Advisor Responsibilities

• Be available to students during office hours, by phone, and by appointment.
• Keep records of meetings with students.
• Use Colleague to obtain up-to-date records for students.
• Help students choose an appropriate program of study.
• Help students choose courses that will fulfill their program requirements and future educational goals.
• Assist students in a realistic appraisal of their  progress and their success.
• Support and encourage students as they strive to achieve success academically and personally.
• Provide accurate information about college policies, requirements, and services.
• Make appropriate referrals to counseling services for purpose of discussing choice of major and/or career, transfer issues and personal concerns.
• Contact advisees who have received an Early Warning.
• Acquaint advisees who have received a deficiency notice at mid-term with the various options available to them.

It is important to recognize that advising is much more than just being able to follow the above bullet items. An advisor must be an effective advocate for the student here at MCC. The advisor should take a proactive role and be willing to address the student's career and/or transfer goals and be willing to do more than just say "Do this and that." In so doing the advisor can empower the student by giving the student the "mortar and bricks" to build his/her future rather than constructing it completely for him/her.

There are two models for advising--the prescriptive advisor or the developmental advisor.

Prescriptive	Developmental
Advisor knows about College policies and tells a student how/what to do.	Advisor directs student to the College policies and explains how they apply to the current situation
Advisor only provides information about courses and grades.	Advisor talks about planning for success and reviews strengths and weaknesses; student chooses the schedule.
Advisor monitors and evaluates student progress.	Advisor realizes that personal, social and academic issues all impact retention.  Advisor asks about progress and teaches the student to monitor courses and credits earned.
Advisor sees student as lazy and unmotivated and presents solutions.	Advisor teaches student to weigh alternatives and consequences to take control.
Advisor is more interested in "whats" than the "whys".	Advisor asks "why" to encourage student introspection and control.

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