Faculty and Advisor Toolkit
Information and resources for academic advisors.
Accessibility Support
The Disability Services office at ISU provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
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General Education Requirements
A Catalog Year is the official means used to determine graduation requirements, including a student's general education requirements. The academic year a student matriculates into ISU is the default Catalog Year that establishes their academic record. Catalog requirements may change from one catalog year to another.
Be aware a student's catalog year may be changed:
- At the request of the student who, in consultation with an advisor, determines an advantage for using a later catalog
- When a department formally approves a student's curriculum (major) change request
- When a student has an enrollment gap of eight or more semesters (including summers)
- 2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog
- 2013-2014 Undergraduate Catalog
- 2012-2013 Undergraduate Catalog
- 2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog
- 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog
- 2009-2010 Undergraduate Catalog
- 2008-2009 Undergraduate Catalog
Declaring or Changing a Major and/or Minor
Formally declaring a major connects a student with program advising. Major and primary advisors help students navigate program requirements for each semester through graduation.
Students may determine that their current major is failing to meet expectations. Encourage students to explore available majors and commit time to successfully finding a new major that is more in line with their strengths and interests. They should then schedule a meeting with their primary advisor or the department of interest to discuss related career opportunities and reviewing the academic requirements based on an agreed-upon catalog year.
Student Procedure to Declare or Change a Major/Minor
Faculty Assisted Procedure to Declare or Change a Major/Minor
Primary Advisor Assisted Procedure to Declare or Change a Major/Minor
Requesting an Advisor Role
The process to request the Advisor Role using the Banner Access Request form is as follows:
- In your MyISU account pull up your Banner Tools card
- From the menu click Banner Access Request
- Click Request Access
- Identify for whom you are requesting access
- In the 'What Access is Needed' box request the Relational Advisor Role for that person as well as all associated access for their position
- In the 'How is Access Used' box type a brief description of how the access will be utilized
Advisor Assignment Request
Advisor Change Only (not Major, Minor, or Catalog Year change) is required to update the student record.
Office of Academic Advising assigns advisors to students who show the appropriate major and minor in their Degree Works and/or MyISU General Student Information - when departments send an "advisor assignment request" to the OAA advinfo@isu.edu email address.
Assignment Request Process
- Appropriate departmental personnel send an email to advinfo@isu.edu requesting an advisor (or multiple advisors) to be assigned to a student (or multiple students).
- Individual faculty or staff may contact a OAA professional advisor, or call (208) 282-3277 to request immediate advisor access for individual students.
- For multiple assignments - Departments may attach a spreadsheet of students and identify which advisor(s) to assign to each student on the list. The following items must be included with each request:
- Effective Term (e.g. Spring 2024 or 202420)
- Student Name (e.g. Samuel George Smith)
- Student ID number (ISU ID number)
- Advisor Name (e.g. Samantha W Smith)
- Advisor ID number (ISU ID number)
- Advisor Type and Status (e.g. AUX, DEPT, or MAJR)
Primary Advisor
A Primary Advisor is a student's Professional advisor in their major. The student's advisor will appear on MyISU in the Student Records channel and also in Degree Works. Only one advisor can be primary.
Major Advisor
A Major advisor is a student's Faculty advisor for their major. The student's major advisor will appear on MyISU in the Student Records channel and also in Degree Works. Multiple major advisors can be identified to assist a student.
Advisor Type Categories
- CAA = Office of Academic Advising; assigned as default primary advisor to all new undergraduate students who have not yet applied to their department for a faculty advisor to serve as their major or minor advisor. CAA is also primary advisor for all Undecided Arts and Letters and Pre-Social Work students.
- MAJR = Advisor in Major; a faculty member advising the student in his major field of study.
- MINR = Minor Advisor; a faculty member advising the student in his/her minor field of study.
- DEPT = Professional Advisor; a non-faculty, staff advisor whose primary duty is advising pre-program majors in a college.
- AUX = Auxiliary Advisor; administrative staff who need access to student records primarily for administrative purposes and who assists MAJR/MINR/DEPT advisors with advising duties.
- ATHL = Athletics Advisor; professional advisor in the Athletics Department.
- TRIO = TRIO Student Services advisor; advised students in the TRIO program only.
- INT = International Programs Office Advisor; assists student with immigration-related issues only.
- HONR = Honors Program Advisor; advises Honors Program students only.