Academic Advising

Academic advising involves the entire process of higher education, which attempts to interpret, enhance and enrich the total educational experience of the student. Chip Anderson, Program Coordinator at UCLA, promotes an “Advising for Excellence” approach. This approach, which views “excellence as the development of human talent,” is consistent with the mission of Eastern Mennonite University.

A principal goal of academic advising at EMU is to provide a system whereby students are assisted in planning a program of study in keeping with their interests, abilities and educational life goals. The student and institution share responsibility for a student successfully completing an academic program and developing their potential fully.

The Assistant Dean for Student Success coordinates undergraduate academic advising at EMU and is responsible for communicating advising philosophy, developing and distributing information about advising, orienting new faculty to their undergraduate advising role, overseeing departmental/program advising and regularly evaluating advising services to students.

Each academic department/program under the leadership of the department chair/program director carries out the delivery of direct advising services to students. The department chair/program director is responsible for training new faculty for their advising role and assigning each student to a faculty advisor in the department/program. Undergraduate students who have not declared a major will be assigned to a cadre of specially trained advisors for undeclared advising. The number of undergraduate students assigned to any one faculty person or professional staff member for advising should not exceed 25.

For further information on advising processes please consult the appropriate catalog.