Academic advising is an essential element of a student’s undergraduate experience and one we take very seriously at Friends University. Students enrolled in the College of Business, Arts, Sciences, and Education are immediately connected with an advisor as they prepare to navigate college. We utilize a faculty advising model that connects students with faculty within their academic discipline. This connection allows students to meet regularly with a professional who possesses the knowledge and skills of their discipline. Faculty advisors have strong local and national networks to help connect students with resources for jobs, internships and graduate schools.
Advisors and students work together to plan each semester schedule, discuss major and career options, explore internships, and identify campus activities to help enrich each academic year. Each of these elements is important in helping students make intentional decisions related to their short-term and long-term goals.
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Student Success in Online Classes
Benefits of Academic Advising with a faculty member
- Professional Experiences – Faculty advisors help direct students toward meaningful experiences to provide the student with professional experience through opportunities such as a part-time or full-time job, internship, job shadowing, or meet and greets. These experiences will build a strong resume for personal and career growth.
- Networking – Faculty advisors intentionally encourage students to network with peers and professionals. It is important for students to develop strong networking skills as well as personal contacts for their own network. Advisors encourage students to visit career fairs, participate in campus activities and meet formally or informally with peers and business professionals.
- Social Engagement – Connecting with peers, faculty, and staff will positively influence a student’s experience. Academic advising plays a key role in helping students identify possible connections to help a student feel comfortable and build confidence.
- Academic Engagement – The role of an academic advisor involves continuously monitoring a student’s academic experience. This activity takes place between, during and following each semester. Advisors always promote academic success for their students.
- Degree Planning – Students and advisors will work together to determine a graduation plan. For first-year college students this will likely involve a 4-year plan to graduate. Transfer students will work with advisors to determine courses for each remaining semester to accomplish their goals and graduate on time!
Enrolling in Classes
Meet with your Academic Advisor
- Schedule an appointment to meet with your academic advisor and create a course schedule for the upcoming semester. Once enrollment opens, use the course schedule that you and your advisor created to enroll through FalconHub.
Instructions for Enrolling in Classes:
- Log into FalconHub
- Select Add/Drop Classes
- Select Register for Classes
- Select the Term for which you wish to register and click Continue.
- Use the Find Classes page to search for a course. (You may select multiple subjects in your search. You can also search by CRN under the Enter CRNs tab).
- Once you have located the course(s), click Add to add the course to your Summary.
- Select Submit in the bottom right corner of the screen to finalize enrollment in your selected classes.
- Please contact your academic advisor if you receive any error messages preventing registration (i.e. prerequisite error, class is full, time conflict, etc.).
*Students enrolling full-time must enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester. Part-time enrollment may impact scholarships, loans, grants, and additional financial aid. Please check with the Financial Aid office if you plan to enroll part-time.
Undecided Major
It is very common for students to consider attending college without knowing their exact major. Some students are trying to decide between one or two areas while other students are open to explore many areas. At Friends University, we are excited to join with students in a process of exploration with our students. In addition to the previously listed benefits of faculty advising, major exploration can occur through additional opportunities such as:
- General Education – All students will complete common general education coursework. These courses will allow students to meet faculty and experience possible major options while asking key questions related to their academic and professional experience. Learn more on our General Education page.
- Career Services – Our office of Career Services is prepared to administer career assessments, provide information related to possible career options and share opportunities for employment. You can find out more information regarding career services at: https://friends.edu/career.
- Major Options – The University offers more than 50 different majors for students who are deciding on their major.
Students who are undecided in their major will be paired with an academic advisor who works specifically with students who are exploring their major and career options.
Contacts for Academic Advising
Current and prospective students can contact the Dean’s office with questions related to academic advising as well as different major options to explore. Students wishing to change their major and advisor can do so with the Registrar’s office or by talking with their advisor.
Lacey Tisdale, Director of Undergraduate Student Success
Phone: 316-295-5442
Email: lacey_tisdale@friends.edu
Taylor Mounts, Director of Student-Athlete Academic Success
Phone: 316.295.5582
Email: taylor_mounts@friends.edu
CBASE Dean’s office: (316) 295 – 5567 (Davis 311)
Registrar’s office: (316) 295 – 5400 (Sumpter)
Preston Todd, Student Success: (316) 295-5623