101 Organization
101.1 Board of Regents
Arizona State University is part
of a university system governed by the Arizona Board of Regents
(ABOR), a body corporate and political with perpetual succession
under the constitution and laws of Arizona. The Board consists
of eight citizens appointed by the governor of the state for terms
of eight years, and one student regent serving for one year, with
the elected governor and state superintendent of public instruction
as members ex-officio.
101.2 University Mission
The mission of Arizona State University
is to provide outstanding programs in instruction, research, and
creative activity, to promote and support economic development
and to provide service appropriate for the nation, the state of
Arizona, and the state's major metropolitan area.
101.3 Mission of Advising
Effective academic advising of students
is an essential part of the educational experience at ASU. The
University is committed to providing quality advising to all students.
To achieve the highest quality advising, students, faculty, and
staff must work as a partnership. To ensure timely and accurate
advising to their majors, each college has advisors to assist
students in assessing educational goals, developing programs of
study, and understanding rules, procedures, and curriculum requirements.
101.4 University Organization
The ABOR selects and appoints the
president of the university, who is the link between the ABOR
and the institution. The president is aided in the administration
of the university by a provost for each of the 3 campuses. The
ASU Main provost also serves as senior vice president to the president.
The academic units develop and implement
the teaching, research, and service programs of the university,
aided by the university libraries, museums, and other services.
The faculty and students of the university
play an important role in educational policy, with an academic
senate, joint university committees and boards, and an associated
students organization serving the needs of a large institution.
Please refer to the organizational
charts on the following pages. The General and Graduate Catalogs
are excellent resources for specific information.
102 Advising Organization
102.1 History of Advising at Arizona
State University
As with most major universities,
advising at ASU evolved over time, in answer to both the demands
of the students and the perceived needs of the University. Perusal
of the catalogs of the 1960's and early 1970's indicates that
degree requirements were readily identifiable through reading
the catalogs; course advisement was considered a minor function
and was frequently conducted by faculty as an additional duty.
Other aspects of what is now considered advisement were handled
by administrative personnel who could identify the proper forms
to be executed. Processing of students who had failed to achieve
minimum standards was done by a small staff of college-level advisors
with decision-making on this issue at the associate or assistant
dean level, but in some colleges even at the department level.
With the rapid growth of ASU in the
mid 1970's through the early 1980's, the advising picture became
more complex. Larger numbers of ASU students were transferring
from schools outside the state while the amount of transfer credits
from the Arizona community colleges grew significantly. Evaluation
of non-ASU credit became a major task of advisors. In 1979, the
first of the annual Course Equivalency Guides was published, providing
written agreement on course equivalencies between the Arizona
community colleges and the state's three universities.
In the early 1980's, in response
to criticism from the North Central Association of Colleges and
Secondary Schools, ASU's accrediting association, work began on
the establishment of a set of requirements that every ASU student
would have to fulfill in order to graduate. The decision was
taken to implement these requirements, which took the name University
General Studies Core, effective in school year 1987-88. With
the earlier announcement of the General Studies Core, it became
apparent throughout the system that advising would be significantly
more complex in all colleges in the future. Many colleges revamped
and expanded their existing advisor staff and, for the first time
at ASU, a central advising office was established.
102.2 Cross-college Advising
Services (www. asu.edu/duas/cas/cas.htm)
In the early summer of 1986, at the
behest of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, the University
Academic Advising Center (UAAC) came into being. Consisting of
a director, five academic advisors, and a secretary/receptionist,
the center was placed under control of the dean of the College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences and was located with that college's
offices in the Social Sciences Building. The center was initially
tasked only with the advisement of the University's "no preference"
students. These students had always been assigned to CLAS and,
because of their large numbers and lack of a departmental home,
had long been one of the least-adequately advised segments of
the student population. As the center enlarged with additional
advisors and graduate and undergraduate student assistants, it
progressively took on more tasks of assisting other colleges with
their "overflow" during busy times, and, little by little,
became physically and operationally separated from CLAS.
By the summer of 1988, the center
had outgrown its original facilities and was moved across the
mall to the Matthews Center. In 1991 the UAAC passed from the
control of CLAS, with the director reporting directly to the vice-provost
for academic affairs. In 1994 the Center again moved, this time
to its present location in the old Purchasing Building, soon to
be known as the DUAS Building, for its now-parent unit, the Division
of Undergraduate Academic Services. Throughout this entire period,
the focus of the UAAC remained on the no preference students,
but its expanded functions reached across the campus, into the
residence halls and into the surrounding community, particularly
in its liaison with the Maricopa Community Colleges. In July
1997, the center was renamed Cross-college Advising Services (CAS)
and now serves as the primary advising site for the following
students: all undeclared students, freshmen (first two semesters)
in, Business, Psychology, Sociology, History, Political Science,
BIS and Pre-BIS, prospective students and pre-law.
