Academic Advising Resources

Academic advising is one of the most positive interactions that students refer to when recounting their experiences at Cornell. Your relationship and guidance of your advisees plays a large role in their individual success and our success with retaining students as a college.

In order to support you in your role as academic advisor, we want to provide you with as much information as is necessary to assist you in your advising. It is, of course, essential to understand that all information you obtain about your advisees must be treated confidentially. For a fuller discussion of issues concerning confidentiality of records, and recommendations about ensuring privacy, please see the article in the current Faculty Handbook.

Stellic degree audit and course planner

Stellic is the tool you can use to collaborate with students in keeping track of their progress toward their degree and planning for their future coursework. Within Stellic you can also communicate with your students and Registrar staff.

Stellic for Faculty  Stellic Login

Advisor copies of student records

As an academic advisor, you may view and print current academic year schedules and unofficial transcripts of all your advisees. This information is available in Self-Service.

Instructions: Searching for Advisees   Self-Service 

When you accept a new advisee, you will gain access to their academic record in Stellic, Self Service, and the P drive.

Advisee list

You can access a current list of all students assigned to you for advising at any time in Stellic.

Advisee grade report

Staying aware of your students' academic progress will help you know when to reach out to them with concerns or offer well-deserved praise between advising sessions.  

Advisee Grade Report

Advising expectations

Guide for Faculty and Advisors

Academic advising involves the ability to prompt students to take responsibility for choices about their education and to assist them in the development of realistic goals. Academic advising carries the teaching role beyond the classroom for the purpose of helping the student make educational choices in the larger contexts of the department and the College. All full-time students are assigned an advisor from the faculty.

Expectations of advisors include:

• Meet regularly with each advisee and be available to help them navigate the college system.
• Provide guidance in course selection, both inside and outside of your major field of interest. Assist students in choosing courses most relevant to their intended degree, major, graduate study (if applicable), and personal and professional aspirations.
• Have a thorough understanding of the curriculum including:
  • All-college requirements
  • The course catalogue
  • Course schedule
  • The Compass
• Assist with professional and student development issues.
  • Provide guidance on the expectations of college students and encourage productive study habits, effective time management, and a healthy balance of curricular and co-curricular engagement.
  • Encourage appropriate independence, responsibility, and accountability in academic and professional matters.
• Acquaint advisees with resources and opportunities available at Cornell College:
  • Center for Teaching and Learning
  • Berry Career Institute
  • Dimensions
  • Ebersole Health and Wellbeing Center
  • Off-campus Studies
• Write letters of reference for students as they pursue these opportunities.
• Keep track of your advisees’ academic progress.  If an advisee receives a low grade in a class, meet with the advisee to help ascertain the cause of the low grade.  Help advisees create a plan of action to address academic difficulties. This may entail referrals to the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the Dean of Students for early warning, the counseling center, etc.
• Review the College’s educational priorities with advisees and discuss their progress in meeting these objectives 
• Follow and abide by FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) regulations. 
• Be open to the individual backgrounds and personalities of each student.

Advising is an important and serious responsibility for each faculty member at Cornell College. Faculty/advisee relations should be engaging and meaningful.

Cornell faculty and staff are a collaborative team that works together to give all students the best education possible. When working with advisees, ask for comments or suggestions from colleagues, your department chair, the Registrar, or the Associate Dean.

**If you recognize a student is in any kind of academic or personal struggle, it is worthwhile to send an e-mail to Early Warning.  Please include in your message any information you have regarding the student. That email goes directly to the Dean of Students and the Registrar.

Departmental guidance

Many academic departments and programs maintain a recommended course sequence and other information to assist academic advisors.  Please use these guides in helping students consider introductory courses for the purpose of exploring majors.  

• Departmental Guidance Guide
• Dimensions Guide for Advisors
• Teacher Education Program Advising Guide
• Pre-law Advising Guide
• BSE Advising Guide

You can also find resources about career clusters through the Berry Career Institute.

Questions?

Contact the registrar's office for assistance registrar@cornellcollege.edu or 319.895.4372.