Section 1

Academic Advising Program Structure and Roles

 

 

Over several decades, Saint Mary’s has followed an academic advising structure that features faculty playing a prominent role

  • As first years, students begin with their First Year Advising Cohort (FYAC) Instructor serving as their primary academic advisor. They remain with their FYAC Advisor for the entirety of their first academic year.
  • Once students declare a major, usually prior to the start of their second year, students are reassigned to a faculty advisor(s) in their major(s), program, or department(s).
  • Transfer students work with a faculty advisor in their planned major/program/department upon entry to SMC.
  • Students receive advising and coaching from many other offices at the College, formally and informally, including the High Potential Program, Athletics, Student Disability Services, and the Academic Success Office.

Roles and Responsibilities of Academic Advisors

Saint Mary’s College recognizes that guidance and education are inseparable and considers academic advising to be an extension of the teaching responsibilities of its faculty.  The Faculty Handbook specifies that all full-time faculty members are expected to engage in the work of student advising (Faculty Handbook 2024-2025, Section 2.11.3). The promotion and tenure process takes student advising into consideration.

 

Responsibilities of Faculty Advisors:

  • Make yourself available to advisees on a regular basis
  • Actively check-in with students
  • Familiarize yourself with academic requirements of the College and advisees’ academic program
  • Help students to make or revise a path to graduation, give advice about courses, and the adjustment of course loads
  • Meet with your advisee during the Advising period and approve your advisee for registration in GaelXpress
  • Assist students in addressing concerns affecting their academic progress and make contact with students experiencing academic difficulty when receiving notification from the Advising and Academic Success Office or other offices.
  • Refer and connect advisees to other sources assistance including support services, coaches, tutoring, CWAC, STEM Center, student organizations and other faculty
  • Discuss opportunities to enhance advisees’ educational experience, such as research opportunities, internships, study abroad, campus organizations and clubs, leadership roles
  • Engage students in active discussion of their educational interests and career objectives

 

Role of The Advising Office (TAO)

The Advising Office (TAO) helps coordinate academic advising across campus. TAO equips faculty advisors with resources and training opportunities to assist them in the work of student advising. 

 

Responsibilities of TAO:
  • Work with academic departments to assign and reassign students to academic advisors
  • Coordinate the First Year Advising Cohort and support FYAC instructors
  • Coordinate the Transfer Advising Cohort and support TAC instructors
  • Support new student academic onboarding
  • Serve as a resource to faculty to answer advising related questions and complex student evaluation and academic planning issues
  • Provide drop-in advising support for undergraduate students
  • Meet and communicate directly with students in the event the faculty advisor is unavailable or the student is seeking a second opinion
  • Provide timely communication to faculty advisors and students about academic planning and course registration

 

TAO can be a thought partner and supporter of your advising work. If you have any questions about advising you can contact, tao@stmarys-ca.edu or (925) 631-8274. All initial inquiries are redirected to TAO staff as needed.

 

 

Academic Year 2025-2026 TAO Contacts:

  • Dr. Jeff Sigman, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Success & Director of Advising
  • Dr. Paul Zarnoth, Associate Director of Advising & Transfer Success
  • Allison Zegarra, Associate Director of Academic Advising
  • Ophelia Guerdad, Coordinator for Advising & Academic Success

 

 

 

Role of Success Coaches

Each undergraduate student is assigned to a Success Coach for their academic journey at SMC. Success Coaches are primarily based in the Academic Success Office with coaches also being embedded in Student Disability Services, Athletics, and High Potential. Success Coaches work with students to enhance their personal and psychosocial success. The success coaching model aims to develop students' ability to set goals, view multiple options of action, overcome obstacles, advocate for support and resources and gain life skills.

 

Success Coaches in the Academic Success Office do not focus on course selection or developing academic plans to graduation. However, Success Coaches work in partnership with faculty advisors and instructors to connect students to campus resources and check in on student’s progress and wellbeing. 

 

When you would like to get in touch with a student’s Success Coach you can find the name of the student’s Success Coach listed in the GaelXpress advising module.

 

 

Another way to get in touch with a student’s Success Coach is to submit a Retention Alert (described later in the handbook). When you submit a Retention Alert the student’s Success Coach will automatically be notified.

 

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