Academic Advisement Mission The University of Florida is committed to the concept of a strong program of quality aca- demic advising for all of its students. The mis- sion of academic advising is to serve as an ongoing process which assists students in the attainment of their educational goals through the development and evaluation of their educa- tional plans. To progress satisfactorily through a degree program, students must have available not only accurate information about require- ments and procedures tailored to individual educational needs, but also a knowledgeable, caring adviser capable of reducing the system to human scale. The advising system at the Uni- versity of Florida is a diverse and often complex one, involving personnel at the university, col- lege, or school and departmental levels. This multifaceted process is the responsibility of both student and adviser. Specifically, this mission can be accom- plished by advisers helping students to coordi- nate their learning experiences through the planning of their educational and career objec- tives commensurate with their abilities and the review of their academic progress. Further, advisement should assist students to clarify their life/career goals and the consequences of these goals by facilitating self-assessment and helping students to develop an educational plan. Finally, academic advising should act as a source of referral to other campus agencies. University Responsibilities The faculty, administration, and staff of the University of Florida share a responsibility to provide accurate information and effective advisement to students. The University of Flori- da through the Office of the Provost, is respon- sible for: ensuring that academic advising is fully recognized, emphasized, duly supported by budget and resources, and periodically eval- uated; providing students, faculty, and other advising staff with accurate information in the catalog, Schedule of Courses, and other publications; coordinating the advising efforts of the various colleges and schools; synchronizing advising with other units on campus, such as the Career Resource Center, Counseling Center, Office of Instruc- tional Resources, Office of the University Registrar, and the Office for Student Finan- cial Affairs. The University of Florida through the Uni- versity Advising Center is responsible for: acting as an information and referral cen- ter to provide faculty advisers and students with timely and accurate information on university-wide requirements, policies, procedures, and referrals to appropriate ser- vices; providing periodic in-service training and development from which faculty and profes- sional advisers can receive accurate informa- tion on academic policies and procedures; providing primary academic advising for undeclared majors; coordinating with the academic units to advise and to provide counseling services for students on academic probation; keeping an up-to-date list of academic coordinators for each program to direct stu- dents to the correct adviser; maintaining records of students' academic progress and advising conferences; reviewing and evaluating the academic advising program. College/School and Department Responsibilities The dean of each college or school is ulti- mately responsible for ensuring that adequate advisement is available and accessible to all stu- dents within the college or school. To fulfill that responsibility, each dean: in consultation with the faculty and the University Advising Center, shall select an advisement model in accordance with the Univeristy of Florida mission and consistent with student needs and program characteris- tics of the college; shall be responsible for providing the resources and faculty incentives necessary for the maintenance of an effective and effi- cient advisement network; shall be responsible for assuring that stu- dent advisement is part of the regular work- load of every full-time faculty member. This advising may include meeting individually with students to provide information about course requirements and student progress, and working with students on independent projects of student and faculty interest. Deans and/or department chairs may, how- ever, recognize differential advising respon- sibilities by appropriate assignment of duties. shall see that departments and programs make available to students brochures, hand- books, and/or checklists of major require- ments to help acquaint them with departmental requirements and opportunities. Student Responsibilities Students are ultimately responsible for knowing and fulfilling all university, college, and major requirements for graduation, as stat- ed in the catalog. In order to meet that goal they are responsible for: attending the summer Preview or other orientation program prior to their first semester of attendance; taking full advantage of the opportunities for academic advisement provided by the various university offices and programs; declaring a major area of interest, as soon as one crystallizes, to ensure proper advise- ment. conferring with their adviser on a regular basis: students entering their major should see an adviser upon acceptance. Further advisement should be on an as-needed basis; students in academic difficulty (i.e., below a 2.0 GPA) should see an adviser each term; students not yet in a major should see an adviser on a regular basis to assist them in the decision of a choice of major; students who at any time are confused about academic requirements or their progress toward a degree, are welcome and encouraged to see an adviser; students should maintain their own per- sonal academic records, including the cata- log of their year of admission, transcripts, degree audits, evaluation of transfer work, and notes of previous advising visits; students can evaluate (if desired) the aca- demic advising programs and individual advisers by filling out forms provided by the University Advising Center or by writing to the department chair, the director of the advising center, or the individual responsi- ble for the respective academic advising unit.