Advising is an integral part of the academic program of the College, and it is coordinated through the Office of Advising and Academic Success located in the Student Life and Technology Center. Faculty advisors serve as the central academic resource and mentor for Hendrix students. Each student has a faculty advisor who provides assistance in academic planning and who is available for counseling on academic and related issues and concerns. Each student is expected to work closely with his or her faculty advisor as he or she develops and pursues a coherent course of study shaped by his or her goals and interests and by College and departmental requirements.
Academic advising at Hendrix is viewed as a partnership between advisor and advisee, grounded in mutual respect and a common commitment to student growth and success. The advisor/ advisee relationship respects the autonomy and intellect of each student and acknowledges the broader developmental and educational contexts within which academic advising occurs.
Though advisors and advisees work together in all areas related to academic planning, final responsibility for knowing and completing all graduation requirements, for planning and monitoring academic progress, and for using the faculty academic advising system rests solely with the individual student.
Within the context of student responsibility outlined above, academic advisors are responsible for providing their advisees with appropriate, accurate information concerning the academic policies, programs, procedures, and resources of the College. Advisors also assist advisees in defining, developing, and pursuing an educational plan consonant with their academic, career, and life goals, including the selection of an academic major consistent with their interests and abilities within the broader liberal arts curriculum.
Advisees are encouraged to meet regularly with their advisors in order to realize the full educational potential of the advising program. More specifically, each student works carefully with his or her advisor in the spring to structure an appropriate course schedule for the upcoming year, based on the student’s short- and long-term academic objectives as well as his or her career interests and goals.
In addition to ongoing general discussions concerning academic planning and scheduling, career goals, and academic progress, students and advisors will want to discuss the topics listed below.
- Nonstandard academic load;
- Dropping a course;
- Interim Reports;
- Schedule changes;
- Selecting, declaring, and changing a major;
- Odyssey requirements;
- Study abroad opportunities;
- Transfer credit procedures;
- Internship possibilities;
- Leave or withdrawal.
Students should consult the Guide to Academic Planning to assist them in meeting the responsibility for knowing and understanding the academic requirements of the College, and to promote each student’s initiative and autonomy in directing his or her own academic program and progress.
New Student Advising
Every new student at Hendrix is assigned a member of the Council of New Student Advisors (CNSA). Most new students remain with their new student advisors through their first three semesters of study. During the fourth semester students declare a major and choose an advisor in the department or area of his or her major. To declare a major students need to use the Advisor Designation and Major/Minor Declaration Form.