Starting this semester, advising is required for all students regardless of classification.

Advising has previously only been mandatory for freshmen and sophomores, but ULM’s new rule states that classification is no longer a factor in whether or not you meet with an academic advisor.

Barbara Michaelides, ULM’s director of retention, said this  transition to all-student advising has been in the works for a while.

“There is a whole history as there is no particular incident that spurred this action,” Michaelides said.  

A couple of years ago, Talon Technology was created as an at-risk report for faculty to send the Student Success Center information on students who miss excessive assignments or classes. Then, SSC faculty members would reach out to the students reported by their professors and let them know of the resources that ULM provides for those in need of guidance.

After Talon Technology was used for a few semesters, the SSC discovered there were small issues that students might not know without consulting with an advisor. Often, these issues kept students from graduating on time.

ULM has a University Advising Committee which is chaired by Michaelides. There are also representatives on the committee from each dean’s office and a faculty member from each school contained within the university.

The members of the committee came together and unanimously decided that students should meet with their advisors at least twice a year.

Most upperclassmen already know how to register and schedule their classes, but what they may not know is when the classes will be offered or not.

Not knowing when a class is available can be a real issue for those who don’t get advised.  In fact, some students have not been able to graduate on time because they missed the semester for a core class.

The advising committee adopted a philosophy called Appreciate Advising.

“[Appreciate Advising] is the belief that the meeting for advising is a teaching and learning moment,” Michaelides said. “It involves a lot of components like providing the students with accurate information about their student status.”