University Advising
Office of Undergraduate Education
This page includes resources to guide supervisors through recruiting and selecting new academic advisors, preparing for their arrival, and creating a thoughtful onboarding experience. From interview tools and hiring guidance to onboarding checklists, sample timelines, and practical resources, this collection can help supervisors welcome new advisors with clarity, consistency, and confidence.
The resources below provide practical tools to guide supervisors through the onboarding process, from planning and training to systems access, relationship building, and developing unit-specific resources. Use these materials as a starting point, and adapt them to meet the unique needs of your team and new advisors.
Make a copy of the onboarding checklist for new academic advisors and adjust as needed. This checklist is 8 weeks in length and is closely aligned with the New Academic Advisor Training Course in D2L.
Supervisors may access a supervisor copy of the New Academic Advisor Training Course to see a full overview of what academic advisors are learning throughout the course.
Make a copy of the Supervisor Responsibilities Checklist for onboarding new academic advisors and make adjustments as needed.
This guide includes steps for requesting, verifying, and updating Campus Solutions (SIS) access for academic advisors, as well as requesting access to ESAF and Registrar Systems.
Michigan State University uses a wide range of acronyms in everyday communication. To help, the Office of Research and Innovation maintains the MSU Acronyms Search database, a searchable resource that allows users to quickly look up unfamiliar acronyms and their meanings. Encourage new advisors to bookmark this resource and use it whenever they come across an unfamiliar term.
To begin developing unit-specific resources for your team, create a centralized Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Guide that can serve as a comprehensive training, onboarding, and reference resource for both current and future employees.
This activity helps new team members intentionally build relationships across both operational and student support networks so they can effectively navigate student needs during their first term.