Advising Center
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Information about the Advising Center at Texas Tech

Mission Statement

University Advising and its constituent programs exist to engage, equip, empower, and encourage students (and their families) to explore and excel in their educational goals and beyond."

The mission uses several e-words by design. The statement was carefully crafted to help our own team memorize, understand, and deliver, all in alignment with the Strategic Plan and Priorities defined by the university. Each element is consistently presented in our interactions and communication materials provided to students and their families, including our web site, an “advising syllabus” for our students, up to and including our own performance evaluations.

More than a nice saying or slogan, these elements of the departmental mission, all derived from the university’s own mission and vision, provide us with the opportunity to direct, execute, and assess.  Every program, initiative, and student interaction is based on specific learning objectives.  Each objective includes deliberate assessments of learning to provide data to guide and inform departmental decisions and ongoing quality improvement efforts.

The Department

University Advising (TTUA) serves with distinction as Texas Tech’s university academic advising unit.  As a department, University Advising( undertakes important student recruitment, transition, and retention initiatives via five distinct and yet closely related advising endeavors:

In summary, TTUA is most strongly motivated to continue its beneficial history of serving Texas Tech University on all matters concerning academic advising.  A description, brief history, and a list of highlights for each of these important endeavors is detailed in the sections that follow. 

ACTT

At its inception some 20 years ago, ACTT was charged with being the contact point for academic advising at Texas Tech.  For the past ten years, ACTT has consistently fulfilled its mission, carried out directives on advising, and serving as the contact point for matters dealing with university advising.  As the bridge between the TTU Advising Community and Academics, Staff, and the Administration of Texas Tech, ACTT does the following:

Texas Tech University Undergraduate Academic Advisors

Administration and Provost Office

Undergraduate Students and Families

Advising Coordination for the College of Arts & Sciences

Advising Management Highlights

Highlights of advising management changes at ACTT since December, 1999, include the following:

Accountability

Documentation/Assessment/Evaluation

Recruitment

Grants

Program Development

The department created and administers four campus-wide programs in response to University and Community needs.  In addition, the NSO program for the largest college on campus has one of the first parent programs offered at TTU.  Since it began, the Arts & Sciences Orientation Parent Program averages a 4.6 rating by parents out of a 5.0 system.

Texas Tech University Advising Center

Welcoming an average of #### student visits to the 79 Holden Hall office suite each month, the Advising Center welcomes each and every student through its doors, in addition to another #### visits via the Internet every year.

Triage Advising

Because student issues range from finding the right classroom to finding the right major, to finding out the difference between a W, a DG, a DW, and University Withdrawal, the Advising Center maintains a triage advisor in the office from 7:45am to 5pm, and has developed an online Student Resource Guide and an index of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to provide 24/7 academic guidance for students. 

As in the medical field, triage is not the Advising Center’s ongoing method of operation, but it is vital to engaging students at their perceived point of need.  Once their immediate concerns have been addressed, and their condition has “stabilized,” our advisors work to help students explore the situation to a greater level of depth to foster critical thinking, initiative, self-leadership, problem-solving, and confidence.

Initially, this approach may be labeled as prescriptive in nature, but drawing from its heritage as a part of higher education’s academic units, prescription is quickly replaced by a deliberately scaffolded curriculum, wherein the student is prompted, invited, and encouraged to enter and embrace the important cycle of learning, assessment, re-direction, and growth.

Community Space & Computer Lab

Even with its limited square footage, the Advising Center uses its real estate, hallway frontage, and furnishings to engages students via study carrels, bulletin boards, and collaborative spaces in the wide hallways outside the University Advising Center facility at 79 Holden Hall. 

Additionally, in the front office of the Advising Center suite, the department provides and maintains nine computer workstations with paid color printing services.

Resource Broker

Brokering campus resources includes providing numerous printed materials introducing campus resources, to personal referrals made at the student’s point of need.  The Advising Center staff function as resource brokers to guide students toward important offices, persons, and services which aid in student persistence and overall retention.

DISCOVERY! Program for Undecided and Exploratory Students

Begin with the DISCOVERY! Major Map.  Choosing a major is a big decision, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.  Major Map helps you find your direction by identifying your values, skills, interests, and abilities.  Once you have identified your direction, you will be ready to determine which academic majors here at Texas Tech University are the best fit for you.  Through a deliberate study of yourself and one-to-one meetings with an academic advisor, you will narrow the range of academic alternatives and be well-equipped to confidently pursue your educational and career goals.

The second component of the process is the DISCOVERY! Academic Physical, which will help you set goals, identify your specific learning style, and create study strategies that will promote optimal academic health (success).  Why? Many reasons.  For example, did you know that 80% of freshman and sophomore level courses are taught in the traditional lecture style format where the professor lectures and the student takes notes?  The Academic Physical helps to diagnose your strengths and opportunities for growth which helps to better prepare you for this new environment.

