Center for Excellence in Academic Advising

Search: This Site | People | Departments | Penn State

Center for Excellence in Academic Advising

The Nature of Advising

The advising policy of the University is intended to assure quality advising within the University while protecting the rights and responsibilities of both students and faculty. The basic tenets that follow should apply to all advising systems. However, in a large university it is both infeasible and undesirable to have a single advising system applicable to all students at all locations.

The role of the academic adviser in the University's advising program is consultative in nature and is not one of granting or denying administrative approval to students for particular academic procedures or actions. Administrative approval, when necessary and appropriate, may be granted by the student's college dean or director, or by a faculty member assigned this responsibility by the dean or director.

In an academic advising program where consultative relationships exist between students and advisers, some students propose actions with which the academic adviser cannot agree. Advisers are responsible for informing students of the appropriate course of action. However, final decisions relative to course scheduling and program planning are the students', and they must assume responsibility for such decisions, particularly when these decisions are inconsistent with the requirements of the chosen major and college.