Office of Academic Services – Academic Advising

Philosophy

The primary purpose of the academic advising program is to assist students in their growth and development by constructing meaningful educational plans which are compatible with their life goals. It is a continuous and consistent process which is built upon the basis of frequent, accumulated personal contacts between advisor and advisee. Effective academic advising should be considered a cornerstone of the academic program of High Point University. Excellent academic programs will not accomplish the desired end result if students are not properly guided and counseled. In addition, poor or inadequate advising can lead to student retention problems with losses occurring among well-prepared and highly motivated students as often as among poorly prepared and weakly-motivated ones. As a church-related university, it is part of our mission to provide sensitive and thoughtful support to our students as they wrestle with the many choices open to them.

Definition

Advising is a developmental process which assists students in the clarification of their life/career goals and in the development of educational plans for the realization of these goals. It is a decision-making process which assists students in realizing their maximum educational potential through communication and information exchanges with an advisor; it is ongoing, multi-faceted, and the responsibility of both student and advisor. The academic advisor serves as a facilitator of communication and life skills; a coordinator of learning experiences through course and career planning and program progress review; and an agent of referral to other campus services as necessary.

If you are a student assigned to a faculty advisor and you decide that you want to change your major, declare a minor, declare a second major and/or change advisors, you must go to the Office of Academic Services, 4th Floor, Smith Library to complete a change form at the Welcome Desk. Students must have the correct major listed on their academic records. Furthermore, it is equally important that students be advised by a faculty advisor in their intended major.