DISCOVERY! will help you find your direction to an amazing university experience, an on-time graduation, and a future career field that will be fulfilling and rewarding. If you are looking for an extra boost toward your future, there are two additional opportunities you should consider:

  1. Undecided and nervous about course selection?  Look into the DISCOVERY! Freshman Interest Group.  Members of the D-FIG enroll with other exploratory students in a pre-defined set of courses that will help keep your options open as you explore. 
  2. The DISCOVERY! Learning Community consists of two floors in the residence halls dedicated to students like you who are have made a good decision … to explore, learn, choose, and succeed.  Your peers, programming, and additional access to academic advisors helps you stay on target while you learn about yourself and the academic options available.

Contact Information: 79 Holden Hall, 806.742.2189, discovery@ttu.edu, www.discovery.ttu.edu

TTU PEGASUS Program for First Generation College (FGC) Students

If neither of a student’s parents earned a four-year (bachelor’s) degree, a student can qualify for the TTU PEGASUS Program. As a PEGASUS participant, the student will have access to an advisor who works specifically with First Generation College (FGC) students and to an academic advisor who specializes in the student’s chosen major. PEGASUS offers many opportunities for community building with events such as FGC socials, study sessions, and community service opportunities. POWER sessions are offered for achievement in scholarship and unprecedented success in the following important areas:

FGC PEGASUS Mentors are successful upper-class FGC students who are available for one-to-one relationships with PEGASUS members. Mentors have navigated the challenges of being a first-generation college student, and their friendships and experiences can provide meaningful help and real-world advice on achieving successful during the first year of college.

PEGASUS is built around giving back to others. Members are proof of access to higher education for FGC families, foster children, and other historically underrepresented populations. From conducting outreach events to building ongoing relationships, PEGASUS students inspire, inform, and nurture pre-college students to prepare for and enroll in college.

Beyond the PEGASUS activities, workshops, and service opportunities described above, there are two additional (exciting!) opportunities that further encourage the success of our Texas Tech FGC students:

  1. FGC Students who are unsure about course selection during their freshman year should consider enrolling with other FGC students as part of the PEGASUS Freshman Interest Group. 
  2. Texas Tech provides a PEGASUS Learning Community, two residence hall floors designated specifically for FGC students to live, learn, and grow as a unified community.
  3. FGC advisors, peer mentors, and PEGASUS members engage in accomplishing common goals selected to encourage and complement academic efforts.

Contact information: 79 Holden Hall, 806.742.2189, www.pegasus.ttu.edu, pegasus@ttu.edu

TTU Prelaw Program

Students who are interested in attending law school should begin preparing long before graduation. The discipline of law is for students who are interested in combining precision in thinking, researching, and writing with a desire to work with people. While many choose to practice law in the courtroom, many law graduates leverage their newly developed skills to excel in other fields. A law education equips students for success in a law practice, public service, teaching, and business.

Through a structured four-year process, the TTU Prelaw Program cultivates the undergraduate to become a confident and articulate law school applicant bearing exceptional qualifications. Participants will focus on the three essential areas identified by law school professionals nationwide:

  1. Writing and speaking with comprehension and clarity
  2. Understanding social institutions and human nature
  3. Thinking creatively and analytically

To excel in these areas, students in the program will:

Prospective law students need a four-year bachelor’s degree in the academic discipline of their choice. Law schools are generally most interested in applicants who exhibit intellectual maturity and have the foundation of a broad-based liberal arts education. They consider exceptional applicants from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, often providing programs for early admission to qualified applicants.

The TTU Prelaw Program works with your major to strengthen and streamline your candidacy as a law school applicant. There are two sound routes to consider:

  1. Undeclared/Exploratory Students: Initially, you can be designated as a PLAW student in the College of Arts & Sciences. Using the Advising Center DISCOVERY! tools, you will be ready to declare a major, having determined what major best fits your goals, values, and personal objectives. This plan allows you the freedom to explore academic majors while staying on track in your preparation for law school. PLAW is a great way to explore and still graduate on schedule with a degree that you find fulfilling and exciting.
  2. Declared Majors:  The program will partner with you and the academic advisor who specializes in your declared major. Their combined guidance will support your pursuit of undergraduate success and prepare you for the transition to law school.  Just let us know you are interested, and we will begin guiding you through the process, and will even help track your progress.

If you are looking for an extra boost toward your future, you should consider enrolling with other TTU Prelaw Program students as part of the Prelaw Freshman Interest Group.  You can even take it one step further and live in the Prelaw Learning Community, two residence hall floors designated specifically for prelaw students.

Any student interested in attending law school can join the TTU Prelaw Program at any time ... but for the most benefit, it is best to start as soon as possible.  You have the drive and you know the destination. We can help provide the direction you will need to get there. 

Contact information: 79 Holden Hall, 806.742.2189, prelaw@ttu.edu, www.prelaw.ttu.edu