Advising Excellence Certificate

Welcome to the Advising Excellence Certificate Program, presented by the Academic Advising and Planning Center (AAPC). This program is designed to give CofC faculty advisors the knowledge and skills to be successful in the undergraduate advising they provide to students within their respective departments.

To obtain this certificate, participants must complete two steps. The first step is to attend an in-person, live presentation delivered by the professional advisors of the AAPC. This presentation can be attended by:

  • Individuals at a scheduled session (see below)
  • Individuals at a customizable time and date
  • Large groups or departments who request a customized presentation

Click here to schedule the session that works best for you or your department.

Once this is complete, the next step is to complete the Advising Excellence curriculum, which will be made available after completing this session. It's composed of web-based, self-paced, asynchronous OAKS modules. By completing four of the six modules of your choosing, you will be awarded the Program Certificate. Module durations vary from 15 to 25 minutes. There are no knowledge checks associated with the modules, only things to learn and a request for feedback. Once completed, there is an application for certification on the OAKS page.

For those individuals interested in attending a scheduled session in Fall 2025, clear your calendar for one of the following dates:

  • Wednesday, September 24 @ 10am in Addlestone 227
  • Tuesday, October 21 @ 3pm in Addlestone 227
  • Monday, November 10 @ 3pm in Addlestone 227
  • Thursday, December 11 @ 10am in Addlestone 227

Regardless of choosing an individual or group session, scheduled or customized, please complete the form to make your selection so we can plan accordingly.

We are very excited to offer this certificate program. The AAPC’s mission is to prepare undergraduate students to navigate all aspects of academic planning by promoting an atmosphere that encourages self-exploration and resource utilization in support of academic success, as well as the timely and informed pursuit of an academic major. We appreciate your collaboration in fulfilling that mission.

Please email John Sare sarej@cofc.edu with questions or comments.

The Advising Excellence Certificate Program is crafted to fit within three advising competencies as identified by NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising: Conceptual, Informational, and Relational.

  • Conceptual: what academic advising is, advising as mentoring, advising as teaching, expectations of students and their advisees
  • Informational: academic policies and procedures, technology resources, documentation, how to make a referral
  • Relational: effective communication with advisees, having difficult conversations, understanding students’ challenges