As part of Columbia Southern University’s (CSU) commitment to providing exceptional student service, the Academic Advising Center and Student Services departments began an initiative in 2015 to evaluate current operations. The purpose of this initiative is to identify areas of improvement in order to increase efficiency and the service provided to students.
As a result of this evaluation, the Academic Advising Center and Student Services determined the need to combine efforts in order to support students as one team. The combined department will be referred to as the Academic Advising and Student Support Center, effective January 2016. Updates will be made to the CSU website, myCSU Student Portal, University Catalog, and Student Handbook, reflecting the structure of the department and its respective services available.
The mission of the Academic Advising and Student Support Center is to engage, inspire, encourage and support students through personal, purposeful advising strategies and exceptional, responsive student-centered services, always focused on student success.
The role of the Academic Advisor is to serve as a facilitator and central point of contact. Academic Advisors will help guide students through their degree program from beginning to end by assisting with:
• ongoing and regular advising sessions
• course selection
• degree program inquiries
• course pairing and sequencing
• course load
• making sound academic decisions
• resolving issues
The goal of the Academic Advisor is to establish a solid relationship with students that is built on mutual respect, trust, and open communication. Academic Advisors will encourage students to identify personal strengths and weaknesses so that they can reach their full potential as a successful college student. This is achieved by the Academic Advisor listening and empowering students to make the right choices about their education and future.
The role of the Student Support Specialist is to support students who have general student inquiries. Specialists are able to provide assistance with a wide range of questions related to CSU policies, courses, graduation, and much more. Student Support Specialists are available to assist students via telephone, email and chat.
Other Student Support Specialists work diligently to ensure that students remain enrolled throughout their educational career. CSU understands that sometimes submitting an enrollment is not the first priority, so this group offers a reminder that an enrollment is needed in order to keep on track with degree completion.
Student Support Processors are responsible for processing online requests submitted for:
• final exams
• proctors
• incomplete course requests
This group also facilitates the Remote Proctor Now (RP Now) process and will assist students who wish to be proctored onsite.
The Academic Advising and Student Support Center is available to help guide and support students throughout their educational career at CSU.
Please be sure to reach out to your Academic Advisor should you have any questions.
We look forward to continually supporting you!
Dr. Scott Rounds
Vice Provost for Student Affairs
vpsa@columbiasouthern.edu
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