Mission, Values, and Learning Outcomes | Academic & Career Advising

Academic & Career Advising has published the following:

• Mission
• Values
• Student Learning Outcomes
• Advising Model at Pacific University

Mission

The mission of Academic & Career Advising at Pacific University is to provide effective, individualized, and integrated support to students through academic advising, academic coaching, career services, and teaching as well as building relationships with community partners to facilitate student connections to experiential learning and future pursuits.   

Values

Academic & Career Advising at Pacific University has developed values that tie in directly to our mission.  

Effective, Individualized, and Integrated Support

1. We value supporting the student holistically.
2. We incorporate a student's interests, skills, values, and goals in the context of where they are at.
3. We aim to develop a student as a whole being while we help students to do short-term and long-term academic and career planning.
4. We prioritize effectiveness and thoroughness over efficiency.
5. We tailor discussions to the individual needs of students and community partners.
6. We respect the value of time and the energy that goes into supporting students as individuals.

Academic Advising

1. We value holistic and accurate academic advising.
2. We listen to students’ interests and needs and create a space to ask questions with confidence and to be heard.
3. We help students find community, envision their future, and see their own unique path.
4. We stay current on academic programs, policies, and changes to provide accurate and clear information.
5. We facilitate student decision-making with a balance of trust and guidance.
6. We understand the complexities of students’ lives on their academic journey and see advising as much more than a checklist.

Academic Coaching

1. We aim to acknowledge educational systems do not always center our humanity, and challenge the notion that academic performance defines our worth. 
2. We communicate and collaborate with other student support professionals on campus to provide holistic support for students’ academic success at Pacific. 
3. In partnership with students through intentional, individual check ins (both recurring and non-recurring), we provide space for personal reflection, connection and growth. 
4. We support students’ as they develop their communication, connection and self-advocacy skills with faculty, staff and peers at Pacific. 
5. Using an appreciative inquiry approach, academic coaching centers students’ experiences, affirms their strengths and accomplishments, and invites them to explore how to apply these to current challenges and enhance their academic experience. 

Career Advising and Career Services

1. We encourage students to find careers and opportunities where they can be their authentic full selves.
2. We build student capacity to understand and translate their values and goals in a career setting.
3. We provide students with support to be successful in their career endeavors during and after their time at Pacific.
4. We respect students and value their student autonomy, trusting they know what they want.
5. We acknowledge that careers and workplaces can be oppressive, especially for individuals on the margins; we provide tools to navigate biases in these settings.
6. We help students translate their academic interests and experiences into a sustainable and fulfilling career.
7. We encourage students to build and utilize positive relationships and be open to new opportunities and experiences.

Facilitating Students' Connections to Experiential Learning and Future Pursuits

1. We encourage students to explore different interests as they focus on their future pursuits.
2. We facilitate reflection and application of students' experiences to future planning.
3. We develop students' communication skills to initiate conversations and experiences with special interest groups and career professionals.
4. We cultivate community and campus partnerships to provide students opportunities to gain experiences as early as possible in their chosen field.
5. We cultivate students' resilience skills through individualized mentorship and support as they experience challenges or setbacks.
6. We strategically use our institutional influence to ask questions and challenge policies and procedures that exclude students.
7. We intentionally create an inclusive and open environment where students are seen and valued in their pursuit of academic and career goals.

Student Learning Outcomes

Faculty advisors and professional advisors within Academic & Career Advising will support students with their learning to address these outcomes. Through active participation in the advising process, Pacific University Forest Grove Undergraduate Students will be able to:

1. Design an educational plan that addresses academic, career, and life goals by 
   • Developing and maintaining the educational plan to include coursework required to graduate alongside any graduate school prerequisite coursework, relevant career preparation, and goals for personal growth; 
   • Utilizing Academic & Career Advising services and participating in appropriate career development activities; and by
   • Explaining how their educational pathway fits into their career and life goals. 
2. Demonstrate an understanding of overall degree requirements including core, major, 52-hour rule, upper division requirements, and total credits required by
   • Identifying the requirements they have completed and the degree requirements that they have remaining; 
   • Explaining the sequence of requisite coursework in an educational plan; and by
   • Utilizing BoxerOnline and Student Planning tools provided by the university to accurately evaluate degree requirements and understand the progress that they have made towards graduation. 
3. Demonstrate personal responsibility and accountability within academic advising, career development, and class registration processes by
   • Developing skills to utilize the tools and resources that are available so that they may assume responsibility for their own educational plan and progression towards graduation;
   • Summarizing advising and registration policies and procedures including dates and deadlines associated with the typical academic calendar and the advising and registration cycles; and by 
   • Comparing and contrasting the roles and responsibilities of students and their advisors. 

Advising Model

Pacific University has a split model with our centralized Academic & Career Advising Center and over 100 faculty academic advisors. The ACA Center develops, maintains, and oversees advising requirements at Pacific as well as supports the advising-related training/development of professional and faculty advisors. The ACA Center advises many students prior to their declaration of major and provides supplemental advising support for Forest Grove Undergraduate Students. Students are expected to have a faculty advisor once they declare their major.