102.3 The Council of Academic
Advisors
The Council of Academic Advisors
(CAA) developed from a predecessor organization, ACAFAD (Academic
Affairs Administrators). The latter organization had come into
being during the 1960's and, despite its name, consisted mostly
of academic advisors who met periodically and informally to discuss
common problems. About 1990, the organization began to look at
itself and decided on a more formal structure involving by-laws
and the election of officers. With its formalized structure the
CAA has been recognized by the University administration as the
principal voice of ASU advisors. The CAA president sits on key
university committees and its communications network is used to
dispense reliable information to advisors.
102.4 The Advising Coordinators
Board
The Advising Coordinators Board (ACB)
also developed from an earlier informal organization but at a
slightly later date. In 1991, at the behest of the director of
the UAAC, the head advisors of each college/school began meeting
monthly in an attempt to work out problems that involved more
than one college without raising those problems to the level of
the academic deans. Initially calling itself (tongue-in-cheek)
The Mavens, its initial purpose was quickly supplemented with
self-assigned projects to resolve some of the general problems
of coordinating advisement at the college level. This organization
also came to the attention of the university administration as
a source of information and action and with the recognition came
the desirability of a more appropriate name, which was adopted
in 1994.
102.5 The Mandatory Advisement
Computer System
The initial mechanization of student
records at ASU occurred in 1980 with the implementation of the
Student Information System (SIS). The system also became a valuable
tool for advisors when computers able to access the SIS became
commonplace in college offices in the mid 1980s. Then, with the
subsequent move to desk-top computers, the SIS transcripts became
instantly available to advisors as they sat with their advisees.
In the late 1980's, in response to
higher administration standards for more orderly advisement processes,
the Mandatory Advisement Computer System (MACS) was designed to
require advising for those admitted with less than the new admission
minimums. Designed by a committee of advising coordinators and
technicians, the MACS, when implemented in the Fall of 1991, allowed
individual colleges to choose categories of students and require
their contact with an advisor before being allowed to register.
It also made much of the academic information already on the
SIS available to advisors directly while in MACS, provided them
with the ability to control the registration of any student, and
made it possible to record free-form information on the student's
MACS records.
102.6 Advising at the College
Level
Each of the eight undergraduate degree-granting
colleges of ASU Main, along with the School of Social Work and
the University Honors College, has an advising section located
in the college/school offices. These sections vary in size from
a single advisor (Fine Arts, Social Work) to a contingent of eleven
(Business). Common responsibilities of the college advising offices
are evaluation of out-of-state transfer courses, administration
of the acceptance process to the college's professional program,
"gatekeeping" duties regarding the reinstatement of
previously disqualified students, and the processing of intra-university
transfers. Numerous other functions are performed by each office,
depending on the philosophy of the college and procedures it has
developed over time.
102.7 Organizational Models for
Advisement
Since the advising function at ASU
has been a product of unplanned growth, for the most part, it
is not surprising that there are multiple organizational models
of advising. When ASU students are seeking academic advising
services, they may encounter one or more of four advising models.
While the models indicate general
organization of academic advisement within the colleges, it should
be noted that advising organization differs in detail in every
college. Each college has developed its own set of policies,
procedures and tasks that best fits its unique function within
the university system.
Model 1
University-wide advisement is offered to students through
Cross-college Advising Services (CAS) in the Division of Undergraduate
Services (DUAS). New freshmen and transfer students often start
out with the services offered by this unit, which is located in
the central part of Main Campus.
Model 2
Centralized advising model in a college. Academic advisement
is provided by professional academic advisors to all students
by college/school professional academic advisors. This model
is the obvious choice when the college/school offers only one
major (Nursing, Social Work), but is also used in a number of
those offering multiple degree programs that have a common thread
throughout (Architecture and Environmental Design, Business, Education).
Although academic advisement is accomplished at a centralized
location in each of these colleges/schools, the academic mentoring
process is conducted within the subordinate departments as well
as in the classrooms.
Model 3
Departmental Advising Model. Academic advisement is conducted
by advisors within the departments; college level advisors do
special advisement for particular categories of students. This
model is the choice of the remaining four colleges (Engineering
and Applied Sciences, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Public
Programs). The degrees offered by these colleges are so numerous
and/or varied that the colleges have determined that routine advisement
can best be accomplished nearer to the sources of instruction.
This model exhibits by far the greatest diversity when one looks
at the individual departments and how they accomplish advisement.
These are some of the variations: 1) one, two or many members
of the faculty are assigned advising duties, 2) graduate students
have advising duties and 3) part-time or full-time employees are
hired specifically to advise students. Some departments combine
two or more of these methods. Where the responsibility for advisement
has been delegated to the departments, department chairs have
been given almost total discretion in designing their advising
procedure.
