At Drake University, student success is built on a foundation of connection and support. Advising and Mentoring blends support from professional staff advisors, Advising Specialists, and professors, Faculty Mentors. This collaborative approach ensures that every students has multiple advocates to help navigate degree planning, pursue career and professional goals, and develop the skills need to thrive btoh during and after college.
Your Advising Specialist & Faculty Mentor
All students are assigned one Advising Specialist in their primary area of study and a Faculty Mentor in each of the students' majors, minors, or concentrations: Faculty Mentor: Your Faculty Mentor offers major-specific insight, helps you refine your educational and career goals, and support your intellectual and professioal growth. Current students can view and schedule appointments with their Advising Specialist, Faculty Mentor, and additional members of their Success Network on Starfish.
Advising Specialist: Your Advising Specialist provides support for understanding degree requirements, creating an academic plan, and connecting to campus resources.
Faculty Mentor: Your Faculty Mentor offers major-specific insight, helps you refine your educational and career goals, and support your intellectual and professioal growth.
Current students can view and schedule appointments with their Advising Specialist, Faculty Mentor, and additional members of their Success Network on Starfish.
Blended Advising Goals
The blended advising model is designed to evolve with students as their needs, interests, and plans change over the course of their time at Drake. The need for information about Drake programs, policies, and campus resources is often most important for first-year and transfer students and helps students establish a strong foundation. As students explore options, refine goals, and become more deeply involved in the campus community, their need for mentoring and coaching increases in support of their success after graduation. Advising Specialist and Faculty Mentors support this evolution by helping students:
Build collaborative, interpersonal relationships with faculty and staff
Develop attitudes, behaviors, and mindsets that support success
Naviagte academic and student support technologies
Understand their academic requirements and distinctiveness
This team also helps students to connect to a broad range of campus resources and partners such as Career Services, Tutoring, Student Abroad, Counseling, and more.
Student Responsibilities
Students have the most important role in their Success Network. As such, students are expected to connect with their Advising Specialist and Faculty Mentor early and often.
There are many natural points in a student's journey when connecting with your Advising Specialist and Faculty Mentor is especially valuable:
Connecting at the start of the semester to set goals and track progress.
Asking for help when classes are challenging or personal circumstances are difficult to navigate to identify strategies for success adn well-being.
Exploring additional academic programs like new majors, minors, or concentrations.
Planning for internships, research experiences, graduate school applications, and life after graduation.
While students are ultimately responsible for tracking their academic progress, meeting deadlines, and coming prepared to advising and mentoring appointments, Advising Specialist and Faculty Mentors extend invitations to connect with and assist students throughout the academic year.
Additional Resources
In addition to advising and mentoring support, students have access to a comprehensive Success Network in Starfish, including their college or school Dean's Office, Career Services, Access & Success, and more. No matter where a student is on their journey, Drake's advising and mentoring program is committed to providing guidance, encouragement, and expertise every step of the way.