Since the early 1980s, students in our undergraduate distance learning program have been assigned a faculty advisor to assist them in charting a course to complete their degree.  At present, there are six such faculty advisors.  Throughout the summer, we will be streamlining the current advising process by transferring all advising responsibilities to one full-time advisor. 

There will be several advantages to this change, including the more consistent availability of the full-time advisor throughout the school year and summer.  Under the current system, faculty advisors are sometimes difficult to reach because of their teaching, vacation and summer schedules, and university service activities.  Under the new system, all students will interact with the same advisor, resulting in the more consistent communication of information to advisees.

We are now in the final steps of hiring the full-time advisor.  As soon as the advisor's training has been completed, students in the business program  will receive an introduction letter and contact information for him or her.  This will occur before the end of August 2001.  At that point, all program-related questions and requests for new contracts should be addressed to the new advisor.  Until you receive official notice of the changeover, please contact your current advisor as usual.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation as we make this transition.  Please feel free to forward any comments you may have to this procedure to my attention through August 17, 2001, or to Marge Karsten after that date.