising Handbook and the Hiram College Catalog. Students have the responsibility to be familiar with the material in the Student Advising Handbook, the Hiram College Catalog, and the Student Handbook.

Catalogues are no longer printed and bound but instead can be found here.

A helpful guide to undergraduate advising can be found at http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ which talks about the various and changing roles for academic advisors.

1. Meet Regularly The more an advisor is familiar with their students the better advising works. We promote Hiram as a lace where students get to know their advisor but often students are reluctant to make the first move. Try to maintain some contact with your advisee during the semester to make sure everything is going as smoothly as possible. Advisors often have the responsibility to provide letters of reference for summer jobs, study abroad programs, internships, graduate school, and post-graduate employment. The advising relationship, however, is not built on equality. Particularly for first and second year students this is not a relationship chosen by the student. Being sensitive to the unequal power relationship will help remind the faculty member that their goal is to empower the student to make good decisions. By asking questions and giving advice, the adviser is not telling the student what to do, but helping the student to understand the opportunities available and the consequences of action or inaction. Being sensitive to the inherent inequality in the advisor/advisee relationship means being aware of conduct and situations that make your advisee uncomfortable and feel threatening to them. See Section 3.2 of the Faculty Handbook dealing with Sexual Harassment.

2. Provide Accurate Information To assure accurate and helpful advising it is important to each Hiram College faculty member who is fulfilling this role:

  1. be knowledgeable about Hiram College requirements. This includes both general education and the available majors and minors. This Advisor Handbook includes information relevant to course selection during a student‚ first and second year of college.
  2. Be aware of campus resources which can be used to support your advisees, intellectual, social and ethical development. Advisers are not expected to know everything or to be able to solve every problem. When it is determined that a referral is desirable, it is important that the adviser:
  3. help the student to understand why the referral is being made.
  4. explain what kind of service is offered and what the student should expect from the referral service, and
  5. help the student make the appointment.

    Possible referrals include Academic Services, tutors, writing assistants, counseling services, and health services. A section of this Faculty Advising Handbook provides a referral guide. Students should be encouraged to become familiar with the material in the Student Advising Workbook.
    1. be able to interpret test scores accurately and to make the appropriate course selection suggestions based on the test results. Please refer to the section of this handbook on test score interpretation.
    2. Give advice regarding the students' academic programs and graduation requirements and to help the student decide which courses best meet their goals.
    3. Maintain and regularly update an academic file for each. Be sure to include copies of all official correspondence.
    4. Be aware of the Buckley Amendment to the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This act gives students the right to inspect most of their academic records. An exception would be private notes and reference material. Parents may receive copies of their student's grade reports after their student signs a form in the Registrar's Office stating that the student is their legal dependent. Grades and other academic information should never be disclosed on the telephone.

be able to interpret test scores accurately and to make the appropriate course selection suggestions based on the test results. Please refer to the section of this handbook on test score interpretation.

Give advice regarding the students' academic programs and graduation requirements and to help the student decide which courses best meet their goals.

Maintain and regularly update an academic file for each. Be sure to include copies of all official correspondence.

Be aware of the Buckley Amendment to the Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. This act gives students the right to inspect most of their academic records. An exception would be private notes and reference material. Parents may receive copies of their student's grade reports after their student signs a form in the Registrar's Office stating that the student is their legal dependent. Grades and other academic information should never be disclosed on the telephone.

 3. Advising Goals

1. Conveying the basic goals of the college, including the broad aims of Liberal Arts educatio, the more specific aims of our general education requirements, and the necessities of the major
2. Helping the student become "connected" with the College
3. Aiding students in learning how to negotiate Hiram College's Referrals
4. Planning short and long term goals for the student's academic and career path.
  Advising is

  1. Consultative in nature - not approval
  2. Empowering your advisee - an adviser is a teacher in the best sense of the word.
  3. Valuing their concerns and their desires - supporting their interests
  4. Expressing of interest should not be met with disapproval.
  5. Examine why they have that interest and how they got there - challenge them to grow to think about opportunities that build on their expressed interests and perceived strengths.
  6. Getting the student to think seriously about their academic decisions.  In the end, the final decision is the students.

5. To achieve the Goals

  1. Get to know your advisee. Ask about their background, what they have done and what their interests are.
  2. Get to know the institution and your colleagues. But you can't be expected to know everything, so at least know where to go for answers. Be prepared to make a referral. "I know someone who might be able to help you. Do you want me to help make the appointment?"
  3. Encourage students to expand their options. Learn, and help them learn, why choices are expressed. Inform students of opportunities you see that they might have overlooked. Link these new opportunities to their interests, strengths, and goals.


Additional Information