Advising for Current Students

Academic advising is led by the Compass advising team and faculty advisors. Compass advisors support incoming students (including transfer students), first-year students and exploratory students.

Who is My Advisor?

• First-year students are assigned to a Compass advisor, who will be their advisor throughout their first year.
• Exploratory students are assigned to a Compass advisor throughout their time as an exploratory student. Exploratory students transition to working with a faculty advisor in their second year and once they declare their major.
• Transfer students are assigned to a Compass advisor after they deposit. If you have declared a major and have sophomore standing, you will be assigned to a faculty advisor at the start of your first semester.
• Upperclassmen who have declared a major are assigned to a full-time faculty member from their academic program. Each department will determine if that faculty advisor will be your advisor until graduation or if it will change each year. Depending on your academic plan, you may have more than one advisor.
• Graduate students are assigned to their graduate program director or primary advisor. You can find your advisor's contact information in My Salve. For additional support, contact Elaine Forsythe, graduate academic progress specialist. General inquiries should be directed to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies at gradoffice@salve.edu.

Supplemental Advisors

• Pre-health: Dr. Kimberly Curesky
• Pre-law: Margaret Steele
• International students: Center for Global Education and Fellowships
• Combined bachelor's/master's programs: Program-specific advisors help students stay on track for these additional graduate-level requirements.

Compass Advising

Compass advisors support:

• Incoming undergraduate students throughout the onboarding process of course registration and advising.
• First-year students.
• Exploratory students.

Students work with their Compass advisor to navigate thoughtful course selection, major and minor selection, developing personal, professional and career goals, and thinking deeply about what they want out of their Salve Regina experience.

Compass advisors support the whole student and connect students with campus resources when necessary. Compass advisors also teach their advisees in the First Year Studio course, an introduction to design thinking as a framework for maximizing the Salve Regina experience and moving through your career journey during and beyond your time here.

After the first year, students transition to working with a faculty advisor from their academic program. Exploratory students continue to work with their Compass advisor until they declare a major, at which point they work with a faculty advisor from their program.

Compass advisors can help with:

• Exploring majors and minors.
• Course selection process.
• Course withdrawals.
• Understanding academic policies.
• Adding or changing a major or minor.
• Graduation requirements and progress.
• Preliminary conversations around career development, with referrals to career coaches.
• Connecting students to other campus offices and resources.

When to Meet With Your Advisor

Students are encouraged to meet with their Compass advisor throughout their first year. Key times to meet include:

• The add/drop period at the beginning of each semester if you are considering a schedule change.
• Considering withdrawing from a course or any additional academic concerns.
• Thinking about changing your major/minor.
• During the pre-registration period when you select courses for the following semester.
• Discovering summer opportunities in and out of the classroom.

How to Meet With Your Advisor

To ensure your advisor is available, it's important that you either book a meeting with them or attend drop-in hours.

• Each advisor has an individual link for appointments. Students can locate this link in their advisor's email signature or in their Canvas advising course.
• Advisors offer virtual and in-person meetings during the academic year. During the summer, virtual advising meetings are available.
• Dedicated drop-in hours: 1:30-4 p.m. on Tuesdays during the academic year. Students are assisted on a first-come, first-served basis (in-person only). Visit us in McKillop Library to confirm a 15-minute time slot with a Compass advisor using the drop-in iPad.

Drop-in hours are offered every Tuesday of the academic year except for: When the University is closed, when students are on break and finals week. We offer additional drop-in hours during add/drop week, registration week and the course withdrawal and pass/fail deadline.

About Academic Advising

Academic advising allows you to build a relationship with your advisor to plan your educational career, foster the skills needed for academic success, and learn how to access the variety of resources and services available on campus.

This is a collaborative educational process in which you partner with your advisor to meet essential learning outcomes, ensure academic success and achieve personal, academic and career goals. This partnership requires the participation and involvement of both you and your advisor, as it is built over your entire educational experience at the University. Both you and your advisor have clear responsibilities for ensuring the advising partnership is successful.

Vision statement: To ensure that all students receive high quality, personalized academic advising such that all students feel valued and accomplish their educational goals.

Mission statement: Academic advising at Salve Regina is an integral part of our teaching mission that provides students with foundational support to think clearly and make responsible choices about their academic program to reach educational, personal and career goals. Advisors provide students with timely and accurate informational resources. Students develop an academic and career plan and enhance their ability for sound decision-making and lifelong learning. Advisors make referrals as needed to aid all students in their development as scholars and as individuals in service of harmony, justice and mercy.