For Faculty and Staff

This value holds that the advisor is responsible for maximizing a student’s well-being while minimizing harm to him or her, and the advisor’s particular province is the student’s education, or more specifically, learning, then the implication is that the advisor’s ethical duty is to maximize that learning. This includes correctly advising students into courses to allow them to progress towards their goals according to their abilities.

An advisor is responsible for providing justice and fairness to their advisee. Advisors must not play favorites among students, exert more effort on behalf of those whom they like more, or whose values they find compatible with their own. All students are equally entitled to advising serves and quality of service from their assigned advisor.

An advisor must treat a student as an independent agent, and help the student to develop a sense of individual autonomy. An advisor should not pressure the student feel that he or she must choose what the advisor wants, but rather what the student wants for themselves.

The advisor will not only serve as an advocate for the student when readily available to do so, but do their best to help the student when the student needs it. This includes helping the student navigate through many situations that may arise and require the student to work with other university offices.

The advisor must tell the truth to their students. If a student is to become the primary decision maker, the advisor must not withhold information from the student that may hinder their decision making.

The advisor must tell the truth to others. In the case that faculty, staff, and administrators require information about a student in order to make decisions about the student, the advisor must be honest in the information they provide.

Fidelity dictates that advisors have an obligation to keep their commitment to maintain confidentiality of their interactions with students when the student has reason to believe you will do so. If the advisee is told something in confidence, it should be kept that way.

An advisor must enforce and comply with the policies that the UMHB has dictated. This includes communication with students when an issue arises regarding the policies and philosophy of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Advisors must embrace a commitment to the advising program and its integrity. If an advisor exhibits behavior that undercuts the credibility of the advising program, they are running a risk of harming the students’ education, since they may make worse decisions if they do not respect the advice they receive from advisors, or may even cease consulting advisors at all.

Advisors will not only observe good manners, but will not express to students any negative opinions they may harbor about faculty and staff at UMHB.

• Put a face to the name
• Share contact information and office hours
• Talking Points
  • Icebreaker - get to know students personally
  • Go over responsibilities of advisors and advisees
  • Share four-year plan and explain that the degree plan will be issued by the Registrar during spring term
• Provide any other advising and departmental resources

• Check on academic progress
  • How is the student doing in their courses?
  • What does GradesFirst say?
  • What concerns have come up this semester?
  • What kind of support does the student need this semester?
• Prepare for registration
  • Does the student understand and feel comfortable with the degree plan?
  • Does the student need anything else to prepare for the next semester?

• Questions to ask the student
  • Have you thought about your classes for next semester?
  • Are you going to pass your classes this semester?
  • Are you aware of registration dates?
  • Are your courses on your degree plan?
• Answer any questions or guide student to make informed decisions regarding their next semester classes