Noah Williams

Advisors. Everybody’s got one, yet, many of us never even see our advisors, much less utilize their support to it’s fullest potential. There is an advising office, sure, but what actually goes on in there?

As an SMCC student, you have access to a wide verity of tools that are made available to you through the hard work and dedication of the advising office. Here’s the break down:

To start with, there are two types of advisors that do slightly different (yet equally important) jobs.

A faculty advisor (the name that appears on your schedule) is an instructor who has been assigned to you based on your focus area of study. This is because your faculty advisor can give you industry specific counseling on things like career planning, building professional connections, and selecting courses.

A staff advisor (those shining faces in the campus center) are available from 8:00 – 5:00 in the first floor of the campus center in South Portland, and in the L.L. Bean Learning Commons in Brunswick. These guys are your go to people for meeting course requirements, grappling with enrollment issues, or helping you in the process of transferring in or out of SMCC.

Now, each faculty advisor has roughly fifty other advisees, which is probably why none of us have really ever seen or met our advisors, but they do exist! And many of them have office hours, email, and telephones that can help you connect with them.

Instead of crashing through your faculty advisor’s door a week before the end of the semester and begin shrieking and throwing things as you lament your quest for an internship, try dropping in at the beginning of the year during office hours to introduce yourself, or shoot them an email to find a time that works for both of you.

The Campus Center advising team has eight full time employees, as well as five student interns who help with test proctoring and office duties. The walk in desk staffers can answer most questions, or point you in the direction of someone who can, including questions about things like career and transfer services or veteran affairs.

If you are a veteran or international student, there is a special wing of the advising department just for you! For international students, the advising staff works to assist them in entering the country, acquiring visas, and helps students maneuver the complexities of college and living abroad.

For veterans, the depart works to help members of the service their full benefits, as well as addressing veterans’ specific issues.

The number one goal of the advising department is to help students succeed. Kathleen Doan, Assistant Dean of Student Success, over sees SMCC advising and states, “Our goal is to wrap the college around all students and make sure no matter where they go for help. Our team, your faculty advisor, and the Career and Transfer Office are all here to help.”