Academic Advising at LC
Advising Model
College Advisors are professional staff members who support students in exploring their academic and cocurricular options at Lewis & Clark. College Advisors are generalists, in that they can speak broadly to the wide array of academic programs available to students. In partnership with Faculty Advisors, they can help students to make academic plans that encompass their major and degree requirements, along with other academic and overseas programs. College Advisors can also help students understand academic policies and procedures and connect students with on-campus resources needed to achieve academic success.
Incoming students are assigned a College Advisor before their first semester at Lewis & Clark. If you’re not sure who your College Advisor is, search for the phrase ‘College Advising Center’ in your L&C email, or contact us at cac@lclark.edu.
Your College Advisor is available via appointments and drop-in hours; you can also email them if you have any questions.
The Faculty Advisor is your main point of contact for registration advising — you are required to see them each semester before registration. They carry expert knowledge in their academic department or program at the college, and can provide advice on courses, co-curricular opportunities such as research and internships, and campus resources.
All incoming undergraduate students are assigned to a Pre-Major Faculty Advisor. When students declare their major, they choose a faculty member to serve as their Major Faculty Advisor (and this person replaces the Pre-Major Faculty Advisor). Some students declare minors or a double major, in which case they will select additional faculty members to serve as Major/Minor Faculty Advisors.
Yes. Your College Advisor is assigned to you — and available as a resource to you — from the beginning of your time at L&C through to graduation.
If you would like to change your pre-major major Faculty Advisor, major advisor, or College Advisor, please contact the new advisor of your choice and, once you have their approval, ask them to email Kaiti Lemon (kdugger@lclark.edu) to make the change official.
The College Advisor-Advisee Relationship
As the advisee, you:
- Use the resources provided to you online and via email to learn about the college’s academic requirements and policies
- Engage with your College Advisor about your academic interests, plans, and goals
- Schedule and attend advising appointments whenever you need advising help or when requested by your College Advisor
- Check your L&C email regularly to stay up-to-date on important information from your College Advisor (and L&C in general)
- Utilize the campus resources available to you to achieve your academic goals and ask your College Advisor when unsure of the resources offered
- Inform your College Advisor if there are circumstances that could hinder your academic success, such as illness or other personal situations
As the advisor, we:
- Help you to learn about our academic programs
- Help you understand the major, general education, and degree requirements needed for your undergraduate degree
- Help you understand academic policies and procedures and assist you in navigating college procedures
- Help you to actively explore potential majors and to engage in decision-making that can help you determine the major that is the best fit for your academic goals
- Collaborate with your Faculty Advisor to make graduation, study abroad, and academic plans
- Check in with you about life outside the classroom so that we can support your holistic well-being
- Connect you to academic and student life resources and staff on campus
- Provide a supportive, respectful space where you can share your experiences, thoughts, ideas, questions, and concerns
- Advise you through decisions to take time away from the college (i.e. a leave of absence, a semester withdrawal)
College Advising Center is located in room 206 of Albany Quadrangle on the Undergraduate Campus.
MSC: 129
email cac@lclark.edu
voice 503-768-7600
College Advising Center
Lewis & Clark
615 S. Palatine Hill Road
Portland OR 97219