Director's Message

Marco L. Valadez

Director of Academic Advising

Over the next few years you are about to have lots of questions. How should I think about exploring majors? What kinds of classes should I take? Are there things I can do in my first or second year that will help me with my plans after graduation? The reality is there is no one right answer to any of these or any one response we can give to all students. Each of you needs to explore these questions for yourself and to do that you’re going to need the support of others along the way. My office exists to support you throughout this journey and we will start from before you even arrive on campus with the assignment of your own Academic Advisor. All of our advisors come from either the faculty or professional staff and all of them have had an academic journey that started much as yours is now. Think of your advisor as your go-to person, whenever you have an academic concern you can start with them and they will be able to either give you an answer or point you to the resource which can. They are here to help you build connections, both between you and the university and between your future degree and whatever you hope to do after graduation. Our office coordinates this advising program and can help both you and them whenever either of you need support.

Students are also encouraged to reach out to the Academic Resource Center (ARC), the section of our office that focuses on academic support. The ARC provides peer tutoring for many classes as well as workshops and other types of sessions to help you learn many different types of academic skills. Additionally, we offer an Academic Coaching program available to both students who are currently having trouble as well as those who just want to grow in a particular academic area. Students joining this program get to work with our staff one on one to identify any challenges they may be going through and together they come up with a strategy to work past those issues. The best students make sure to get help for any issues early on so whenever you feel like you need help with a class or could become more skilled in a particular area be sure to contact the ARC to get the resources you need.

We are excited to support you during your time at DKU. If there is ever anything that me or my office can do for you always feel free to reach out.

See you on campus,

Marco

Mission Statement

The Office of Undergraduate Advising is committed to providing a signature advising experience that promotes holistic learning and understanding of the integrated and multi-discipline curriculum and prepares the next generation of scholars and leaders. Academic advising provides undergraduates with academic strategies that reinforce a research-oriented liberal arts and sciences education inclusive of how students learn and develop in pursuit of their academic and career endeavors.

  • Major exploration and selection
  • Faculty referrals
  • Pre-Professional advising referrals (e.g. Pre-Health, Pre-Law)
  • Academic engagement (e.g., student support services, student-faculty relations, academic referrals)
  • Tutoring 
  • Academic success workshops
  • Academic success coaching (e.g., study strategy, learning preferences, time management)
  • Academic citizenship (e.g., academic expectations, academic grit)