Kinesiology Academic Advising

Academic Advising Center Mission Statement

Our mission is to help undergraduate students achieve their fullest academic potential and to foster their growth by encouraging them to make informed decisions based on their interests, abilities, values, and goals. We help students become self-directed learners and decision makers as well as leaders. Advising is a collaborative process and both advisers and students share the responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed.

The Adviser – Student Relationship

The adviser–student relationship is a collaboration where mutual trust and respect are developed and fostered. Below are descriptions of each of our roles and expectations.

Student’s Role:

Acquire the information needed to assume final responsibility for course scheduling, program planning, and the successful completion of all graduation requirements.
Seek the academic and career information needed to meet educational goals.
Become knowledgeable about the relevant policies, procedures, and rules of the University, college, and academic program.
Be prepared with accurate information and relevant materials when contacting and meeting with the adviser.
Consult with the adviser at least once a semester to decide on courses, review the accuracy of the Academic Requirement (audit), check and monitor progress towards graduation, and discuss the suitability of other educational opportunities provided by the University.

Adviser’s Role:

Help the advisee to understand the nature of the University’s academic programs and to understand the expected standards of achievement and likelihood of success in certain areas of study. The adviser also seeks to understand each advisee’s particular concerns affecting academic progress.
The adviser helps the advisee to follow appropriate University procedures and to understand their purposes. The adviser neither grants nor denies administrative approval for the advisee’s particular academic actions.
Discuss the educational and career objectives suited to the advisee’s demonstrated abilities and expressed interests. The adviser helps the advisee to understand the relationships among the courses, General Education, University requirements, programs, undergraduate research opportunities, internships, study abroad programs, and other academic experiences provided by the University.
Help the advisee to plan a course of study and give advice about courses and the adjustment of course loads. The adviser will inform the advisee about the prerequisites for subsequent courses in the advisee’s program.
Refer advisees to other resources when appropriate.
Participate in the professional development provided by each college or department to keep informed and current.

Email Etiquette

Email can be a very quick and efficient way to have your advising questions answered; however, some questions are better addressed during a scheduled advising appointment.

Always use your Penn State email address. This is the only way the Advising Office can be sure it’s you. Use your PSU email account for all communication with university staff, faculty and offices.
Include content in the subject line. An email without a subject line may be treated as SPAM by an email server.
Please email one adviser instead of an entire advising team to get your questions answered. In addition, use BCC with caution.
Appropriate email etiquette includes not using texting shortcuts.
It’s a good practice to check your psu.edu email daily.

Penn State University's Faculty Senate Policy 32-00 Advising Policy: The policies of Section 32-00 https://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/32-00-advising-policy/ define the goals and purposes of the University’s academic advising program. The objectives of the University’s academic advising program is to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.