Improved academic plan to include 25 full-time advisors

Office of Communications & Marketing |Northeastern State University
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Already this summer, Northeastern State University facility staff is hard at work with new construction and renovations to existing structures. Their changes will be very noticeable in August: repaired sidewalks, fresh paint, new carpeting and so forth.

One big change might not be as visible, but it will have a lasting positive impact on the overarching goal of increasing the number of students who graduate from NSU.

This fall, 25 full-time advisors will be available during regular office hours to assist students through their academic journey. They will be an important part of an improved advising model that will bring clarity to a process that is currently seen by many students as overly complicated and confusing.

A key element of the new model is the addition of 10 advisors, allowing for an improved team approach. University, academic and faculty advisors will all play a specific role in the process. A total of 13 advisors will work with new students and those with undeclared majors, providing services designed to get them connected to campus services and guide them through their university and general education requirements.

Students with a declared major will be assisted by one of 12 academic advisors (three per academic college) who will provide guidance related to all the intricacies of the academic plans of study. The addition of the new advisors provides the opportunity for periodic required appointments at certain checkpoints to ensure that students are on track and making progress toward their degree.

Meanwhile, faculty advisors will continue to provide academic support and focus on connecting students with their program-specific course selection, admission to a graduate program and their career pathway.

The transition to a new advisement model has multiple phases that include the name change, staffing additions and a new physical location of the center. The First-Year Experience office is now the University Advising Center, the additional academic advisors are now in place and the new location is on the horizon.

For more information regarding the changes related to academic advisement, contact Jeff Walker at 918-444-3253 or Dr. Jerrid Freeman at 918-444-3651.