The faculty of the University is ultimately responsible and accountable for all academic aspects of the educational enterprise. Whereas teaching and research are readily recognized as major responsibilities of the faculty, the advising of students also clearly falls under faculty purview. Because of the variation of circumstances in the several colleges of this University, it is not feasible to define highly specific and inclusive faculty activities in advising. However, it is both feasible and appropriate to outline general principles to guide faculty involvement in advising.

Fundamentally, it is a faculty responsibility to define curriculum, the courses that enlighten and train the student in a specialty area as well as the collection of courses that provide the foundation and breadth of the liberal education. The faculty is also ultimately responsible for delivery of the curriculum to the students, not only in terms of the presentation of courses but also in terms of aiding students in determining which curriculum and/or which courses and experiences are most suitable for achieving each student's educational goals. The advising process assists students in determining their primary interests (choosing a major), aids in scheduling suitable courses and experiences to fulfill the expectation of the desired major, and may even extend to consideration of the suitability of training for postgraduate professional or employment opportunities.

The faculty of every unit should corporately determine the mechanisms by which they will be involved in advising students and periodically review the effectiveness of that process. It should be a continuing objective for each unit to ensure that students have ready access to good advising. In some units faculty may choose to be directly involved in advising individual students. In other units, aspects of the process may be delegated to appropriately trained and supervised professional, graduate students, or peer advisers.

In all cases, it remains a responsibility of the faculty to develop and define the curriculum and to supervise the process by which students are individually guided through their academic programs. The faculty of each unit corporately should be aware of the advising process and supportive of those persons directly involved in advising students. The faculty should encourage students to take advantage of opportunities to broaden, intensify, and integrate their educational experience, and generally ensure that students receive good advising in a timely fashion.