Graduate Student Advising is provided by a faculty advisor in the student’s field of study (usually the program director/coordinator) who is assigned to each student on acceptance into the program.
Deans/Chairs of schools/departments function as secondary advisors to every student, and additional assistance is provided on an as-needed basis by staff members of the Graduate Studies office who have a combined 20 years of experience with graduate programs at Gardner-Webb.
First-semester students are registered by the Graduate Studies office, the Graduate Admissions office, or the academic program office, depending on the program. Each semester, students who are responsible for their own registration for courses (in contrast to the majority of graduate students who are batch-enrolled in the next course in sequence) receive an Advisement and Registration Letter with advising and registration information for the next semester, including their advisor’s contact information and times available for advising. Faculty advisors are available in person, by email, phone, Skype, Face Time, etc. Each semester, all graduate students receive a Continuing Student Letter which alerts them to upcoming dates of importance (e.g., drop/add and withdrawal deadlines) and reminds them of the basic information communicated in their New Student Orientation Letter.
Graduate Student Advising is provided by a faculty advisor in the student’s field of study who is assigned to each student on acceptance into the program. Associate Dean and Director of Graduate business programs function as secondary advisors to every student, and additional assistance is provided on an as-needed basis by Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean and Dean of the Godbold College of Business.
First-semester students are registered by the Graduate Admissions office or the Graduate College of Business. Each semester, continuing graduate business students are responsible for their own registration for courses after receiving an Advisement and Registration email with information for the next semester. In addition, each faculty advisor emails student advisees with contact information and times available for advising. Faculty advisors and the program director offer continuous support and review of a student’s study plan. Faculty are available in person, by email, phone, Webex, Skype, Face Time, etc. Each semester, all graduate students receive a Continuing Student email which alerts them to upcoming dates of importance (e.g., drop/add and withdrawal deadlines) and reminds them of the basic information communicated in their New Student Orientation Letter.
Advising within the School of Divinity is initially provided by the Associate Dean for all newly admitted students. Early in the first semester of the student’s course of study, an advisor is assigned to each student based upon the student’s choice of concentration. The advisor will usually be a professor whose specialty is in the area of the student’s concentration. Academic advising occurs in conjunction with preregistration each semester. In addition, each student will meet for an extended conference with his/her advisor once during each thirty-hour segment of the degree program. These conferences address academic issues and the student’s personal and spiritual formation.
The names of advisors are posted each semester for the benefit of students who may not otherwise be aware of their advisor’s identity. Faculty advisors are responsible for communicating with students related to preregistration and mentor conferences. Students are not routinely provided with their registration pin numbers apart from specific contact and communication with their advisor.
Information related to important deadlines are provided by the Administrative Assistant of the School of Divinity to all students through mass email notices. Such information is provided on multiple occasions to ensure that students have access to important issues they must address.
