See below for an overview of advising at Bethel, or use the links in the left-hand navigation menu to access resources related to your specific needs. Questions? Contact the Advising Specialist (advising-center@bethel.edu, x6437) or the Director of CAS Advising, Patrice Conrath, (conrath@bethel.edu, x6348).
Purpose of Advising
Academic advising at Bethel equips students to take intentional steps towards lifelong service to God and the world by partnering with students as they optimize their time at Bethel through informed curricular and co-curricular choices and develop an understanding of themselves, their calling, and their whole education.
Faculty/Staff Advisors
Bethel’s advising model is centered around faculty and staff advisors connecting with students in their academic department. The Advising Center works with academic departments to assign incoming students and students who change their major to advisors who are experts in their field of study.New faculty begin advising in their second year at Bethel. We pair new advisors with more experienced advisors in their department through a mentorship program designed to help new faculty develop strong advising practices and receive consistent input as they adjust to Bethel’s systems and curriculum. The program covers the first two years of a faculty member’s appointment.
Department Chairs oversee advising in each department. They are usually experienced advisors themselves and are important liaisons between departments and the Advising Center.
- Check out our Training page to build your skills as an advisor.
Departments
Departments take different approaches to advising depending on their unique department culture and the needs of their students. While some departments prefer to focus on individual advising meetings, other departments use peer advising, group advising, or other models to supplement one-on-one meetings.
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Head over to our Ideas for Departments page to learn more about different advising models and how they work.
Advising Center
The Advising Center supports students, advisors, and departments by providing a variety of resources related to advising and academic planning. Our Academic Advising Specialist is available daily to help answer your questions and connect you with the resources you need. The Advising Specialist also serves as a second advisor for PSEO students, coordinates advisor assignment, maintains tools like this website and the electronic planning sheet, and meets with prospective, transfer, and exploratory students as needed to help address their academic planning questions.
The Advising Team includes the Advising Specialist and faculty representatives from each division:
- Patrice Conrath, Director of CAS Advising, Department of Math and Computer Science
- Bethany Opsata, Department of Business and Economics
- Sam Mulberry, Department of History
Committee
The Advising Committee meets monthly during the academic year to coordinate, strengthen, and define goals for advising-related activities at Bethel. The Committee includes representatives from a range of departments and offices whose work relates to advising.
- Faculty: Patrice Conrath, Director of Advising (Math and Computer Science); Bethany Opsata, Advising Team Representative (Business and Economics); Sam Mulberry, Advising Team Representative (History); Alyssa Hamre (Physics); Kimberley Meyer (Nursing); Michael Dreher (Communication Studies); Melissa Cordes (Biology)
- Academic Affairs: Deb Sullivan-Trainor, VP & Dean of CAS
- Admissions: Hannah Leidall, PSEO and Transfer Counselor
- Advising Center: Daniel Sibert, Academic Advising Specialist
- Career Development and Calling: Ann Vu Ngo, Associate Dean of Career Development & Calling
- Registrar's Office: Kerri Vickers, Associate Registrar for CAS; Jacob Manning, Registration and Project Specialist
Related Offices
- Academic Enrichment and Support Center: study skills, testing strategies, tutoring (individual and lab), academic counseling
- Admissions: incoming students (new, transfer, PSEO)
- Academic Affairs (CAS): curriculum, Gen Ed, academic policies
- Career Development and Calling: assessments, career specialists, career presentations
- Counseling Services: individual and group counseling for a wide range of concerns
- Registrar’s office: registration, grade submission, forms, petitions, banner, transfer work evaluation, graduation applications, transcripts, degree evaluations