Center for Academic Success

All first-year students are assigned a faculty core adviser (FCA) for the first two years to facilitate their transition to university life. These advisers help students become integrated into the Christopher Newport community by encouraging exploration of academic, co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

FCAS

DO THE FOLLOWING:

• Help you navigate and understand the meaning of a liberal learning curriculum • Provide insight regarding academic expectations • Raise students’ awareness of campus resources and opportunities for engagement • Assist students with pre-registration planning and finding the right major or minor • Foster an environment of shared responsibility and mutual respect • Provide general academic support • Help you prepare for Sophomore Signing Day when you transition to a major adviser

ADVISING TIMELINE

AND THINGS TO EXPECT:

• Your FCA will send you a letter of introduction over the summer, followed by an email to help you prepare for Welcome Week. • You will meet with your FCA in a group and individually during Welcome Week. • You will meet to discuss your grades and transition to college during weeks 5 and 8. • You will meet in week 10 to develop your schedule and plan for your future.

STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO:

• Take responsibility for their own academic planning by actively engaging in the advising process • Maintain an open line of communication with their adviser • Be knowledgeable about Christopher Newport University's academic policies, procedures and requirements • Arrive at each advising appointment promptly and prepared with questions and thoughts about what is to be discussed during the appointment • Recognize that advisers provide guidance and support throughout the advising process; however, the final decisions ultimately belong to the student

Learning Communities (LCs) provide another way of giving every entering freshman a solid beginning. In the fall semester, every first-year student will be enrolled in a Learning Community of approximately 12 to 16 students who live in close proximity in the residence halls and take two or three courses together which are linked in some way. It may be that the courses have a similar theme or are linked to a specific disciplinary program, but all guarantee some course in the liberal learning curriculum. Some students will be placed in an Intensive Learning Community, which means their FCA will actually be teaching one of their LC classes with an assigned peer mentor available for additional support.

BENEFITS OF

LEARNING COMMUNITIES

• Provide a smoother transition to college by integrating a student’s academic and social life • Give students easily identifiable peers to help them in the formation of study groups and class preparation • Increase comfort with classmates, allowing students to take intellectual risks and participate more fully in their classes • Guarantee two to three liberal learning courses necessary for student progress toward degree completion