Undergraduate Advising Principles and Practices
Robert N. Gaines

Last revised 22 June 2018.

The University policy on faculty advising requires faculty members to "be available to students to provide academic advice" and to "be aware of curricular and degree requirements pertinent to their discipline." (The University of Alabama Faculty Handbook, ch. 5, II., A)

Consistent with this policy, I make myself available to students during regularly announced office hours and at other times for advising appointments. Students should contact me in advance by email to secure a time slot dedicated to their advising needs. The email should

1. Assert that I am your assigned advisor in DegreeWorks
2. State the matter(s) upon which you are seeking advice with specificity and details
3. State your times of your availability to meet during the next ten business days (i.e., M-F, but excluding University holidays and expected closures).

As the University policy directs, my faculty mission in advising is to assist students in their undertaking of a curriculum that will lead to satisfaction of all requirements in the Communication Studies major.

There are a number of matters that lie outside my responsibility as a faculty advisor, and, in general, I do not provide advising services concerning these matters. A partial list of matters that lie outside my responsibility includes the following:

• University degree requirements
• General Education degree requirements
• College of Communication and Information Sciences degree requirements
• Academic minor selection and requirements
• Change of academic major or minor
• Bachelor's degree audits (after registration for their second to last semester at the University, College of Communication and Information Sciences students may request a degree audit by email to the College Registrar, Alyson Jarnagin [aljarnagin@ua.edu]).
• Career implications of majors, curricula, or courses, including Communication Studies
• Policies and procedures of the University Career Center
• Policies and procedures concerning internships (paid or unpaid)
• Policies and procedures concerning study abroad
• Policies and procedures concerning honors programs at the University
• Policies and procedures concerning the the Advanced Placement (AP) program, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, or the General Certificate of Education (GCE)
• Course equivalencies for academic work undertaken at institutions other than The University of Alabama
• Policies and procedures of the Office of the University Registrar
• Policies and procedures of the Office of Disability Services
• Policies and procedures concerning eligibility for athletic ticket purchase

Prior to requesting any advising appointment with me students are expected to have completed the following tasks:

1. Read this discussion of faculty advising principes and practices.
2. Review their progress toward satisfaction of Communication Studies major requirements in DegreeWorks.
3. Declare an academic minor (for a useful--though currently incomplete--list of academic minors, see https://www.as.ua.edu/advising/majors-and-minors/). Students should consider at least two matters in their minor selection process: (a) the degree to which the minor extends or complements the knowledge they gain in their Communication Studies major and (b) the degree to which an academic minor makes their preparation profile attractive to potential employers. For students who cannot decide on a minor, my default suggestion is that they should consider the Leadership and Civic Engagement minor or the Computing Technology and Application minor. Details concerning academic minors may be obtained from the academic units that offer them.
4. Construct a tentative plan for courses to undertake in the next semester(s) that would satisfy requirements for the Communication Studies major.

My office is 208 Reese Phifer Hall. The best way to contact me is at my University email address: rngaines@ua.edu.