Mission, Vision and Values

Mission

The mission of First Year Advising is to provide an intentional and educational partnership which empowers students to develop meaningful educational plans and goals. Utilizing a developmental philosophy, advisors should promote autonomy in the establishment of realistic educational and professional goals.

Values and Vision

Individuality

• We strive to create relationships built on respect, understanding, and acceptance that each person has different needs, backgrounds, values, and experiences. We will meet you where you are and support you as you work toward developing and meeting your goals.
• We strive to maintain two-way communication, remain aware of our language and terminology choices, and be inclusive in our communications. We will talk WITH you, not ABOUT you.
• We will have different academic advising tools and models available to support you and recognize which may be needed given your specific situation.

Improvement

• We strive to empower you to accept personal responsibility for the pursuit of your educational and career goals and will support you as you become more self-sufficient.
• We strive to bring awareness to university policies, procedures, and requirements, as well as available university resources and how to utilize them.
• We strive to connect you with colleagues within our college, the university, and the greater community who have the experience & expertise to provide relevant information, guidance and support as you pursue your educational goals.

Inquiry and Innovation

• We strive to develop relationships with colleagues across the campus and the greater community and employ creative problem solving strategies to support you in your educational journey.
• We strive to be a model for you by continuing our own learning process by engaging in professional enrichment opportunities individually or in groups.
• We strive to be a leader in our profession by supporting active learning through publications, presentations, and involvement in professional organizations and utilizing best practices to advance our programs and services.

Integrity

• We strive to be clear, purposeful, and to provide realistic expectations about outcomes and processes. Even when that is not what you want to hear.
• We strive to be strong advocates and mediators serving in your best interest while also being a conscientious institutional representative.
• We strive to represent the university in an ethical way adhering to the institution's policies, procedures, and interpretation of applicable laws.

Impact

• We strive to be accessible, knowledgeable, and committed to providing you with an exemplary academic advising experience.
• We strive to evaluate our staff, programs, and services to ensure that we are meeting our goals on a continual basis.
• We strive to measure the effect of our programs and services toward meeting State of Florida metrics and UWF goals.