Model 4
Multiple advisors for specific population. Academic advisement
for students pursuing concurrent degrees in different disciplinary
colleges, for students pursuing concurrent degrees in different
disciplinary colleges, for students enrolled in the University
Honors College and for student-athletes requires coordination
between multiple "primary" advising units. Concurrent
degree students may be required to work with more than one of
the advising systems described in Models 2 and 3. Honors College
students receive advising from the college which offers their
major and from the University Honors College. Student-athletes
on one of the 21 intercollegiate athletic teams have academic
advisors in their college and academic counselors in the Athletic
Department who specialize in monitoring progress according to
the NCAA rules. These advisors are located in the Academic Services
Office in the Intercollegiate Athletics Department.
Additionally, students who intend
to matriculate in law school, medical school, or other health
professions schools will utilize pre-professional advisors at
the college or university level (or both) in addition to the advisors
mentioned above. To demonstrate an extreme example of multiple
sources of advisement, a Pre-med. Chemistry major who is a member
of the Honors College and also a student-athlete would have available
the services of the following advisors:
1. Department advisor, for matters
relating to the Chemistry degree,
2. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
advisors, for unique matters that are not normally handled at
the department level,
3. Pre-med. advisor, for matters
pertaining to preparation for, and admission to medical schools,
4. ICA academic counselor, for matters involving
athletic eligibility under NCAA rules, and
5. Honors College advisor, for matters
pertaining to graduation from the Honors College.
103 ADVISOR CLASSIFICATIONS
Arizona State University allows each
college the authority to establish and support its own student
services. Each college is responsible for developing and presiding
over implementation of policies and procedures that best relate
to successful student advisement services. Within the Arizona
Universities Personnel System, Classification Description advisement
services meet the scope of Arizona State University's vast and
diverse curricula.
103.1 DIRECTORS/COORDINATORS
Each college has an individual charged
with the administrative and coordinating functions for academic
advising. The official title and type of appointment will vary
among the colleges; Individuals may be either classified staff
with the title (academic advising coordinator), or a service professional.
They typically supervise and train some or all academic advisors
and represent the college on committees or teams which involves
academic advising issues. Other duties will reflect the unique
needs of the unit.
Academic Advising Coordinators manage
the activities of the academic advising programs. They are also
responsible for advising students with unique problems and giving
advice and leadership to Academic Advisors regarding difficult
cases. Some organize internship programs including promotion,
recruitment, placement and progress of students. Incumbents deal
with the most difficult advisement cases, have supervisory responsibility
over a group of Academic Advisors and coordinate advisement programs.
103.2 CLASSIFIED STAFF/ACADEMIC
ADVISOR CLASSIFICATIONS
Advising needs vary among the colleges
and departments. The individuals appointed to do academic advising
may come from a variety of classifications.
Classified System.
Within the classifies staff system, three categories were developed
for those described as professional advisors.
1. Academic advising coordinator.
This appointment will be used for those individuals who coordinate
a range of advising activities (such as internships) but do not
supervise staff.
2. Academic advisor, senior.
3. Academic advisor.
Academic Advisor Appointment
The advising needs of the colleges
and departments vary widely and the individuals appointed may
come from a variety of classifications.
Classified System
The Arizona classified staff system,
three categories for professional advisors:
1. Academic Advising Coordinators
manage the activities of the academic advising programs. They
are also responsible for advising students with unique problems
and giving advice and leadership to help academic advisors handle
the most difficult advisement cases. Coordinators have supervisory
responsibility over a group of academic advisors and coordinate
advisement programs.
2. The Academic Advisor, Senior
has supervisory responsibilities and/or is responsible for the
development and coordination of a special advising program. The
Academic Advisor, Senior works independently with less supervision
and has authority to approve student academic progress.
3. The Academic Advisor interviews
and advises students regarding information, procedures and academic
requirements of a specific program or major. Academic Advisors
assist students in exploring careers, evaluating academic abilities,
and setting goals. The Academic Advisor is distinguished from
the Student Academic Specialist in that the individual's primary
function and majority of time is spent advising. The Academic
Advisor is required to interact continually with student, parent
and public.
Academic Professional System.
Those Academic Professionals classified
as Academic Associates are appointed to their positions. Their
job activities encompass extracts from the Academic Advisor, Academic
Advisor, Senior and Academic Advisor Coordinator positions. Their
diversity enables the Academic Associates to establish a thorough
support of advising resources for given departments.
 |
| Contact Us | Last Modified: Friday, 24-Mar-2000 09:45:30 MST | Arizona Board of Regents Copyright |