At Luther, advisors are teachers who provide guidance as students learn to become fully engaged members of their academic communities and take responsibility for their degree completion. Recognizing the teaching and learning nature of advising, Luther advisors typically refrain from telling students what to do or think as well as completing tasks for the student.

All incoming students at Luther are initially assigned an academic advisor that the college believes will serve the student in the transition from high school to college. Once students declare a major, they may switch to an advisor in that department. First-year students should keep their initial advisor throughout the first semester. During the January term, all first-year students are given the opportunity to request an advisor in their major, or request to stay with their initial advisor.

Because Luther believes that the teaching and learning that occurs through the advising program are vital components of a Luther education, students are required to meet with advisors before registering for each new semester.

Learning Outcomes

Through active participation in the advising program, students learn to:

• Engage with the liberal arts and understand the college's curriculum.
• Set and achieve academic, personal, and vocational goals.
• Generate a coherent education plan.
• Reflect on their learning and learn about themselves.
• Assume responsibility for making academic progress toward graduation.
• Develop as citizens who engage in the broader world.
• Cultivate intellectual curiosity and habits for a lifetime of learning.
• Develop professional skills and relationships

Remember, your advisor provides guidance while you learn.  Your advisor is not able to:

• Exempt you from a policy that applies to all students.
• Ensure that you graduate on time. Students are responsible for completing graduation requirements. It is your name on the diploma, not the advisor's!
• Clear you for registration if you have "holds" due to unpaid bills, or necessary forms due at a college office.
• Register you for courses. Students are responsible for completing their own registration.
• Add or drop you from courses. Students are responsible for completing all add and drop changes to their schedule within the prescribed time periods.
• Enroll you in a course that's closed. If you need to take a course that is closed, write to your advisor and ask him/her to make the request to the department head.
• Make changes to the program evaluation; any changes must be made through the Registrar's Office.
• Arrange an internship or study abroad course for you. These forms must be processed by the Career Center (internship) or the Center for Global Learning (for study abroad).

Change of Advisor

For first-year students, the Registrar's Office distributes a form in January where students may declare a major and request a faculty advisor in that department.

After the first year, if you need to complete a change of advisor, fill out the form, obtain the signature of your new advisor and submit it to the Registrar's Office.

If you are a double major: in collaboration with your advisor, check with a faculty member from the second department to make sure that you understand the courses and graduation requirements necessary to complete the second major.