6.5.1 Academic Advising

The purpose of advising at Blue Ridge is to facilitate the holistic development of our students, to enhance their academic performance, and to ensure students' progress toward graduation.

1. Blue Ridge One Stop on Henderson County campus will provide students with:
   1. First semester advising and registration for classes with a student services counselor and/or program-specific advisors
   2. An explanation of process for future advising with assigned faculty advisor
2. Faculty Advisors will empower students to complete their program of study and achieve self-reliance through the following responsibilities;
   1. Offer high-touch and comprehensive advising services, appreciating the unique perspective, background and needs of each advisee.
   2. Attend advising training as provided by the department or program.
      1. Obtain and become familiar with the College's policies and procedures, College Catalog and Student Handbook and current department advising materials.
      2. Become proficient in using electronic advising tools and resources (MyBlueRidge, Colleague, etc.)
      3. Be prepared to advise students after first semester of employment.
      4. Help mentor new advisors.
   3. Apply college-wide and departmental training to advise returning students according to the program and departmental checklists and the standards set by each department, published in the Faculty Handbook.
   4. Provide accessible advising services to students by scheduling and maintaining regular office hours, making and responding to phone calls and emails in a timely fashion as defined by the department, arranging their schedule to be on campus and available as needed.
   5. Assist students with building course plans, understanding their specific programs and prerequisites, and making progress toward graduation or their specific academic and long-term career goals.
   6. Connect students to the full range of campus support services (including counseling, career resources, student clubs, and processes regarding program changes, financial aid, academic early Alert, graduation, etc.).
3. Each Department or Program is responsible for the following:
   1. Distribution of advising duties to cover the following:
      1. Publication of specific requirements of program (Catalog, Website, Program sheets, LMS advising courses, etc.)
      2. Staff for summer and gap Advising Center responsibilities (when faculty advisors are unavailable)
      3. Liaison to share important updates and resources (for example, ADN program advisors include Counselor, Registrar, CNA program leaders, Arts and Science advisors, ADN Director, RIBN, university contacts, etc.)
      4. Representation on the Advising Council
      5. Assist Advising Center staff withadvising@blueridge.edu
      6. Assist other campuses with advising coverage to ensure student access to program advisors 
   2. A system for training new faculty to advise, and for continual training of advisors in each department
   3. Clear departmental expectations via a published and updated advising checklist in the faculty handbook; expectations include a semester timeline and advising session requirements
   4. Assessment of advising through annual performance evaluation
   5. Ensure proper assignment of advisees, including outreach and reassignment of advisors in conjunction with Student Services
   6. Communication with faculty advisors of important dates and information from student services and other departments

4. Advising Center Responsibilities:

   1. Operate during the summer weeks faculty are not available

   2. Advise for all programs

   3. Staff for remote advising to meet need for distance advising

   4. Staffadvising@blueridge.eduemail with help from departments

5. Transylvania County Campus, under the direction of the TCC Faculty Chair, will:

   1. Ensure proper training is provided through cooperation of the Chair and Advising Coordinator.

   2. Provide advising for all programs with support and cooperation from appropriate Deans, Chairs, Program leads, and faculty.

   3. Communicate a clear schedule for advising availability to students, faculty, and staff.