At Butler University faculty serve as the academic advisors for students in their corresponding majors. The Art Program is no different. Between October 21 and November 1, all Art+Design majors will meet individually with at least one of the faculty in the Art Program in preparation for enrollment in Spring courses. To ensure that a meeting takes place, advising holds are placed on student records–these are removed by the faculty advisor at the conclusion of the advising meeting.
Both the student and faculty member have specific responsibilities during these meetings. Students create a “shopping cart” of classes that they plan to take the following semester, taking into consideration the requirements of their major and their minor or secondary major and the requirements of the core curriculum. Students’ academic requirements can be viewed using a link on their mybutler Student Center page. During the advising meeting, the faculty member reviews each student’s progress towards their degree, suggests adjustments to the student’s planned schedule if necessary, and answers any questions that their advisees have about graduation requirements.
When students study abroad, they meet with their advisor before they leave, and also collaborate on the post-study abroad Semester, usually electronically. This semester Joel Fuller (’16) is in Japan, for instance, and he’ll register for Spring 2015 classes when his enrollment window opens (technically he’ll register 13 hours early, because of the time change between Indianapolis and Tokyo!). Check out Joel’s graphic novel on his blog: http://xaviangubora.com/
While advising appointments have the function of encouraging Art+Design majors finish their degrees on time, it also is a structured moment to touch base with the students on progress in the classes they are currently enrolled in and an opportunity to provide guidance with internships, and, in the case of students graduating soon, designing a strategy for entering a career post-graduation.
Personal advising complements the career preparation that the Art Program provides as part of the Art+Design curriculum. In ART210, Process: Theory and Practice, taken the first year, students not only create their first unified body of work to display at the end-of-the-semester huge exhibition ART NOW, but also write their first resume and start an electronic portfolio that they will add to throughout their career at Butler University.
The Art+Design career capstone course is ART411, Method: Thesis + Exhibition. In this class students create their final body of work, write a researched paper that places that work into the broader context of contemporary art and design, and present their work in a formal setting at the Butler Undergraduate Research Conference, as well as an informal setting consisting of gallery talks and final critiques when their work is displayed at the Annex gallery.
Students also transition their portfolio from a student portfolio to an career-oriented portfolio and put the finishing touches on their resumes. Usually before they walk across the stage at Hinkle Fieldhouse to receive their diploma, they’ve already begun interviewing for positions in the professional world.