The following advising tools are either critical or extremely helpful for daily use by advisors. Please note that some tools may require extra training or special permissions for access.
Patriot Web - Here you will have access to your advisees’ degree evaluation, transfer equivalency worksheet, transcript, etc. You will use this daily.
Navigate Mason – This platform is used for scheduling advising appointments and entering advising notes, and also allows you to run reports on various student criteria, identify academically at-risk students in your program, run advising appointment campaigns, and more. Training and use of Navigate is essential: https://advising.gmu.edu/ssc/.
University Catalog - Mason’s academic catalog can be found at catalog.gmu.edu. The current and archived catalogs are critical tools for any advisor. Program requirements, course information (description, general education, prerequisites), and academic policies are all found here. Also, used almost daily.
Registrar’s Website - Important forms, the academic calendar, and graduation information can all be found on this site: registrar.gmu.edu.
Data Requests through requests@gmu.edu: If you need a list of your majors or minors or complex academic details about your entire student population (or a large group), email the Registrar’s request address (requests@gmu.edu) to obtain a report. This is a great way to populate listservs every semester.
Transfer Admissions Webpage - When working with transfer students you will want to review their Transfer Equivalency Worksheet and determine if posted credits are correct. The Evaluation of Transfer Credit page includes a transfer credit matrix to determine how courses will transfer into Mason from other institutions, the Transfer Credit Inquiry Form, and the Transfer Credit Re-Evaluation Appeal form. https://www.gmu.edu/transfer/credits
Mason Academic Advisor Network (MAAN) - This is a network of advisors across the university that share information, collaborate on advising initiatives and work to provide excellent advising services to our students. You can be a passive or active participant in this group by just signing up for the listserv, going to trainings, or participating in the various initiatives. To join, visit: https://maan.gmu.edu/.
Undergraduate Academic Affairs Forms, Policies, and Procedures - This website contains all policies, procedures, forms, and information about programs in CHSS. Please become familiar with it! https://academicaffairs.chss.gmu.edu/ugradpolicies
CHSS Undergrad Academic Affairs Blackboard Organization - all CHSS advisors have access to this organization, which contains timely resources, regularly updated student lists for outreach, instructions for running common MicroStrategy reports, Undergraduate Director meeting minutes, and more. https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu/
MicroStrategy - MicroStrategy provides reporting and analysis on student information available in Banner. More complex than pulling data from NavigateMason, MicroStrategy can provide advisors with more extensive and customized data on their students. To request access, advisors should submit the Banner Administrative Systems Account request form available in the Employee Services tab of Patriot Web. https://its.gmu.edu/service/microstrategy/
The Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA) - This is the professional organization associated with the advising field. If you are looking for ideas, helpful hints, or upcoming conference information, we encourage you to check out their website: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/.