Advising Outreach

Purpose: Virtual Academic Advising and Course Registration serves as the foundational advising touchpoint for all incoming students during Virginia Tech's hybrid orientation program. This one-on-one virtual experience introduces students to academic advising, helps them understand degree requirements, and guides them through their first course registration to ensure they enroll in at least 12 credit hours for full-time status.

Why It Matters: This initial advising interaction sets the tone for the student-advisor relationship and establishes expectations for academic planning. Successfully navigating first registration builds student confidence and ensures they begin their college career on solid academic footing.

Advisor Responsibilities:

• Conduct individual virtual appointments with all assigned new students (fall and spring cohorts)
• Use Navigate campaigns for systematic student outreach
• Document each session in Navigate with "Orientation" as the Meeting Type
• Verify students achieve full-time enrollment (minimum 12 credit hours)
• Guide students through registration while ensuring they complete the enrollment process independently

Purpose: Weeks of Welcome (WoW) is Virginia Tech's official in-person transition experience for all incoming undergraduate students. The university coordinates comprehensive programming to welcome new students, introduce them to academic expectations and campus resources, and facilitate their integration into the Hokie community. Programming includes welcome sessions, academic success workshops, and social events designed to help students build connections and understand the support systems available to them.

Why It Matters: The first weeks on campus are critical for student transition and belonging. Weeks of Welcome provides new students with essential information about academic expectations, success strategies, and campus resources while creating opportunities to connect with advisors, faculty, and peers. Early engagement during WoW sets the foundation for academic success, campus involvement, and long-term retention.

Advisor Responsibilities:

• Participate and engage in areas that support College Welcome and Academic Success sessions and the overall student transition to the College community
• Collaborate with campus partners to ensure cohesive programming and messaging
• Support logistics and coordination efforts for transition programming

Purpose: Academic advisors provide comprehensive, proactive support for students on academic warning or probation through early intervention, personalized advising, and structured accountability. Advisors initiate contact with all students facing academic challenges rather than waiting for students to reach out, ensuring no student falls through the cracks. Through individualized meetings and ongoing guidance, advisors help students develop success plans, address barriers, and return to good academic standing.

Why It Matters: Students on academic warning or probation are at critical risk for academic suspension or departure from the university. Proactive advisor intervention provides the structured support, resources, and accountability students need to overcome challenges and succeed academically. This partnership approach addresses not only academic performance but also the underlying personal, financial, and mental health factors that contribute to academic difficulty.

Advisor Responsibilities:

• Proactively contact all students placed on academic warning or probation each semester
• Provide course scheduling assistance that accommodates eligibility status and optimizes success
• Connect students with appropriate campus resources: tutoring, supplemental instruction, academic coaching, study skills support, counseling and mental health services, financial aid and emergency funding, and disability services
• Maintain regular contact throughout the semester to monitor progress and adjust strategies
• Provide ongoing encouragement and accountability
• Document all interventions, academic contracts, and progress updates in Navigate

Purpose: Mid-term grade outreach is a proactive early intervention system that uses mid-semester feedback to identify and support first-term students experiencing academic difficulty. This early warning system enables advisors to intervene while students still have time to adjust strategies, seek support, and improve their performance before final grades are determined.

Why It Matters: Timely intervention during the semester—rather than after final grades—provides students with the opportunity to change their trajectory and succeed in their current courses. Early identification of academic struggles allows advisors to address contributing factors, connect students with appropriate resources, and prevent poor outcomes that could impact retention and academic standing.

Advisor Responsibilities:

• Monitor mid-term grade reports for first-term students each fall semester
• Identify students earning 2 or more Unsatisfactory (U) grades (C- or below) via Navigate tag
• Conduct proactive outreach through Navigate campaigns or email to flagged students
• Schedule meetings to assess factors contributing to academic difficulty (study skills, time management, personal challenges, course fit)
• Connect students with tutoring, academic coaching, and other support resources
• Discuss withdrawal options when appropriate for student success
• Develop individualized action plans for the remaining semester weeks
• Document interventions and follow-up plans in Navigate

Purpose: Academic advisors provide comprehensive guidance and support throughout Virginia Tech's two-phase course registration process: Phase I (Course Request) in October and March, and Phase II (Add/Drop) in November and April. Advisors monitor student participation at each phase and conduct targeted outreach to students who have not completed registration or need assistance adjusting their schedules based on course request results.

