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Academic Advising

Mission 

The mission of the Institute Academic Advising Program is to guide cadets through the exploration and clarification of their academic, career and life goals to help them develop skills and strategies that will contribute to their academic success and enable them to achieve a balanced engagement in co-curricular and academic activities.  Academic advisors both support and challenge cadets in an effort to increase each cadet's confidence and self-sufficiency over the four-year process.

Advisor Selection 

Upon entry into VMI, each cadet is assigned an academic advisor who, unless the cadet subsequently changes academic major, will work with the cadet until graduation. During the first year there is extensive contact between the advisor and cadet in order to facilitate the cadet’s transition into the VMI culture, assist the cadet in mastering the academic policies and regulations, and assist the cadet in coordinating the demands of a multi-faceted academic and co-curricular experience.

As cadets advance through their cadetship, they are expected to assume increased responsibility for complying with academic standards and regulations, initiating the use of support services, and making good decisions about the integration of the academic and co-curricular activities. The academic advising program is a pivotal element of the broader program of academic support services provided by the Virginia Military Institute and a major force in ensuring a successful progression through the VMI program. Cadets are encouraged to take full advantage of the Institute’s commitment to the academic advising process.

 VMI Academic Advising: Insight for Incoming Cadets  

Vision for Academic Advising 

The Academic Advising Program at VMI:

  • aspires to produce cadets who are committed to pursuing their intellectual goals and who are actively engaged in the process of achieving those goals.  It aspires to produce cadets who are actively engaged in planning, implementing and completing their academic careers with mentoring and guidance from faculty advisors.
  • strives to create academic advisors who are committed to serving the academic program goals by mentoring cadets.  Each faculty advisor should be dedicated to the welfare of his or her advisees and to be someone to whom the cadet may go, at any time during the cadetship, for guidance on any aspect of VMI or career choices.
  • seeks to form a partnership between the cadet and the advisor in which the cadet assumes an increasingly more active role in academic decisions as she or he progresses through his/her cadetship.

The advisor's role for first year cadets is to guide the cadets through their academic programs and to assist the cadets with the transition to VMI.  Advisors should be able to recognize potential problems and know when and where to refer cadets if so needed.  The advisor's role for upper class cadets is to facilitate their progression through the curriculum and to provide guidance to assist cadets with decisions regarding their academics and future careers. Faculty advisors should be willing to provide guidance to cadets at any time during the cadetship, and cadets should be willing to seek out their advisors for academic and career guidance.

The vision is consistent with the academic program vision because it emphasizes developing the whole cadet through engagement in academic and service activities as well as faculty mentorship.

The National Academic Advising Association Core Values Exposition