Academic Advising and Academic Resources

The Faculty Advisor

Before declaring a major, a student must obtain a faculty advisor within the department, usually but not necessarily a teacher with whom he or she has already taken courses. The advisor is a valuable educational resource, providing information about academic options and opportunities at the College. An advisor's main function is to guide a student in shaping short- and long-range academic plans, particularly a program of studies with intellectual coherence. Although a student is ultimately responsible for making decisions and meeting all the requirements for degree listed in the Skidmore College Catalog, an advisor must approve a student's course schedule each semester before registration and release the advising hold. It is imperative that a student know the advisors' office hours and consult him or her well in advance of registration.

The Department Newsletter

The department publishes a newsletter prior to both the spring and fall registration periods. The newsletter contains all the course offerings for the coming semester, as well as articles and opinion pieces written by both students and faculty about current events, internship opportunities, and off-campus study. Copies of the newsletter are available in the Political Science Department bay.

Academic Council Representatives

Representatives to Academic Council, in addition to their SGA responsibilities, attend all Political Science Department faculty meetings and contribute to the writing and editing of the department newsletter. We encourage students to contact the department chair if they have suggestions for improving the department's efforts to serve its majors.