Why It Matters: Successful course registration is essential for timely degree progression and academic success. Proactive advisor support at critical registration milestones ensures students understand the registration process, secure the courses they need to stay on track, and removes barriers that could disrupt their academic plans. This collaborative approach reflects the strong partnership between advising and the college in promoting student success.

Advisor Responsibilities:

• Monitor student participation during Phase I (Course Request) and Phase II (Add/Drop) each semester
• Conduct targeted outreach to students who have not completed registration at either phase
• Assist students in understanding the two-phase registration process and key deadlines
• Help students navigate adjusting schedules based on course request results and course availability
• Guide students in securing a full schedule that supports degree progression
• Remove barriers to successful registration through personalized support
• Document registration support efforts and student engagement

Purpose: Non-registration outreach is a proactive retention initiative targeting currently enrolled students who have not submitted course requests for the upcoming term. Academic advisors conduct personalized outreach to identify barriers preventing registration and ensure students maintain continuous enrollment and seamless academic progression.

Why It Matters: Failure to register is an early warning sign of potential enrollment disruption. Students who don't submit course requests may face course availability issues that delay graduation, experience academic disengagement or uncertainty about their path, encounter technical or procedural barriers, or be dealing with financial or personal challenges. Early intervention allows advisors to address these issues before they lead to stop-out or departure from the university, directly supporting institutional retention goals.

Advisor Responsibilities:

• Identify students who have not submitted course requests each semester
• Conduct proactive, personalized outreach through multiple channels (email, Navigate campaigns, survey submissions, or appointment invitations)
• Connect with students to determine reasons for non-registration
• Address barriers preventing course registration (technical, procedural, financial, or personal)
• Guide students through the registration process and support re-engagement
• Collaborate with college leadership when additional intervention is needed
• Document outreach efforts and outcomes to track student engagement

Purpose: Graduation clearance is a comprehensive degree completion review conducted each semester for students approaching graduation. Academic advisors verify that students have met all degree requirements and resolved any outstanding issues that could prevent timely degree conferral.

Why It Matters: This proactive review ensures students can graduate on schedule by identifying and addressing potential obstacles such as missing requirements, needed course substitutions, or academic holds before the semester begins. Early clearance prevents last-minute complications that could delay degree completion.

Advisor Responsibilities:

• Complete graduation clearance reviews prior to the last day to add classes each semester
• Analyze Degree Audit Report System (DARS) reports for all students approaching degree completion
• Coordinate with academic departments on necessary course substitutions
• Work with the Registrar's Office to resolve any missing requirements or discrepancies
• Communicate clearance status and any required actions to students promptly such as clearing any academic holds that could prevent graduation

Purpose: VT EARS is a proactive early alert system that enables faculty to identify and refer undergraduate students experiencing academic difficulty within the first 6-8 weeks of the semester. This timely intervention connects at-risk students with their academic advisors and support resources before challenges become unmanageable.

Why It Matters: Early intervention is critical to student success. VT EARS increases awareness of academic support networks, reduces academic probation and suspension rates, demonstrates the institution's commitment to at-risk students, and strengthens faculty-student engagement.

Advisor Responsibilities:

• Send initial communication to student within 2 business days of receiving VT EARS
• Contact the referred student to discuss issues impacting course performance
• Collaborate with the student to develop a tailored support plan
• Connect students to additional campus resources as needed
• Document outreach attempts, support plans, and outcomes in Navigate
• Make multiple contact attempts for unresponsive students before closing cases
• Refer students to appropriate campus services (e.g., Dean of Students Office) when necessary
• Close cases with detailed notes on actions taken and resources shared within 11 business days